(16 Sep 03) September 15 is a day of great celebration in Guatemala, marking the country's independence from colonial rule and from control by its much larger neighbor to the North, Mexico.Redentor del Mundo Lutheran School (Santiago Zamora) went all out in marking the occasion through special activities, parades, and carrying the "torch."
Parade in San Antonio: Friday (Sep 12) the early childhood and elementary sections marched along with all the area schools in an Independence Day parade in neighboring San Antonio. Afterwards, they performed folkloric dances including the "Dance of the Giants." (Everyone seems to think Redentor gave the best presentations.)
Culture Night at Redentor: Saturday evening the students entertained their parents and friends with skits depicting the Maya culture, dances, and music. They also mixed in some comical acts.
Water Park and the Torch: Sunday over 170 students and parents traveled to a small water recreation park a couple hours away by car. After enjoying a day of fun fellowship and relaxation, the race back to school began, but now on foot. Each took a turn carrying a lit "Liberty Torch" along the roads from the park back to the school. Others ran beside the torch bearer awaiting their turns and still more followed in vehicles. Once back at school, a stationary torch was lit, much like athletes light the large torch to mark the beginning of the Olympics.
The Liberty Torch race is a popular tradition in most Guatemala communities and schools. The highways and roads are scenes to hundreds of groups carrying the lit symbols of freedom to their communities. It is a somewhat new tradition, begun several years ago to balance the parades of soldiers and students dressed as soldiers so prevalent during the civil war years.
If You Could Live in Peace: Independence observances actually began earlier in the week with scholastic competitions. Earlier in the week, Karin Maricela took third place in persuasive speech and second place in dramatic reading. The competition's theme was "If You Could Live in Peace." Also participating were Glenda Magali, Elder Vinicio, and Augusto Enrique.