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Last Friday the 12th of April, local La Romana school “El Colegio Mutualista Luz para Todos” celebrated the international Pan-American Day at the beautiful Altos de Chavón Regional Museum of Archeology.
From 9am to midday, more than 300 students enjoyed this culturally rich activity in the small plaza outside the museum and behind the St. Stanislaus Church. The children dressed in traditional clothing and holding the flags of each Pan-American country presented to their classmates a cultural representation of each country – in many cases involving the country’s native dance, as well as customs, language, beliefs and history.
There was also a deliciously tempting array of traditional foods from each country; pumpkin soup from Haiti, gallo pinto from Nicaragua, beef from Argentina, meatloaf from Canada, tamales from Panama as well as many other delicacies – some like the “Pupusa” from El Salvador we’d never heard of!
Understandably the most memorable and most exciting moment came when the time came to represent the Dominican Republic! At which point the traditional Dominican dance “el baile de palos” attracted many visitors from across Altos de Chavón – including the motorcyclist of the Latino Motorcycle Association (LAMA).
International Pan-American Day is celebrated every year on the 14th of April, with the objective to unite the diverse cultures of all the Pan-American countries.
