This issue of The Visitor is dedicated to one of the most colorful and often hilarious aspects of Panamanian folklore: regional festivals and celebrations –ageless traditions which continue to attract people of all ages to the tiniest provincial community.

In the Azuero Peninsula, which encompasses the provinces of Herrera and Los Santos in central Panama, there are over 600 annual festivals, since even the smallest hamlet has its own patron saint. Although reverence is de rigueur during solemn mass and processions, the parrampanpanes (men dressed as women), dirty devils and other folklore characters that appear on the streets after the religious ceremonies end the festivals on a hilarious note.

Panamanian folklore festivals are a mixture of beauty and splendor. This month, the town of Las Tablas in the province of Los Santos pays homage to the country’s national costume for women: the Pollera National Festival.

The country is a lively fiesta this month and we invite all visitors to join it!

This month, the town of La Arena, in the province of Herrera, is celebrating the festival of San Pablo (St. Paul the Apostle) throughout the month of July.

The festival is celebrated with numerous parades, folklore performances and fireworks displays.

A hilarious feature of the festivities is the Parrampanpanes –men dressed like women wearing animal masks who appear on the streets to tease passers-by. Like the Pollera, the country’s national dress (the best of which are made in the region) Parrampanpanes are part of the deeply-rooted Spanish traditions of the interior provinces.

A family of "Parrampanpanes" -- a hilarious aspect of Herrera's folklore.

A suburb of the provincial capital of Chitré, La Arena is famous throughout Panama for its fresh bread, still baked with the adobe ovens used in the region generations ago.

Also baked in La Arena’s ovens is the pottery handicraft for which the town’s residents are also famous and which attracts a stream of Panamanian and foreign tourists each year. Wall ornaments, plates, coin-shaped pre-Columbian reproductions and garden fountains made in La Arena adorn many a house in Europe, Canada and the United States.

La Arena is a three-hour’s (248 km) drive from Panama City.

A group of Montijanos dancing the "Torito Guapo" (the "handsome bull").

Another hinterland town with much to celebrate this month is Montijo, in the province of Veraguas. One of the first Spanish settlements of the colonial Dukedom of Veragua, Montijo recently observed its 415th anniversary.

Seen in this photograph is a group of gentlemen engaged in the Torito Guapo dance, one of the most popular folklore manifestations of the region.

Located four hours southwest of Panama City, and 20 minutes south of the provincial capital of Santiago, the district of Montijo boasts two surfing hot spots: the beaches of La Reina and Torio. The town is also known for its traditional aquatic festival, which takes place on the second Sunday of January.