Independence Day

During my 27 months as a Peace Corps volunteer I will partake in three Independence day celebrations, bookends of sorts for my time here in Guatemala. The second of three passed a few weeks ago and I wanted to share some photos from the day.

Independence day in Guatemala differs from American independence day in that it is primarily a school holiday. For several days leading up to September 15th, the big day, schools participate in Entorchas, or long runs carrying flaming torches from point A to point B (usually upwards of 30 miles). The kids ride loud, brightly decorated buses most of the time, only getting out to run through densely populated towns, where they are drenched by flying water bags and cheered on by onlookers.

On the actual day, all school-aged children participate in an enormous parade. Some of the highlights from this year's parade included two well-practiced bands playing recent pop radio favorites and a tribute to Michael Jackson, hundreds of high school girls in traditional dress carrying the local harvest vegetables, kindergartners dressed as certain respected townspeople, a reenactment of the Mayan holdout against the Spaniards, and gigantes- children on stilts that tower above the crowd. The sky was noisy with the sound of firecrackers, the kids strung out on sugary treats, and the town center packed elbow to elbow with folks from all over the municipality. It was a good day to be in Guatemala.