Guatemala Independence Day

Parades are a big deal in Antigua. Of course they are most famous for the processions during Semana Santa that walk over “alfombras” that are meticulously constructed from flowers, vegetables, colored saw dust, and I’m sure other things too. But, the independence day parades are pretty big.

Not wanting to get too rusty with my videography skills, I figured this was a good opportunity to grab some footage. Upon arriving at Parque Central where the “desfile” began, Mira was surprised that I walked right up in the middle of the action. I guess that’s what you get for marrying a videographer.

So while, she pretended not to know me, I filmed the endless streams of Colegios and Diversificados (Public High Schools) that had bands, dances, and signs. It was only one of three parades and after a couple hours of filming I decided to leave. Schools were still lined up at the parade start. This allowed me to get my final shot with the flag, but I’m not sure how much longer it went on.

Guatemalans have a lot of pride in their national anthem. We heard that it was either the most beautiful or second most beautiful in the world from just about everyone. Although I’m skeptical there was ever an official anthem competition. And the rather arbitrary lists I’ve seen don’t include Guatemala. Of course many of the lists are B.S. anyways since they often include the Star Spangled Banner.

One thing everyone agrees is that the Guatemalan anthem is difficult to memorize. Many Guatemalans don’t know what many of the words are. Willa’s class was selected to sing the anthem at their school assembly. I dutifully filmed and got some great footage of Willa just standing there not singing. It is pretty tough to learn a new song in Spanish. I doubt I could have done it either.