In the six cantons that make up the province there are various events that have become traditions, such as the Coangue or the Pawkar Raymi.
Editorial IMBABURA
The carnival holiday it is an opportunity that Imbabura wants to take advantage of it to reactivate itself, both economically, productively and touristically.
In the six cantons: Ibarra, Otavalo, Antonio Ante, Cotacachi, Pimampiro and Urcuquí different activities are prepared, from artistic, sports, cultural and even ancestral ceremonies.
multicultural
This province, north of Ecuador, was cataloged by UNESCO as the only World Geopark of the country and presents an agenda full of peculiarities because of its wide ethnic wealth.
Artistic shows, fairs, presentations of special dishes, contests, in the midst of innumerable natural tourist attractionsis what will be presented in each one of the cantons of Imbabura, where each one has a special Feature, exploiting its own and well-differentiated multicultural manifestations.
On the one hand, the Carnival season coincides with the dates of the ancestral celebration of the Andean Kichwa cultures within what is the Pawkar Raymiknown as flowering time.
While on the other hand, the Afro-descendants have managed to consolidate celebrations in their communities, in the midst of the hot climate of the Chota Valleywhere I know makes visible all its culture and traditionsin areas such as music, clothing and gastronomy, achieving, in around 20 years of carrying out these activities, gather thousands of people.
Promotion
To try to attract the largest number of visitors, both domestic and foreign, from the Prefecture of Imbabura the organization of events in Quito was announced, where one is planned “tourist reactivation caravan”, this weekend.
Furthermore, they reported that this Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 Februaryafter the caravan, a fair will be presented to promote the multicultural agenda for Carnival, in the Middle of the World, from 09:00 to 17:00where all the tourist information of the province will be exposed, giving a sample of the experiences that can be lived in the Imbabura Geopark.
Coangue, a tradition that seeks to be ‘reborn’
In the Valle del Chota, an area located about 25 kilometers from the urban center of Ibarra, capital of Imbabura, on the banks of the river waters one of the most famous carnivals in the province is organized.
Since its inception in 2003, the coangue has captured the attention of locals and strangers, since it was born as the practice of cultural revitalization of the Afro-Choteño peopleto become one of the main tourist attractions of the carnival season, bringing together almost 50,000 people in its latest editions.
But nevertheless, was suspended during 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, for the first time in its history. For this year there will not be an event like when everything was normal, so practically they make them start from scratch.
Carlos Andrade, part of the Black Skin Foundation, from where they promote Coangue, said that unfortunately, for example, the uncertainty of whether or not the event can be organizedaccording to the decisions made by the National COE each week, it has not been possible for them to manage the procedures and resources in advance necessary for everything to be normal.
“Last week we were at a yellow light and with restrictions of all kinds, from capacity to the organization of massive events. Now that we turn green, we can say that the Coangue will be organized in 2022, despite the little time we have”, he mentioned, adding that the usual programming will not lose its essence.
yesand they will keep the bomb music concertsthe sale of handicrafts and local gastronomy, such as pigeon peasat stations located at banks of the Chota riverwhere people enjoy the carnival game surrounded by warm climate of the valley and the joy of its inhabitants.
in Otavalo
The festival that commemorates flowering timeaccording to the Kichwa cosmovision, is called Pawkar Raymi and is organized from February to March, coinciding with the Carnival season.
In the communities of Peguche and Agato, in the Otavalo cantonis where these festivities have become more relevant over the years, concentrating ancestral activities with others of an artistic, cultural and sports nature, but maintaining the millenary particularity of certain indigenous ceremonies, such as the Tumarina or the Runakay.
Tras el éxito del Coangue a lo largo de los años, las actividades especiales para la época se han extendido a otras comunidades del Valle del Chota, como Juncal, donde se organiza el Carnaval Olas del Río, que también se anunció que se retomará este año.
La agenda de fiestas en Agato comenzará el 13 de febrero de 2022, mientras que en Peguche será desde el 19 de febrero.
