Panama - Artisanal processes and plant fibers techniques for talcos, crinejas and pintas weaving of the pinta’o hat

The artisanal process of obtaining the plant fibres for weaving talcos, crinejas and pintas used to make pintao hats is a manual process carried out using five plants and swamp mud. Artisans weave braids and create talco weaves with different designs and pintas. Participants either plant, process the raw materials, weave or create the braids used to make the hat. The pintao hat has become an integral part of regional outfits throughout the country worn during traditional dances and community festivities. The practice promotes solidarity as artisans and plant suppliers are encouraged to form cooperatives and groups. As part of efforts to safeguard the craft, the Pintao Hat Museum in the La Pintada District recreates the artisan’s processes and environment and displays hats from different periods. There is a Civic and Memorial Day of the Pintao Hat on 19 October, and the General Directorate of Artisanship holds artisanal markets and fairs to promote artisanal products. The processes and techniques are passed down from generation to generation, and weaving contests encourage artisans to perfect their art. Currently, more than 400 artisans working with the traditional techniques have been identified; artisans make a living from their craft and are proud of their creations.

Panama - Dances and expressions associated with the Corpus Christi Festivity

The Corpus Christi festival is a religious festival in Panama that celebrates the body and blood of Christ. The festival combines Catholic tradition with popular practices and festivities and is characterized by theatre, music, burlesque dances and colourful costumes and masks. A day before the festival, a theatrical and musical performance depicts the battle between good (St. Michael the Archangel) and evil (the great devil and his legion) in the fight over the human soul. Participants then dance in a procession that follows a priest carrying the monstrance, a metal receptacle in which the Host is exposed. (In Catholic tradition, the Host is the consecrated bread of the Eucharist, representing the sacrifice of the Body of Christ.) In some communities, the dancing is performed on a carpet made of flowers. After the procession, participants dance freely and gather on the streets and in family homes, where food and drinks are shared. The knowledge and skills related to the festival are passed on through participation in the festival and the involvement of youth in dance groups, mask-making teams and sawdust carpet teams.