After several months of unannounced
marching sessions in school, loud band drumming for the whole town to
hear, and much planning, San Nicolas celebrated Independence Day last
weekend along with Nicaragua and the rest of Central America. All of
the modern Central American countries achieved independence from
Spain in 1821, so they all celebrate the same independence day; it
wasn't until 1838 that Nicaragua actually became its own country.
For some reason the celebrations in San
Nicolas took place on September 14th instead of the
official day of independence of September 15th. On
Sunday, San Nicolas swelled with people from all over the
municipality seeking to enjoy the festivities. Folks here really
know how to make an event spectacular without hot dogs, hamburgers,
or fireworks.
In San Nicolas they created a river of
people making noise, dancing, and marching in sync, slowly moving
through town to the beat of boom-boo-pack-boom. At the head of the
human tide was the mayor and her husband, smiling and waving. Next
came several queens of the festivities (the academic queen, the
municipal queen, and the crowd favorite queen). They were followed by
preschool students, primary school students, the band, and high
school students. The procession was so long that if I were at the
front chatting with the mayor or at the very end talking to the
long-winded town character Don Alejandro, I would not have been able
to clearly make out the sounds of 15 snare drums, 6 noise makers, 2
cymbals, 2 bass drums, and many other assorted drums, all combining
to make a cacophony of sound.
Marching – left, left, left, right,
left – this long procession slowly snaked through the streets busy
with onlookers. Sarita and I were able to go up and down the river
taking pictures and admiring the costumes and marching techniques.
It was so much fun seeing our students smiling and laughing
enthusiastically, even though marching can be tiring.
One of the most surprising things for
me was that this small town of about 1000 people managed to march
about 500 students through town in one of the most exciting events
this whole year.
Footnote: Maydorcito, the neighbor's
baby boy, was born on September 15th, 2013.
- David
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