 | Panamá City Local Customs | Tips 11 - 15 of 15 |  |
Popular Local Customs | Other Local Customs Tips | All Tips (15) These fishing boats located at the pier at Casco Viejo. Take Calle 9 from Avenida Central west. Leave a Comment
|
Visiting Panamá City?
Read reviews about Panamá City Hotels
Real Reviews from Real VirtualTourist Members.
Panamanian traditional women dress, the "Pollera" (see pictures) has become a Panamanian national symbol. Its flowing skirt, abundance of handwork, and ornate jewelry make this dress beautiful, admired and cherished by all Panamanians. Today Pollera is used on special occasions and in festivals.
It normally consists of a blouse or shirt and a two-tiered full skirt. There are many tales related about its origin, but the popular opinion is that it was adapted from a gypsy dress worn in Spain at the time of the conquest of Peru and brought to Panama by the servants of the colonial families. The hairdress is an important part of the pollera and complement the costume.
An handmade pollera takes several months to create and can cost from several hundreds to several thousands of dollars.
Polleras, and the jewels that go with it, are handed down from mother to daughter, from one generation to another, as an heirloom.
|
 | |  |
Plenty of people spend a small fortune for trips outside the city to visit "authentic" native populations... the nearest to the city would be a day trip to settlements along the Chagres river to the Embera indians, while a farthest and multi-day one would be to the San Blas islands to spend some time with the Kuna indians,
I must admit that I was tempted to go to the Embera village, but my husband put a clear veto to my proposal... for no reason at all. He suggested that we'd spend a relaxing day in the city, just casually strolling about. On the map I saw that the Avenida Central would be a good place to go, since it's a pedestrian avenue. Well, it turned out that there were many Kuna indians walking about too, doing some shopping AND wearing their traditional clothes... obviously not for the tourists (we were possibly the only foreigners, there).
Kunas' traditional clothes, for women at least, consist in colorful skirts, red and yellow head scarf, long strings of arm and leg beads, gold nose rings, earrings and a panel in their blouses known as molas. Lesson learned. Don't look for artificial tribes when you have the real people migling in the city with you, and not for you. Look at my travelogue if you want to see more pictures. Leave a Comment
|
| | |
On the east end of Panama City, are the ruins of the site of the original Panama City. It was first settled in the mid-16th Century, and was there until Captain Morgan pillaged it and the Colonial Spaniards decided to move the town to a more defensible site, where Casco Viejo is now. The area of Panama Vieja wasn´t really reinhabited until the 20th Century again.
The pictures below are of a moving, stageless play that was performed on the grounds of the Panama Vieja Museum and Cultural Centre in March, 2008. It depicted the original governor of Panama and other pioneer Panamanians who just arrived from Spain and how life was at that time. Panamanians love cultural or historical plays, their Passion Plays on Good Friday are legendary, and last all day! They do them in real time! But that´s another story. We were fortunate enough to find out about this event and go to it, as it is very close to where my wife and I live in Panama City (We walked over). The City and the Tourist Ministry put these events such as this on almost every month. Leave a Comment
|
| | |
Panamanians love to dance and not just Rumba or Salsa. They have several dance troupes throughout the country that dance traditional, folclorico style dances, where the girls wear polleras and the boys wear montunos and guayaberra camisas. The dancing is a combination of ballet, flamenco and a little salsa. It is a courtship dance, the boys imitate swimming after the girls to catch them. The girls act coquetish and swing their hips and polleras to tease and excite the boys. Leave a Comment
|
Visiting Panamá City?
Read reviews about Panamá City Hotels
Real Reviews from Real VirtualTourist Members.
 | 1 | 2 |  |
|
- Hotel De Ville
Calle 50 y Beatriz M. de Cabal, Panamá City, Panama - Hotel Roma Plaza
Avda Justo Arosemena Y 33, Panamá City, Panama - Bananas Village Resort
Ave F. Boyd Parque Urraca Isla Grande, Panamá City, Panama - Holiday Inn Htl Stes Panama
Ave Manuel Espinosa Batista (formerly Holiday Inn Panama City), Panamá City, Panama - The Bristol (Avenida Aquilino De La Guardia Po Box 810 5422 Zona 10)
Calle Aquilino de la Guardia y Calle 51, Panamá City, Panama - Ctry Inn - Stes Panama Canal
Pelicano & Amador Aves, Panamá City, Panama - Granada Hotel
Eusebio A. Morales Street and Via España P.O. Box 8457, Panamá City, Panama - Country Inn + Suites Panama Canal ( Amador)
Pelicano & Amador Aves, Panamá City, Panama - Royal Decameron Beach Resort Golf And Casino All-Inclusive
Playa Blanca, Panamá City, Panama - Marriott Panama
Calle 52 y Ricardo Arias Area Bancaria, Panamá City, Panama - Country Inn and Suites Panama Canal ( Amador)
Pelicano & Amador Aves, Panamá City, Panama - Riande Aeropuerto Hotel
Via Tocumen PO Box 6-999, El Dorado, Panamá City, Panama - Country Inn & Suites By Carlson Panama Canal
Pelicano & Amador Aves, Panamá City, Panama - Intercontinental Playa Bonita Resort & Spa
Pacific Coast, Panamá City, Panama - Hotel Riande Continental Ciudad
Via Espana, Panamá City, Panama
|
on February 20, 2005
on June 14, 2007
on August 10, 2008
on April 26, 2008
