Colombia celebrates independence, announces Miss Colombia

Nicol Nicolson, CNN

Updated 1941 GMT (0341 HKT) November 17, 2015

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Cleaning time – Foam guns are a ubiquitous feature of the celebrations, with many of the Miss Colombia participants and other float occupants bearing the brunt of the crowd's delight in soaking the nearest possible victim.

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13 photos:

Flashy fashion – Floats are populated by other excitable performers in an array of colorful outfits.

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Beat crazy – Music is also at the center of the celebrations.

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13 photos:

Long, hard ride – Large parade effigies are constructed from Styrofoam and vulnerable to both the elements and human interference. Some don't make it to the finish line, including this decapitated cyclist.

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13 photos:

Family time – Young and old are equally at home in the carnival procession.

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Head in the game – The effort that goes into the outfits, dance routines and musical arrangements lasts for months in advance. But the enthusiasm really builds as the date approaches.

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13 photos:

This year, even more to celebrate – The start of this year's festival coincided with Colombia's World Cup qualifier against Chile (a match that ended in a 1-1 draw). A high percentage of spectators wore football shirts to show their support for a team that reached the quarter finals of the 2014 tournament and won FIFA's Fair Play award.

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13 photos:

Cartagena parties! – Cartagena, Colombia, celebrates its independence from Spain each November 11 with an extended carnival highlighted by the coronation of Miss Colombia. Click on for a picture of this year's party and Miss Colombia winner.

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13 photos:

"Um, can you save us a spot?" – The event brings hundreds of thousands of Colombians onto the streets of the country's fifth-largest city. It's a key tourist attraction. Every possible viewing space is occupied, including the historic walls of the old city.

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13 photos:

All in – Colombia's multiculturalism shines through not just in the parade but in the huge crowds that descend on the city to watch it.

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13 photos:

Reason to get happy – November 11 is considered a key date in the wider Latin American struggle for independence against Spain, and is celebrated in Colombia as a national holiday.

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13 photos:

Pageantry – Today, the occasion is most notable for the coronation of Miss Colombia and its accompanying carnival. The winner goes on to compete in Miss Universe, a contest the country's Paulina Vega won in January 2015.

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13 photos:

Miss Colombia 2015 – Andrea Tovar, representing the Pacific province of Choca, was the winner of this year's Miss Colombia contest. The election and coronation took place on Monday.

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13 photos:

Cleaning time – Foam guns are a ubiquitous feature of the celebrations, with many of the Miss Colombia participants and other float occupants bearing the brunt of the crowd's delight in soaking the nearest possible victim.

Hide Caption

7 of 13

13 photos:

Flashy fashion – Floats are populated by other excitable performers in an array of colorful outfits.

Hide Caption

8 of 13

13 photos:

Beat crazy – Music is also at the center of the celebrations.

Hide Caption

9 of 13

13 photos:

Long, hard ride – Large parade effigies are constructed from Styrofoam and vulnerable to both the elements and human interference. Some don't make it to the finish line, including this decapitated cyclist.

Hide Caption

10 of 13

13 photos:

Family time – Young and old are equally at home in the carnival procession.

Hide Caption

11 of 13

13 photos:

Head in the game – The effort that goes into the outfits, dance routines and musical arrangements lasts for months in advance. But the enthusiasm really builds as the date approaches.

Hide Caption

12 of 13

13 photos:

This year, even more to celebrate – The start of this year's festival coincided with Colombia's World Cup qualifier against Chile (a match that ended in a 1-1 draw). A high percentage of spectators wore football shirts to show their support for a team that reached the quarter finals of the 2014 tournament and won FIFA's Fair Play award.

Hide Caption

13 of 13

13 photos:

Cartagena parties! – Cartagena, Colombia, celebrates its independence from Spain each November 11 with an extended carnival highlighted by the coronation of Miss Colombia. Click on for a picture of this year's party and Miss Colombia winner.

Hide Caption

1 of 13

13 photos:

"Um, can you save us a spot?" – The event brings hundreds of thousands of Colombians onto the streets of the country's fifth-largest city. It's a key tourist attraction. Every possible viewing space is occupied, including the historic walls of the old city.

Hide Caption

2 of 13

13 photos:

All in – Colombia's multiculturalism shines through not just in the parade but in the huge crowds that descend on the city to watch it.

Hide Caption

3 of 13

13 photos:

Reason to get happy – November 11 is considered a key date in the wider Latin American struggle for independence against Spain, and is celebrated in Colombia as a national holiday.

Hide Caption

4 of 13

13 photos:

Pageantry – Today, the occasion is most notable for the coronation of Miss Colombia and its accompanying carnival. The winner goes on to compete in Miss Universe, a contest the country's Paulina Vega won in January 2015.

Hide Caption

5 of 13

13 photos:

Miss Colombia 2015 – Andrea Tovar, representing the Pacific province of Choca, was the winner of this year's Miss Colombia contest. The election and coronation took place on Monday.

Hide Caption

6 of 13

13 photos:

Cleaning time – Foam guns are a ubiquitous feature of the celebrations, with many of the Miss Colombia participants and other float occupants bearing the brunt of the crowd's delight in soaking the nearest possible victim.

Hide Caption

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(CNN)In much of the northern hemisphere, mid-November is greeted by locals with grim expressions and collars tuned up against the bleak approach of the coming winter chill.

In Cartagena, Colombia, the days are marked in somewhat different fashion ... mainly, with a spirited public celebration of hotness.

Oh, and political freedom.

The port city of Cartagena declared its independence from Spain on November 11, 1811, ahead of the liberation of the rest of the country and its immediate neighbors.

While the Spanish reclaimed the city and it didn't enjoy genuine independence until 1819, the November date is considered a key moment in the wider Latin American struggle.

Today it's celebrated as a national holiday with an extended carnival, which culminates with the corontion of Miss Colombia.

Festivities this year began on November 12 (Independence Day is celebrated on November 11, but the public holiday falls on the following Monday) with a street carnival as part of the wider Concurso Nacional de Belleza.

This was the first chance for the public to see all the Miss Colombia contestants in person and cheer for their favorites.

Various regional competitors were whittled down before the final election and coronation, which came Monday.

The event always takes place in Cartagena and always coincides with Independence Day.

CNN's Nicol Nicolson was in Cartagena to capture this year's festivities.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/11/17/travel/miss-colombia-named/