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.
