Feast of St Francis of Assisi

The feast commemorates the life of St Francis, who was born in the 12th century and is the Catholic Church’s patron saint of animals and the environment. It is a popular day for pets to be blessed.

Francis was born to a wealthy cloth merchant. He lived a life of ascetic poverty and was dedicated to Christian charity. Francis traveled to the Holy Lands during the Crusades hoping to conquer the Muslims with love rather than war. It is said that he received the stigmata two years before he died. Francis is one of the most venerated religious figures in Roman Catholic history.

Canonized in 1228 for dedicating his life to charity, St. Francis of Assisi is celebrated in communities such as San Francisco Tlalcilalcalpan and Tenango del Valle. Dozens of visitors come every year to venerate him. Several cities around the world have St. Francis of Assisi as their patron saint.

The festivities of St. Francis of Assisi are an event celebrated annually in Quibdó, capital of the department of Chocó (Colombia), where religious and pagan expressions alternate, beginning on September 20 and extending until October 5. It is a symbol of the Afro-Colombian cultural identity, updating both the way in which the religious experience is assumed, as well as what is essential in the domain of music, dance and theater. It is a complex symbolic space that is part of the religious, social and political life of this population. Being a great reference of the culture of Chocó, it is possible to see that the different colonies of Chocoanos in the country also celebrate their 'San Pachito'.