Growing up everyone has their own holiday traditions. These range from decorating cookies to turkey trots on Thanksgiving. One of these traditions in the states is the famous Macy´s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. Every childhood Thanksgiving I can remember includes this epically amazing affair. I would wake up, grab a bowl of cereal, and then watch the tv in amazement at the grand floats and performers. Every year excited to see Santa at the end of the parade.
Though my dream to attend this parade lives on, I had the honor of participating in its Honduran equivalent this past September. At the end of August our school director Dania asked me if I could put together a dance for the Independence Day celebration with my ballerinas. I told her of course, thinking they would put on their tutus, practice once the day before with a small dance, and all would be done, I was mistaken.
The following week, 8 days before our September 12th celebration of Honduran Independence Day (the actual day is September 15th, but there was no school that day), I heard from a student that we had practice the next day, I was confused, so he further explained that we would have practice the last period of every day until the march. I went to ask Dania if this was a joke, she looked at me like I was crazy and told me of course we would be practicing every day, and to bring a hat to avoid sun burn.
So for the next week we practiced everyday marching around the soccer field at noon in the sun, staying in perfect lines and learning how to properly salute the flag. My four 1st grade ballerinas found this entertaining at first, but also highly distracting, and at points exhausting in the sun.
At last the grand day arrived, and all came to school early to perfect their costumes and get in line. The mayor of Trujillo and his wife even came to watch our parade. The students in the honor square (highest gpa in each grade) led the parade. They were followed by a marching band from a school in Trujillo, the central American nations group, my ballerinas, an ecology group, the national heroes and symbols group, a karate group, the character counts pillars group, and the middle school boys in the “peloton” or military style marching group. We circled the field 3 times then all saluted the flag. Afterwards the groups made their presentations in the middle school, and all enjoyed lunch.
Despite my initial skepticism at the necessity of such extensive preparation for a school march, in the end I was very impressed by our kids and our school. They showed true pride in their country in their dedication to the event, wanting to truly honor the anniversary of independence for their nation. Our Honduran teachers instilled this pride in them, and then worked with them, even underneath the hot sun, to live out their patriotism. For the same reason people work all year planning the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, so that little kids across the country can watch in awe on tv; our teachers worked tirelessly to perfect their own parade. My dream to attend the parade in New York lives on, but I have at least been part of it Honduran counterpart.
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