Every year, in the August spring of Antioquia, hundreds of Silleteros, or flower-bearers, expressing their love for their mountains, descend on the booming and hospitable city of Medellín to form a great procession. This year, Rumbos Magazine experienced step-by-step one of Colombia's most traditional events, and the profound connection between the Silleteros, the "silleta" (floral arrangements replete with the country's most beautiful flowers) and the half million people who crowd the main avenues of the capital of Antioquia.

Text: Julio César Penagos Tobón (*)
Fotos: Jenny Chua (**)

A splendid sun bathed the Avenida Oriental, one of Medellín's main thoroughfares, and the impressive crowd that filled it. From balconies, terraces and even the treetops, the joyful multitude looked on in a scene resembling those celebrations of yesteryear, when national heroes and historic leaders were lauded by the populace. A banner announced, as if one needed reminding, that "when a Silletero passes by, it is Antioquia that passes by also". 

The procession advanced at the pace of the four hundred and eighty-three Silleteros, together with other vibrant examples of regional folklore, filling the entire length and breadth of the street before streaming into San Juan, the access point for the Flowerdrome, which was adorned with beautiful multicoloured decorations. The surrounding buildings, comprised of the government complex of La Alpujarra, the Plaza de Cisneros and the colonial structures of the Estación Caribe and the Edificio Vásquez, formed the stage for the best efforts of the flower-bearers to create the finest "silleta" and win the sought-after prize. 

Some five hundred thousand people from every social class packed the avenue, all sharing equally in the regional pride produced by this parade of giants from the mountains of Antioquia. 

Petals of History
The 403 adults, 50 adolescents and 30 children who participated in this year's celebrations represented that Colombian idiosyncrasy that is the tradition of the "silleta", a floral art form more than forty years old. 

The hundreds of foreign tourists and journalists who come each year for this colourful spectacle enjoy both the event and the welcome of the good-natured inhabitants of Antioquia, taking with them unforgettable images and memories strong enough to dispel the many adverse comments they may have heard regarding Colombia. 

To understand the world of the Silleteros, one must go back to their historic roots and the influence of this tradition on the development of local culture in general. Initially, the custom was much less ostentatious, with locals transporting their products from the countryside to the city. But the nobility of this trade is self-evident: and not only because travellers' journeys were made easier, but also because many of the products that entered Antioquia from faraway arrived thanks to the tenacity of the Silleteros. Rain or shine, along rocky trails or muddy tracks, delicate porcelain, pieces of mining machinery, valuable book collections, lamps and weavings (practically everything, in fact) was carried on the backs of these rural workers. And then came the boom of the flower industry.

With the advent of flower-growing in Antioquia new opportunities emerged for the region's inhabitants, including the "silleta" (enormous and elaborate floral panels conceived in the form of a chair). 

Local Family
The lovely arrangements contemplated by millions of eyes (the event was covered by the nation's main television channels) are the result of a communal effort planned with the assistance of experts in each stage of the elaborate manufacturing process. While some workers construct the frames (according to designated categories), others arrange the bouquets of pre-cut flowers, preserving them in water to maintain their freshness and colour. 

Entire families are involved in the preparations. Some create the designs or make decisions determining the composition, establishing the proportions between the desired motif and the volume required, as well as acquiring the flowers (bought or harvested). Other family members - usually the men - create the final arrangement, and someone goes to the trouble of serving a few stiff drinks to combat the cold and even to prepare food for the family, while neighbours and other onlookers start to arrive in Medellín to witness the annual event.

But, finally, it is always the same member of the family who will carry the "silleta" during the procession, for this is honour is an inherited right and it is only delegated in extraordinary circumstances. 

Seal of Identity
Consequently, from one contract to produce a "silleta" many tasks are derived, some of which are specialised and remunerated. Because of the manual skill and the aesthetics involved in the final product, the "silleta" can be considered both a ceremonial and an ornamental craft which is also an expression of cultural identity. Families now specialise in certain arrangements popular in different districts, with each work expressing a strong sense of individualism and the character of its local roots. 

Those who observe carefully recognise the great wealth of variety in terms of the flowers used in a "silleta". The largest arrangements can weigh between seventy and eighty kilos and contain as many as 1,400 flowers, including from fifteen to twenty varieties, combining their sizes, colours and shapes to create an admirably beautiful whole. Given the monumental size and weight of many of the "silletas", the Silleteros must exhibit remarkable skill as they carry their valuable loads on their backs. 

The names of the flowers most used by participants evoke a rural tradition that delights botanists and florists, for they represent a rich natural heritage. Madonna lilies, irises, carnations, flamingo lilies, African lilies, and many other flowers with evocative local names, such as "alvarinas" and "ecstasy", combine to form the symphony of petals paraded each year in Medellín. 

See You in 2007
As well as providing a welcome income supplement for many people, participation in the procession is also a great honour for the Silleteros, and that is why the whole family participates in the construction of the "silleta", which may take several days. Today the Silleteros hold a special place in the Medellín community, for as well as being a symbol of a booming city they proudly bear on their shoulders the tradition of the region. 

The tradition began forty-nine years ago, when loaded with flowers at the start of their working day the flower-bearers came down from Santa Elena (to the east of Medellín) on their way to the traditional square known as the Plaza de las Flores (in the centre of the city) to sell their wares. Ingeniously, they designed the "silletas" to carry the greatest number of flowers possible as easily as possible. Little by little, the use of the "silleta" spread, until it became a tradition and local flower sellers have been known ever since as "Silleteros".

In 1957, at the invitation of Don Arturo Uribe Arango, the then-head of the Medellín Tourist Board, forty Silleteros congregated in the Parque de Bolívar. The event was so well-received that a group of illustrious citizens suggested that the workers organise their "silletas" and parade through the city centre, so that more people would have the opportunity of witnessing such a fine spectacle. And that was how the first "Flower-bearers' Parade", or "Desfile de Silleteros", took place.

Today, almost half a century later, the Flower-bearers' Parade is one of the most important cultural events in Colombia and it is recreated in the colonies of Colombians who reside in many of the world's major cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Madrid and Barcelona. 

And so remember, please, "When a Silletero passes by, Antioquia passes also". Thank you, and see you in 2007. 

(*) Medellín-born journalist.
(**) Philippine photographer. 

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