15th de Septembre here is our equivalent of the 4th of July
I had the privilege of being here for this day, really weekend celebration of Guatemala’s independence from Spain. As the weekend approached we saw the town get made over in blue and white flags and color in anticipation for the independence day celebration.
THURSDAY: The celebration started for my team and I when the daycare we are working at put on an Independence Day performance in which the kids wore traditional clothing of Quiche, sang and danced to traditional music. There was food and fun to be had following the performance. Then came the evening sounds of fireworks and music traveling from the center square as people gathered nightly to celebrate.
SATURDAY: afternoon the local schools competed in the center square in a dance performance that incorporated traditional and modern dance and music. It was fun to watch students celebrating their independence day together, which doesn’t happen in the states with students being on summer break. (Side note – these kids are wearing their PE uniforms as this is their PE class!!!!!)
Then MONDAY what seemed like the whole town gathered on the streets of the square to watch an over hour-long parade. The parade included an appearance from the mayor of Quiche, governor of the province, school marching bands, and students in traditional Guatemalan clothing. The people demonstrated SO much pride in their country throughout the entire weekend….We enjoyed partaking in this historical day and was thankful it didn’t get rained out!
The girls holding the banners are from my Squad – this school is who they have been
working with this month in Guatemala (L – Anna, R – Margo)
