Monday, April 13, was a day for celebrating in Alajuela--Juan Santamaria Day commemorates the national hero (see the statue silhouetted against the sky to the right of the lightpost). The historic date is April 11, 1856, and April 11 would usually be the holiday, but the festivities were moved to the 13th this year to avoid conflict with Easter weekend. The story is that Santamaria was a drummer boy who volunteered to set fire to the building where William Walker and his band were barricaded. Walker was an American trying to gain control over a Central American state that he could make a slave state. Santamaria succeeded though he was mortally wounded doing so. Walker and his men were captured.
The holiday focuses on school children, so they have the day off from school in order to be part of the parade. They practice for weeks to be ready for this big event. The dignitaries who spoke before the parade all emphasized the importance of education. Once the parade begins, each school is introduced and off they go.
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