Costa Rica's Independence Day

Today, September 15th, is Costa Rica's Independence Day. It's the 188th year of independence from Spanish colonial rule. Here's and excerpt from Wikipedia explaining the circumstances of independence for most of Central America at the time (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costa_Rica):

Costa Rica joined other Central American provinces in 1821 in a joint declaration of independence from Spain. After a brief time in the Mexican Empire of Agustín de Iturbide Costa Rica became a state in the Federal Republic of Central America from 1823 to 1839. In 1824 the capital was moved to San José, but violence briefly ensued through an intense rivalry with Cartago. Although the newly independent provinces formed a Federation, border disputes broke out among them, adding to the region's turbulent history and conditions.

Costa Rica's membership in the newly formed Federal Republic of Central America, free of Spanish rule, was short lived; in 1838, long after the Central American Federation ceased to function in practice, Costa Rica formally withdrew and proclaimed itself sovereign. The distance from Guatemala City to the Central Valley of Costa Rica, where most of the population lived and still lives, was great. The local population had little allegiance to the government in Guatemala City, in part because of the history of isolation during Colonial times. Costa Rica's disinterest in participating as a province in a greater Central American government was one of the deciding factors in the break-up of the fledgling federation into independent states, which still exist today. However, all of the Central American nations still celebrate September 15 as their independence day, which pertains to the independence of Central America from Spain.

Shops are closed today and starting last night there are many local organized celebrations going on. They have a tradition here of displaying faroles, which are small lamps or lanterns decorated with some sort of patriotic symbols, such as the flag, national bird, tree, etc. These are set out on the fronts of houses and there are also parades featuring these faroles. Though Sean doesn't have school today, he is still required to show up for the morning's "Acto Civico" at the school. At the school they spend a couple of hours in the gym singing national songs, listening to speakers (including the mayor of Pérez Zeledón!), watching costumed dances by the children and eating Costa Rican typical dishes.

And here is a little more about Costa Rica as it stands today from the same Wiki article above:

Costa Rica, which translates literally as "Rich Coast", constitutionally abolished its army permanently in 1949. Costa Rica has consistently been among the top Latin American countries in the Human Development Index, ranking 50th in 2006. The country is ranked 5th in the world, and 1st among the Americas, in terms of the 2008 Environmental Performance Index. In 2007 the Costa Rican government announced plans for Costa Rica to become the first carbon neutral country by 2021. According to the New Economics Foundation, Costa Rica ranks first in the Happy Planet Index and is the greenest country in the world. The HPI measures how much of the Earth's resources nations use and how long and happy a life their citizens enjoy as a result.

In my opinion, Costa Rica has a lot to be proud of and to celebrate this day.