Machetes, flowers, guns, drums, trumpets, dancing ladies, fancy dresses - these were just some of the many things I saw on Sunday at the Flower Parade in my town in Panama.
I heard that there were 22 bands from one person and 30 bands from another person. Either way, there were a ton of bands.
Bands usually consist of girls in pretty dresses dancing with guys with traditional Panamanian hats. I love their skirts!
They have a sign saying where they are from. Sometimes it's on the other side of Panama - even as far as Panama City! They also might have girls twirling batons, flags, or fans.
The actual band will probably come next. There are always really loud drums and the kids do a good job of marching. Some of the bands have different types of marches.
At times the band will also include guys with machetes, guns, or swords escorting the flag from Panama and their province.
My favorite on Sunday were these girls in their white polleras (traditional skirts). I hope they made it under cover before it started raining! White skirts are usually fancier and signify a wealthier status.
The parade was set to start at 8:00, but, being in Panama, we knew it wouldn't start then. We left home at 11:00 and made it to the parade after only a few groups had gone through. My husband left the parade at 12 with three of the kids. They had walked to where it started and said there were hours of it still to go.
Three other kids and I walked down the main road looking for a place to hang out when some friends were sitting in the shade and invited us to join them. We stayed until 3:00 and I heard the parade ended at 5:00!
There were definitely more bands than floats with flowers on them this year, but it was still really cool to see all of it!
I took quite a few videos for our YouTube channel and a lot of pictures, so I'm going to have to do another one or two posts about the parade.
It was a really fun day, and the weather was so nice while we were out there. After we returned home, it rained some. While we were out, it was sunny - we even got a little sunburn!
