Blacks and Whites' Carnival

Origins and cultural fusion

The festival draws from Andean, Amazonian and Pacific cultures. Its earliest layers trace back to indigenous Pastos and Quillacingas communities, who held moon dances and prayed to the sun for agricultural protection at harvest time. Following Spanish arrival, these rituals blended with Catholic feast days. In the colonial period, enslaved Africans in Popayán won a royal decree granting them 5 January as a day of liberty. They celebrated by dancing and painting white walls black. Over time, these practices travelled south to Pasto, where local mestizo and white residents adopted the customs into a collective communal game.

Development of the modern games

The celebration took its modern form across the early twentieth century. In 1912, a group of local tailors playfully tossed scented cosmetic powder during Three Kings' Day, establishing the Day of the Whites on 6 January as a counterpart to the earlier Day of the Blacks. University students introduced organized costume parades and carnival royalty in 1926. Three years later, an incoming settler family with pack animals inadvertently rode into the promotional cavalcade, inspiring the humorous Castañeda Family parade that now opens the main festivities on 4 January.

Floats and artistic traditions

Artisans have shaped the festival's visual identity since the 1930s by building monumental paper sculptures mounted onto motor vehicles. In the 1950s, master craftsmen added mechanical motion to these figures, turning parades into kinetic open-air exhibitions. Neighborhoods also formed their own customs, such as the Carnavalito, a children's procession launched in the Bolívar district during the 1960s. Over time, marching musical groups, visiting brass bands and modern sound ensembles joined the route, while sculptors began incorporating regional folklore and social commentary into their dynamic floats.

Modern preservation and recognition

As the carnival expanded, civic leaders established a dedicated foundation, Corpocarnaval, alongside a carnival museum to safeguard the event's heritage. A designated route known as the Carnival Path directs the massive processions through the city centre to a dedicated plaza. Colombian legislation formally declared the festival national cultural heritage in 2001, and international recognition followed when UNESCO added it to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009. The gathering continues to draw visitors from across Colombia and abroad each January.

How Blacks and Whites' Carnival is kept

The festival runs over several days, beginning with family and children's processions such as the Carnavalito and the parade of the Castañeda family. On 5 January, the Day of the Blacks, revellers cover their faces and mark one another with dark grease or cosmetics while dancing in the streets. The following day, the Day of the Whites, crowds toss white powder, talc and foam as enormous mechanical floats, costumed dancers and musicians wind through the central parade route.

When and where

The carnival takes place every year from 2 to 7 January. Its central street games coincide with the eve and feast of Epiphany, also known as Three Kings' Day, on 5 and 6 January.

The festival is based in Pasto, the capital of the Nariño Department in southwestern Colombia. Surrounding towns in the region also hold related celebrations inspired by Pasto's traditions.

What Blacks and Whites' Carnival means

The celebration expresses unity, social release and mutual acceptance across diverse ethnic backgrounds. By painting themselves black on one day and covering themselves in white powder on the next, participants temporarily erase everyday distinctions. The festival also honours local indigenous memory, Andean agricultural rhythms and the historical struggle for freedom among enslaved African communities in Colombia.

Days Blacks and Whites' Carnival is marked

Questions people ask about Blacks and Whites' Carnival

See also

ChristmasA festival of Jesus's birth, kept on 25 December with gifts, lights and shared mealsHalloweenAn annual observance on 31 October marking the eve of All Saints' Day, rooted in Christian tradition and Celtic heritageChristmas treeA decorated evergreen or artificial tree placed indoors to mark the Christmas season.DiwaliA five-day festival of lights celebrated across India and its diaspora to mark the victory of light over darkness.

Good reading and sources

• Blacks and Whites' Carnival on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-04.