by Rod Hughes

Bands and parades will be the order of the day Saturday when this country celebrates the 186th anniversary of its independence from Spain in 1821.
Costa Rica did not have to fight for its freedom as did the United States or such South American countries as Venezuela and Chile. Instead, word finally trickled south that the Spanish had thrown in the towel in Guatemala, which had acted as colonial capital for the area.
Traditionally school children have marched in uniform to the music of school bands. Some schools present traditional dance programs during the march, complete with frilled and ruffled costumes. As was the case last year, the children are warned to “dress with decorum,” a phrase directed at majorettes and dancers to watch their skirt length. The warning came after some old school adults objected to even grade school girls’ miniskirts.
Motorists are advised to leave home before 8 a.m. or risk blocked off streets. Usually the festivities are over by noon, to avoid the afternoon rains.
One charming custom is Friday night’s parade of paper lanterns with candles inside to light up the national blue, white and red covers. Although attendence at parades Saturday is compulsary, the lantern parades are elective although usually enthusiastically attended by grade schoolers.
At one time, the lanterns showed varied designs and betrayed the creativity of the older children or, more often, their mothers. And always there lurked the possibility that some of these creations would catch fire from the internal candle, to the dismay of their inventors and the merriment of their friends.
Now, alas, the lanterns are usually bought and are of standard design.