Jul 17, 2011

Children's Day

This Sunday is Children's Day in Panama.  I learned the holiday used to take place in November, but was recently changed to July 17th,  because there were already a lot of holidays in November, and July didn't have so many....Panamanian's are so practical when it comes to partying !!

Yesterday, Saturday afternoon,  I went to a child's birthday in La Colorada, a small town about 15 minutes outside Santiago.   There are two significant celebratory events in a Panamanian child's life--their first birthday,  and the 15th  birthday for girls or the 18th for boys.   This party was a first birthday party.   It was a very special event.  Half the town was there, a hall was rented, a sound system installed, and snacks, candy, toys, ice cream, cake and gifts galore were handed out for all the attendees.  Just about the time I thought things were wrapping up and it would be time to go, out came huge pots of food and we were all served full dinners.   The party lasted about 8 hours total and we arrived back in Santiago tired and ready to crash for the evening. 

The deafening noise didn't  record on the videos below, but I think these silent movies reflect the energy and good times, just the same.