A parade!

November here in Panama is a month of many national holidays (I'll write more about that later). I've heard lots and lots about parades that happen all over the place, so when a parade happened right in the middle of the month, and also right in the middle of Ciudad del Saber where my host's office is located, I was excited to get to see it.

The parade started at the Colegio Isaac Rabin (Isaac Rabin school)

Ciudad del Saber has a bunch of schools on its campus, and so many of the parade groups were themselves schools that had obviously practiced quite a bit.

The first parade group was from the Colegio Isaac Rabin;
their banner says they were founded in 2000,
which is when Ciudad del Saber itself started up.

The parade proceeded quite slowly; groups were often marching or dancing or performing in place in front of me.

Many groups had people dressed in the traditional Pollera outfits,

which for women includes these amazing skirts.

And there were lots of batons, performing admirably in synch.

Also, bringing up the rear for most groups was the marching band.

I am VERY glad I brought my ear plugs. The music was generally really good, but for my ears sometimes there can be too much of a good thing.

It seems like every time drums were in the parade,
they stopped right in front of me so I could appreciate
the rhythms up close and personal. Lots of drums!

The students who hadn't trained got to march along, too;
behind them are a motley assortment of teachers or parents
(not sure which).

That was the end of the first school. After the Isaac Rabin cohort went by, there was a smaller group of Ciudad del Saber staff.

Again, the flags (both Ciudad del Saber and Panama),
the traditional dancers, the marchers,
and again the drums got to serenade me for an extended period.
I had a drum-enhanced experience!

I don't remember who this next group was. It was a group in traditional dress, led by the guy waving the flag, and followed by dancers who sang and yelled, then musicians (with hand drums), and finally a little cart playing traditional music (accordions and such) on speakers.

Such beautiful dancing!

Next up was a group carrying banners from the Instituto Nacional de Panama, recalling the students who were martyrs of the country on January 9, 1964.

I don't know if these marchers were actually students in 1964, but they were certainly the only parade members with canes.

Next up: students from the Balboa Academy, an English-language private school on the Ciudad del Saber grounds.

They didn't have pollera dancers,
and they definitely had to spend a bunch of time
marching in place in the hot sun.
Also, drums.

Then came the Colegio Saint Mary, followed by more pollera dancers.

Then came the band. They had some neat xylophone-like instruments (in Spanish, it's called a "lira", like "lyre", but you bang on it with mallets instead of strumming it), and also a group who did synchronized flag movements.

Then there was a cart with cold water (after all people were marching slowly in the hot sun), followed by a rather rag-tag group led by this guy with an orange flag.

Not sure what the logo on the orange flag says.

This hair decoration is called "tembleque";
it's very traditional here.

Next up, the Instituto Atena. They had a bit (okay, more than a bit) of military feel, as evidenced by goose-stepping marchers carrying guns. But y'know, also pollera dancers in brightly colored dresses.

Next comes Florida State. I began to appreciate how much joining in to community matters here. Imagine trying to get so many people in the U.S. to dress similarly, or to celebrate -- with obvious pride and without irony or malice -- a common heritage.

Costumes! Pollera dancers! Flags!
And of course, don't forget the drums.

Then came a girls's school with a flag whose name I couldn't read.

Fortunately, they had a good band.

Don't forget the drums!

Next the airlines ("Alas", pronounced AH-lahs and not a-LASS, means wings).

The banner says "Felices Fiestas Panamá",
wishing Panama happy celebrations.

Then came six dancers from San Blas, Comarga. The men jumped from one leg to to the other, blowing on their flutes (if that's what you call the instrument, like three or four tubes made of reed, strapped together).

The strength and endurance was impressive!

The Capitán Hernando Herrera Band didn't have pollera dancers; they had very serious faces and lots of goose-stepping. Is it hard to keep a serious face when walking like that? It would be for me.