Kids dress up in uniforms (that are way too hot given the temperature) and teachers and adults dress up in any kind of traditional clothing.
We had a short parade in the community and invited other villages in our "county" to represent with a small group of students and a band if they had one.
My favorite student (shh, don't tell the others) Jorge, a little dancer
One of the fathers stayed on the side of the road during the parade on horseback. I pointed him out to people, calling him Don Quijote del Rincón.
Kids in the traditional clothes, especially the girls in their dresses (known as polleras) is just adorable. If they didn't put tons of makeup on the little girls, it would be just the best.
The sun, as it usually is on days like this, was beating down during the whole parade. The poor kids had to play the same few songs over and over with only a bit of water every now and then. When they could flee to some shade, they took off running.
The parade started at the school, went down to the site of the church (currently under construction) and turned around and went back. On the side of the road there you can see small ranches with products people sold from the various communities in the county.
You can't see them, but I'm wearing traditional sandals, cutarras, and a shirt known as a guayabera. The shirt isn't native to Panama specifically, but it looks so good. And you can see some of my kids. They's some good ones, those.
