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Panama Independence Day

Happy Panama Independence Day!

Today is Panama Independence Day – after Separation Day on November 3, the second of two such celebrations, and the culmination to an entire month of patriotic pride. We celebrate the only way we know how – by showcasing the beauty of Panama through Instagram.

November was a big month in Panama. They call November the “Mes de la Patria” (patriotic month), and when you check out all the things that happened in the past to make Panama what it is today, you’ll know why.

Panama has five main celebrations during its Mes de la Patria; two independence day celebrations, Flag Day, Colón Day, and First Call for Independence Day.

That’s a lot to take on board, so let’s explain.

November 3 was the first of Panama’s two Independence Days, and the official name for it is Separation Day. That day marks the anniversary of Panama’s independence from Colombia in 1903. Some might say that independence from Colombia back then marked a new dependence on the United States, but that’s another story. Bottom line is, the Panama that exists now was born in 1903 when Colombian province of Panama went its own way.

The second Independence Day, today, is on November 28, and marks the independence of the territory comprising Panama from Spain in 1828. This territory then joined Colombia, where it stayed until 1903.

This is why Panama has two independence days, both, ironically, in the same month.

The November 3 holiday marks the first of three consecutive days of celebration in Panama. November 4 is Flag Day, which celebrates the adoption of Panama’s flag. Then on November 5, it’s Colón Day. This day marks the stand down of Colombian troops in Colón, Panama, who were persuaded by the people not to march on them after the November 3 separation.

After these three days, there’s a little break in the celebrations until November 10, which marks Panama’s first call for independence from Spain in 1821. This put in play the turn of events that led to Panama’s independence from Spain on November 28 and subsequent joining of Colombia.

Confused? Don’t be. Just know that Panama had a lot to celebrate in November, culminating in today’s Independence Day. Try not to overthink it. Just enjoy yourself.

To that end, we’ll do what we always do in this situation. We’ll turn to Instagram and offer you our most popular Panama photos of the last year, since November 28, 2021. By most popular, we mean most shared as opposed to most liked (not that it makes much difference).

So without further ado, let’s explore the beauty of Panama with our ten most shared Instagram images (photos and videos) of the past year, starting from number ten:

We hope you like our most popular Panamanian photos and videos of the past year to mark the first Panama Independence Day.

To break it down a little bit, we have three images focussed on Panama City, three from Bocas del Toro, one from Isla Contadora, one from Isla Taboga, one from the San Blas Islands, and one from Boca Chica. We’d like to thank all the Instagrammers you see above for showcasing the beauty of Panama to the world, and wish them, and you, a wonderful Independence Day!

James Dyde is the editor of centralamerica.com. He lives in Escazu, Costa Rica.

James Dyde

James Dyde

James Dyde is a British immigrant to Costa Rica and the editor of this website. He has lived in Central America since 2000 and retains a deep love for the region. He lives in Escazu, Costa Rica.