Every October 21, pilgrims from all over Panama arrive in Portobelo to partake in the Festival de Cristo Negro (Black Christ Festival), which honors the 1.5m-high statue of the Black Christ housed in the Iglesia de San Félipe. The exact origins of the Black Christ statue are a matter of speculation, especially since all definitive church records were lost in the fire that followed Henry Morgan's sacking of Panamá in 1671.
However, there's no shortage of fanciful stories surrounding the origins of the statue.
One story has it that a ship bound for Cartagena, Colombia tried to leave Portobelo five times, but on each occasion a mighty storm blew the ship back to the town's edge, nearly sinking it in the process. The terrified crew are said to have lightened their vessel by tossing a heavy box overboard. On their sixth attempt to sail out of the bay, the storm did not appear and they were able to go on their way unchallenged. Several days later, local fishermen found the discarded box floating off Portobelo and discovered the Black Christ inside.
A second story claims that the box was instead found floating at sea during a cholera epidemic. After being retrieved by local fisherman, the statue was placed inside the Iglesia de San Félipe. Almost immediately, as the story goes, the epidemic passed and the infected were instantaneously cured.
The list goes on, though regardless of the statue's actual origins, the Black Christ Festival is a sight behold. After the sun sets on October 21, the statue is paraded down the streets of Portobelo, while pilgrims bedecked in purple robes and thorned crowns dance and drink until the small hours of the morning.
