Colombian silleteros travel the streets of the Big Apple

Hundreds walked along 37th Avenue, decorated by the extravagance of multiple flower arrangements. It is the 12th parade of its kind in the city that this year paid a special tribute to heroes during the pandemic.

Luis Eduardo Acosta, director of the Flower Festival, details it: “We are going to honor firefighters, policemen, paramedics, doctors, nurses. All those who have worked during the pandemic.”

For his part, Juan Guillermo Londono Atehortua carries more than 70 pounds of a flower arrangement known as a silleta on his back. A tradition that originated in Medellín, Colombia, more than 65 years ago.

“We simply bring the carriel, the poncho and the hat and the typical costume. Here they put the wood and that with flowers that the farmers of Colombia”, explains Londono, who has been a silletero for 40 years but it is the first time parading in NY.

While for Martin Atehortua, another Medelíin saddle maker: “That is the beauty of saddles. The tradition that one receives the saddle. Whoever is a saddle maker should be able to receive only the saddle.”

And of the 16 silleteros who marched, three were women: “I’m already used to carrying 90 kilos here. This is a feather,” described one of the participants.

For Laura Marcela it is the fourth time that she has paraded in New York. She and other silleteros marched proudly, showcasing the culture.

And the great myths and legends that reminded many of the horror stories they told during childhood were also highlighted: “The weeping woman, the goblin, the witch and there is an expression that I am going to say but which is true ‘The whore of Aguadas’ , that’s what it’s called, “Acosta stressed.

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