Independence Day Marches On

The first day of parades celebrating Panama’s 1903 independence from Colombia was a persistent show of ceremony under a tropical downpour.  From early morning to afternoon, the drums of marching bands reverberated through the streets and shook building walls. Batons and pollera skirts twirled.  Symbols clashed and bazooka-toting forces marched.

According to a New York Times editorial published on October 28, 1917, the “instinct to form processions and to partake of ceremonies is the most persistent characteristic of human beings, of whatever century or degree of civilization” and “we are born, as we live, slaves to the spectacle.”

The all-day parade will continue tomorrow in Casco Viejo and along Via Espana, rain or shine.