Saint Peter and Saint Paul are the patrons of fishermen, and every year celebrations are held in their honor, combining religious and pagan elements, and various cultural expressions of religious tradition and popular culture are showcased.
The organizers of the festivities are the presidents of the four governments represented by Saint Peter, symbolizing the government of the whites, and Saint Paul, representing the government of the blacks; symbolizing the period of slavery and the celebration of its abolition.
This festival is celebrated in several towns in the Sierra with fireworks, dances, traditional dishes, and religious acts. However, it is also celebrated on the Coast, and in seaside areas, a procession in honor of the patrons of the sea is customary; fishermen offer a display of live fish, which after being blessed, are returned to the sea. This ritual is performed to invoke good luck for a plentiful catch.
Many activities take place on the streets, such as parades, concerts, and there are also gastronomic fairs offering dishes like rice with hearty beans and meat, which can be prepared with lentils, kidney beans, among others; dry chicken or hen, duck, and goat; sausages; bollón, tigrillo (a plantain and cheese mash), patacones; seafood, shrimp; fish, and other delicacies.
Sweet treats such as Manabita candies, made with flour, sugar, milk, egg yolks, and vanilla; rolled candies; cocadas (white and black), sweets made from pineapple, gooseberries, or plums.
