In the capital city of Colombia, Bogota, journalist Víctor Solano uploads a video of the crowd walking by, with a surprise appearance of a TV character beloved by toddlers throughout the world. On his blog, other videos and images.

From Panama, uploaded by daydreamer191, a video of the excitement lived on the march, which took on the air of a parade.

In Australia, China and Holland, Colombians also celebrated, in groups and sometimes, all on their own.

Colombian bloggers wrote about their reasons for marching or deciding not to join the festivities.

Mauricio Duque Arrubla succinctly explained his reasons:

Caminando, se cura la herida…

Walking, the wound can heal…

Also, his wife took the picture which illustrates this post, titled “Flags”.

Dianacats who lives in another main city in Colombia, Medellin, views the march from the commercial perspective and is a bit befuddled by the campaign a pizza parlor sent to her email, thinking that marketing a pizza on independence and freedom marches is going a bit too far.

From the coastal city of Barranquilla in Colombia, El Gerente posts pictures of his day at the march.

Blogger Arlovich Correa Manchola writes about the ideal of Nation, and how hope for the march has overshadowed the murders of syndicalists on the hands of the state.

La patria olvidará mañana al sindicalista del Polo que se entierra hoy, detenido y desaparecido por fuerzas oficiales, según éste comunicado. Guillermo Rivera llevó a su hija a la ruta del colegio y luego desapareció, después de ser abordado en plena vía pública de Bogotá, por sujetos que a la postre lo torturaron y asesinaron.

La patria ha asesinado a 29 sindicalistas como Rivera, en lo que va corrido del año.

La patria mata 5 sindicalistas al mes.

La patria mata un sindicalista a la semana.

La PATRIA está ensangrentada, tiene las manos y la boca y el alma sedienta de sangre.

Al final del día la patria reza el rosario. Y se lava las manos.

The nation will forget tomorrow the Polo [Opposition Political Party] syndicalist who was buried today, detained and disappeared by official forces, according to this release. Guillermo Rivera took his daughter on her way to school and then disappeared after being intercepted in the middle of the public road in Bogota, by individuals who later tortured and murdered him.
The nation has murdered 29 syndicalists like Rivera just this year.
The nation kills 5 syndicalists a month.
The nation kills a syndicalist a week.
The NATION is bloodied, has their hands and mouth and soul thirsty for blood.
At the end of the day the nation prays with a rosary. And washes its hands.

Las Posadas are the remarkable buildup to Christmas Eve. Las Posadas are the most delightful and unique Mexican tradition that begins on December 16th to commemorate the events in the journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem. After dark, each night of the “Posada,” a procession begins led by two children. The children carry a small pine-decorated platform bearing replicas of Joseph and Mary riding a burro. Other members of the company, all with lighted long slender candles, sing the “Litany of the Virgin” as they approach the door of the house assigned to the first “Posada.” Together they chant an old traditional song and awaken the mast of the house to ask lodging for Mary. Those within the house threaten the company with beatings unless they move on. Continue Reading…

From Nika's Culinaria: Colombian Tamales How-To Guide

Christmas in Colombia is QUITE a production. Its not just one or two days like here in the US and it can be exhausting if you are not used to partying constantly for a better part of some 15 days, day and night after day and night. If you think you will be spending Christmas in Colombia next year be sure to condition your liver with a serious regimen of rum training over several months. Otherwise, you will be such a light-weight that you will not remember past December 15th or so. Get the scoop now…

Now it is time to find out about the New Year's traditions:

From Ecuador, Pacho Lara welcomes the 2008 sharing what is a tradition to do for this festivities:

New year's in Ecuador is also known as the “old year.” As the name suggests, the various traditions not only celebrate the new year, but also commemorate the passing year. There are various secular traditions and rituals that are observed, all of them with some personal or social significance. Some of these traditions are quite peculiar, like eating twelve grapes, lentils, and changing into yellow underware (ladies) at midnight (all supposedly for good luck). If you want to travel during the new year, you should run around the house or the neighborhood with a piece of luggage at midnight. There are other similar small things you can do to bring success in other areas of your life. But the most interesting part about new year´s celebration, for me at least, is the tradition of burning the “old year.” Read more…

From Dominican Republic, Remolacha.net writes about how much they enjoy to wait for the new year with their families: Esperaran Año en Familia [es]

La mayoría de las personas que optaron por quedarse en la capital y la provincia Santo Domingo durante el feriado de año nuevo, dijeron que esperarán la llegada del 2008 “en familia”, con una cena modesta, haciendo cuentos y jugando.

Most of the people who decided to stay during the new year holiday in the capital and the province of Santo Domingo, expressed their plans of waiting for the new year with their families, with a nice simple dinner, telling stories and playing some games…

From Panama, Chiriqui Chatter vividly describes how the 2008 was received in David, province of Chiriqui: David Celebrates the New Year.

The closer it came to midnight, the greater the activity outside. About five to ten minutes before midnight, I gave up and went out to the balcony.

There were a fair amount of rockets going off, but nothing like midnight itself. At midnight the whole world seemed to start exploding. It was incredible. I watched for several minutes before, I decide I should take a few photos to record this event.

I should have taken some photos of all the fireworks stands that have been set up in David. I mean there have been stands set up everywhere. Read the complete post…

From Panama too, Boquete Guide describes with photos the colorful way people in Boquete, province of Chiriqui celebrated: Welcome 2008 Boquete Style

Photos by Lee Zeltzer

The Latin Americanist shares a compilation of Latin American New Year's Traditions:

With New Year's just days away, most of us have our party plans set. Part of those plans include partaking in traditions with roots in our native countries. Many of us partake of the ritual stemming from madre Spain, eating 12 grapes at the 12 strokes of midnight, making a wish with each uva and ensuring 12 months of good luck…

From Bolivia, Vania Balderrama revises what people traditionally do to receive the new year: Tradiciones de Año Nuevo [es]

Comer Cerdo -
Se dice que en la cena de año nuevo y en el primer día del nuevo año hay que comer cerdo para tener abundancia el año que viene. Según mi suegra, nunca se debe comer pollo, a menos que quieras pasar el año que viene todo desplumado y sin un quinto en el bolsillo.

Las Doce Uvas - Preparas en un platillo doce uvas de cualquier color. En cuanto den las doce campanadas, comes una por una pidiendo un deseo por cada una que se come.

Contar Plata - Justo a media noche contar un fajo de dinero, esto para que no falte durante todo el año.

Eat Pork: people eat pork at the New Year's eve dinner and during the first day of the year for good luck. This will bring abundance during the whole year. According to my mother in law, we should never eat chicken, because you will be broke all year long!
The Twelve Grapes: before midnight secure twelve grapes of any color. At twelve, eat them one by one, each time thinking of something you really want to achieve during the new year.
Count Money: Just at midnight start counting money, with this practice you will always have plenty during the year. Continue reading…

Para recibir a los Tres Reyes Magos, The Cooking Diva prepares Three Kings Tropical Bread with Coffee (Rosca de Reyes al Café) and explains about this tradition:

Rosca Rey de Reyes, or Rosca de los Reyes, is eaten in México, Puerto Rico, and Portugal on Twelfth Night (January 6^th), celebrated in the Catholic religion as the day the Three Kings arrived in Bethlehem bearing gifts for Jesus of Nazareth. A tiny ceramic doll, coin, or bean may be hidden in the bread, and traditionally the person who finds it throws a party on Candlemass (February 2^nd), or is in charge of preparing the “Rosca” for the following year.

In this recipe we are using coffee to re-hydrate the dried fruits instead of the more commonly used port wine or dark rum, adding an innovative twist to the flavor combinations. Please note that this specialty bread involves a 2-day process, so be sure to set aside enough time for the steps involved. Read more…

Gilberto Alemancia is an independent eco-tourism consultant - he is also an advisor on various eco-tourism programs in indigenous communities for Central America, Asia and Panama. He has given talks on ecotourism, conservation and culture at universities throughout Central & South America, Asia and Europe. He has also spoken at various international eco-tourism conferences for Outside and National Geographic Magazines. (from Pilotguides.com)

One of the first things he mentioned when we were first corresponding by e-mail was that he is from Kuna origin. Then, he went on and mentioned it again in another e-mail, without me even asking. It was then when I reacted and wondered, “…well, he might be a person who has experienced in his lifetime the cultural stigma that labels people with indigenous roots in our country. Maybe not, …maybe he is just a very proud one.”

Then, I found myself before the missing link I have been looking for so long: someone with the knowledge on the different indigenous groups of our country and their dialects, with the disposition to share and interested to teach his own. I started asking questions, it was my chance…Finally!

Melissa De León: From the cultural perspective, what is your perception of the impact technology and internet has had in the Kuna ethnicity?

Gilberto Alemancia:  It is sad to admit that today, technology is almost non existant in the Kuna Yala islands. There is no internet available in the Comarca Kuna Yala, although through the islands runs a fibre-optic submarine cable which provides vast infraestructure capacity making Panama highly competitive in the use of communications in logistical services, a project developed by Cable & Wireless Panama and financed by ARCOS (Americas Region Caribbean Ring Systems). The Kuna caciques (chiefs) and the General Kuna Congress failed to include in the contract signed in April 2001 that Cable and Wireless would provide Internet to the Kuna islands and its people. I understand technology is very important in the education precess and could help us teach others about our culture and traditions. In nowadays Cable and Wireless only pays a monthly fee for the use of the Kuna Yala territory to host the submarine cable, but that’s all. I know this company (Cable & Wireless) always talks about supporting education through technology, but that may be in the city, because the story is totally different in our islands.

MD: What motivated you to learn photography? Where did you learn it?

GA: To tell you the truth, I never formally studied photography. My work is in the Turism and Recreation field, but eight years ago we began organizing photographic excursions in Panama with a very good friend from New York, Rick Sammon, who writes for the Associated Press and is the author of ten books about digital photography. I was very much interested when I saw him taking photos of nature and people, then I start organizing exclusive photography tours in Panama with other internationally famous photographers. At the same time I was learning from their workshops. It is a hobby for me, but some of my photos have been in magazines in Panama and internationally they have been published in publications as such as Iris Times, Outside Magazine, Native Peoples, Island Magazine. It is very important that every time we try to teach the people from the indigenous groups we visit about photography, at the same time we make donations.

In our photographic excursions we visit Kuna Yala (Kunas), Darien (Embera y Wounaan) and the Ngobe Bugles. I have noticed that young people want to learn and maybe work in this field, but the only problem is that the digital cameras are expensive. We teach them, because what we do are interactive classes, and because it is good for them and a way to show the world about our culture and traditions.

Photo Credits: All photos from this post are by Gilberto Alemancia and used with permission. All rights reserved unless authorized by the author.

Hungry for more? …well, then you’ll have to visit his Flickr!