We are marked by traditions and legends in a town that proudly carries the stories tattooed on the cobblestones. From the celebration of the burial of San Pedro and the rain that traditionally accompanies it, I am about to capture some particularities.

Recreating a fictitious funeral becomes a whole staging that runs through the central streets of Camagüey city, to close the festivities of San Juan.

Escorting the doll that represents San Pedro, portrayed as a corpse made with old materials: clothes, rags, dry grass, is the task of the conga that comes out and sends him off.

The representation of San Pedro is carried in a coffin or mounted on a wheelbarrow, in allusion to the official closing of the new edition of some festivities that already have more than 280 years of existence.

Between the heat and the rain, everyone celebrates, laments, sings and even shares drinks of rum.

The merriment and the sound of the drums combine to achieve the magic of a tradition that makes the streets of Camagüey unique every June 29th.

San Juan

Camagüey’s San Juan arose from the 18th century, and had its origins at the crossroads of celebrations from Europe and cattle sales fairs in what was then Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe.

Full of symbolism, this celebration continues to tell the stories of many generations, continues the transmission of knowledge and stands out precisely in a city that proudly bears the status of Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

With the joy that distinguishes us, let us await the burial of San Pedro this afternoon, always remembering that traditions keep our heritage alive.

Translated by: Aileen Álvarez García