Today is Flag Day in Panamá, and to start things off we went down to Casco Viejo again to watch today’s parades. It was much like yesterday’s, with more schools and more bands and more pomp and ceremony. It was great!

I spent five years in a marching band in my teens, so I love parades, and I love marching bands in particular. A parade of all bands is like heaven for me! Two parades in two days was even better!

The 4th of July is a big thing in the US, and Flag Day reminds me of that. About a week ago, Panamanian flags started popping up everywhere! You normally see them at government buildings and the like, but last week, things got taken to a whole new level. Additionally, decorations and bunting started being seen everywhere too – even inside Super 99, one of our grocery stores, where they made a balloon arch.

The other day we went to Riba Smith, another local grocery store, and they had a band playing right there in addition to festive bunting on the entrance.

The Riba Smith employees were also in traditional dress. It was there that we received our first Panamanian flag, which is now esconced in my ring light.

Little celebrations like that are everywhere here! That’s not counting the extra flags that businesses put up.

Or this giant flag on the side of a bank building.

We even saw a helicopter fly by this morning dragging an enormous flag, but sadly, I didn’t get a picture.

It’s been quite heartening to see such a display of patriotism. Panamanians love their country and embrace all the provinces. There was one band today that wore t-shirts that had the flags of each province. Then there was another band, from the College of the Americas, that carried all the flags from the countries in the Americas during the parade today.

The featured picture says it all – “We are all Panamá”.

It does remind me of the 4th of July, but with the U.S. being so divided at the moment, it’s good to be in a country where being patriotic isn’t considered a political act.