There is a saying in the state of Antioquia, where Medellín is located, which says: “When a silletero passes by, Antioquia passes by”. The silleteros, traditional flower growers from the outskirts of the Colombian city, are the stars of the parade that crowns the Flower Fair.
No wonder Medellín is known as the city of eternal spring. The climate, stable year-round, and the fertile soil of the region make it surrounded by these small historic flower farms.
Every August, the avenue parallel to the city’s main river fills with more than 500 participants, who walk 2.4 km with their silletas — wooden backpacks capable of holding pounds and pounds of flowers — on their backs.
The tradition is a holdover from colonial times, when indigenous people and peasants walked down the mountains to the valley carrying flowers in sillettes. In 1957, the practice became a party with the first edition of Feira das Flores.
And what a party. It is possible to follow the parade for free, from the curb, without much structure — other than your own legs. The paid ticket offers more comfort, with covered bleachers, and can be good for partygoers on duty. The refill of brandy, rum, gifts and delicacies is constant.
Folha was in the last edition of the party, last August. In the paid VIP area, the DJ tried to cheer up the audience with country names between reggaeton hits. Puerto Rico and Mexico generated a stir. Brazil was not even mentioned.
The parade, however, is far from a tourist trap. Friends Carlos Sanchez, 65, and Patricia Bustomante, 59, both from Medellín, hit the event every year.
“I love seeing the sillettes, the colors, the sacrifice of the silleteros to carry so much weight”, says Patricia.
Getting to the parade is a process. The famous phrase about the silleteros at the beginning of the text was uttered, for the first time, days before the big moment, by don Jose Angel, one of the silleteros who also paraded this year.
He received a horde of tourists at his finca in Santa Elena, and set up a small live silhouette, while he told about the craft and tradition of parading.
This, yes, is a very touristy tour, but not dispensable.
The variety of flowers on the plantation, where visitors can stroll, is impressive. See the traditional parade obligatory parade too. Hat, pants, shirt, espadrilles, scarves, apron and, most importantly, the leather bag.
During don Jose’s brief presentation, you can even line up an arepa with cheese and hot chocolate.
He was not one of the finalists for the 2022 edition, but he paraded with his head held high — at least as high as the 90 kg of the monumental silleta he carried allowed him.
The parade is separated into sillette categories: artistic; the monumental ones; sponsored ones; the traditional ones, which emulate those carried by peasants; and emblematic, which contain political messages. Children also parade, separated into children’s and junior modalities.
The mood changes when the silleteros begin to pass. The audience is already heated by the mixture of drunkenness, reggaeton and expectation. When the first participants enter, praise and messages of encouragement pour out. Many silleteros need help completing the journey — a matter of honor, as the role can only be passed from parent to child.
The atmosphere puts emotions to the surface. Children and the elderly draw tenderness from the audience. The arrangements leave a sweet smell wherever they go. To top it off, political messages draw tears.
“Thanks to our heroes,” read a silhouette with a helicopter and a Colombian flag. “What about you? What do you contribute?” said another, with children playing on one side and armed people on the other. “My house lacks them. And yours?”, said a third, with the faces of two men behind a table with a person crying.
Medellín has been transformed, but its wounds are still open. Less than 40 years ago, it topped rankings of the world’s most dangerous cities by hand and was home to none other than Pablo Escobar.
The people remember. At a souvenir shop in Pueblito Paisa, an ultra-tourist artificial village that emulates an Antioquian colonial town, visitors looking for souvenirs of “Pablito” were lectured by the attendant, Marta. “We don’t sell any of his stuff here. You young people don’t remember the amount of evil he did.”
It’s easier to find homages to Medellin’s engines of transformation. The public transport system, especially the subways and metrocables (a type of cable car), is even the chivas, traditional festive buses that parade days before the silleteros.
The city tries — and manages — to consolidate itself as a successful laboratory of social urbanism, and even earns tourist tours on top of the improvements.
This is the case of the escalators that connect the hills of Comuna 13. The poor district was the scene of a massacre in 2002, as a result of Operation Orión, a military intervention that tried to expel the guerrillas that commanded the area.
After the trauma, the place gained stairs, a way to speed up access for residents, and became the cradle of urban art tours, with graffiti, break dance, rap. The colorful murals share space with bullet holes, heritage of the intervention, always pointed out by the guides, who detail the meaning of each painting.
On the way out, if you still have the stomach, you can try the good ice cream from Doña Alba. Opt for different flavors, such as mangobiche, with green mango, with squeezed lemon and salt, or avocado, with avocado.
Colombian food, increasingly present in the routine of São Paulo residents, thanks to the increase in immigration, makes a good impression.
It is very focused on beans and avocado, one of the strong export items along with the famous coffee. The fruit makes up the paisa tray, a type of pê-efe typical of the region, with frijoles, chicharrón (a very long strip of crackling), rice, banana and variations of red meat.
Those who prefer to taste green whiting in a cooler version can visit Lavocaderia, a restaurant in the trendy neighborhood of El Poblado. There, avocado is in every dish. Don’t leave without tasting the aguaburguer, hamburger served, without bread, between two halves of the fruit.
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