Fiestas Patrias (or, Peru's Independence Days)

According to wikipedia (which may or may not be a completely reliable source but is so convenient for things like this), Fiestas Patrias is one of the biggest holidays in Peru.  It is certainly something that stands out for us.

The holiday celebrates Peru's independence from Spain (a nice article here) and covers two days (July 28 and 29).  Both of them are official holidays.

The main square (and everywhere, really) are decked out with flags and cockades.

Here are some of the things we've observed about how the holiday is celebrated:

• For all of July, there have been multiple vendors selling all number of patriotic accouterments.  People wear little ribbon cockades (of real ribbon or metal ones) the whole month.  Miss M got one as a present from her teacher at the beginning of July and was to wear it all month.  There are also lots and lots of paper decorations, flags flying from cars and motorcycles and combis decked out.  Because it doesn't rain here, combis can actually put paper decorations on their car without worry that they will be ruined (though they probably get pretty dusty).

You can see the cockade up in this clothing shop (and Dave is tormenting the little manikin girl by not giving her any ice cream).

Just a little of the patriotic swag available for purchase.

Some of the metal cockades.  I think the ribbon ones are even more common.

• It's the law that you have to fly a Peruvian flag on the holiday itself.  We got ours up early to be sure that we didn't get fined (which is the punishment for not flying the flag...not sure how much you have to pay but we bought a flag from the people moving out so we would be prepared).  The people who moved out of this house left just before the Fiestas Patrias and we came in mid-August so one of the things they had to do was make sure the landlords came to put up and take down the flag to avoid anyone being fined. 

  

  All the flags are flying on this pedestrian shopping street.

• Winter break (2-3 weeks, depending on the school) coincides with the holiday.  Most schools have off the end of July into early August.   
• Parades and demonstrations (usually with a military and/or police emphasis).  They have lots of marching and flags and pageantry.  We tried to see something like this by wandering downtown but no official demonstrations or parades were happening.  
  
  
  
  

  

  No parades, but we had a fun holiday excursion downtown.  I'm wearing my Peru shirt and necklace and a ribbon cockade (obscured by my hair) and the girls each have a metal cockade pin.

• Schools have programs.  The kids dress up in costumes and honor the history of Peru.  Miss M was assigned a costume as a mountain police officer.  But we weren't able to get a picture of her in the costume as she wasn't that excited about it.  Khaki colored shirt, green polyester pants, felted cowboy style hat and a gun holster (sans gun, other kids' uniforms had guns and she was quite disappointed about her costume).  We were told that parents were not supposed to attend the program, that it was for kids only, so we didn't get any pictures.  I know that they sang the Peruvian national anthem (which they do daily, M has it memorized), did some marching (she demonstrated some nice goosestepping) and did some kind of program. 

No pictures of Miss M's costume, but here are some ladies in the costume rental shop section of town.

Thus far, we haven't heard fireworks, which I would have said is the (un)official way that all holidays are celebrated.  Maybe we'll hear them tonight, the second day of the festival!  **Update** No fireworks at all.  Christmas, on the other hand, had so many fireworks we couldn't sleep, as did New Year's.

Feliz dias, Peru!