Peaceful Costa Rica —
"In Costa Rica we proudly celebrate our independence throughout September which we call 'the Homeland's Month'," said Pablo Avilés, who took this photo in 2012. "We are proud to be a country with no army, but we say that our army is our children in schools and high schools. I think this is one of the most beautiful moments, because you can see the kids reflecting the ethnic mix of Costa Rica," said the 41-year-old web developer from San José, Costa Rica.
Red, white and blue —
Independence Day celebrations in Costa Rica often feature parades of school children carrying flags and dressed in traditional Costa Rican clothing or other costumes. Bruce Thomson, 29, took this photo in 2006 when he was living in the country. "Celebrations often begin the night before with town gatherings and the lighting of home-made, patriotically decorated lanterns," said the World Bank economist.
Mexico City lights —
"Mexico City is full of color at any time of year. But September brings a burst of reds whites and greens that cover the city in cloth flags, plastic bunting and sparkling lights," said Gary Denness from London, UK. The 40-year-old is married to a Mexican and lived in the country for six years. "I always went to a public display for Independence Day, to hear the Cry of Independence known as El Grito. In the UK, there isn't a huge Mexican population but we are having a gathering of local Mexicans on Sunday for drinks and food and have some Mexican bunting ready to put up," he said.
A trip down memory lane —
This photo of Laura G. Ochoa (right) and her friend Nina Astengo was taken by Ms Ochoa's mother during the weekend of Mexican Independence Day in east Los Angeles back in 1988. "I was in the parade and nervous so I don't remember more than us walking with two other friends in the parade looking at many people along the route," said the 38-year-old Art Director.
Guatemala's motley crew —
This motley crew were taking part in the Independence Day celebrations in Guatemala City on September 15, 2011. Lucas de Soto, 30, said he captured this "rather surreal moment" when attending the parade. "It is part of a sort of fun side to the military that they wanted to present with the festive atmosphere, despite how ambivalent the general public is about them, so they were dressing up as bears, and wrestlers, and handling out candy," said the anthropologist.
Banging the drum for Honduras —
This photo of school children on their way to an Independence Day parade in Honduras was taken by 24-year-old Hunter Johnson who have been living in working in the country for over a year. "They performed as marching bands, baton twirlers, dancers in formation, and flag bearers while they marched through the center of their rural town. The presentations were well-rehearsed and the variety of outfits spanned the entire color spectrum," he said.
Love, peace, justice and liberty —
In 2007 Jerry Brown from Texas was traveling through Guatemala during the week leading up to the Independence Day celebrations. "The atmosphere was amazing. Elections had been held on September 9 that year, so there was a lot of patriotism and national pride evident. The bands, the parades, the runners, the people in the streets, it was nothing like July 4 in the U.S. They were so much more proud of their country. This was my best trip to Guatemala ever," said the 57-year-old, whose wife is from Guatemala.
Fire of Freedom —
This photo, depicting the Fire of Freedom cauldron with the Agua volcano in the background, was captured by Edgar E. López Franco, in Antigua Guatemala, a city in the central highlands of Guatemala.. "The origin of this tradition dates back to the morning of September 15, 1821, when Doña Dolores Bedoya de Molina, to incite the people to support the independence, was walking all the streets in the light of a torch, and many people who join to the public quest, used a torch as sign that independence was the light for the people," said the 31-year-old doctor.
Charros in Chicago —
Evelyn Ramirez Landa took this colorful photo of a Charro (Mexican horseman) during last year's annual Mexican Independence Day parade in the neighborhood of La Villita (Little Village) in her hometown Chicago. "There were all types of floats from organizations to radio stations and many folkloric dancers and Aztec Dancers, the environment was quite beautiful and everyone was so excited to watch the parade," said the 28-year-old Mexican American.
El Salvador's peace bands —
During the 1980's El Salvador was plagued by civil war. When peace was established in 1992 the marching bands that were commonly referred to as "war bands" were re-named "peace bands", according to Hector Aguilar who took this photo during the Independence Day celebrations in 2011. "Independence Day parades are pretty shows that unite the people and the families and make them forget, for a day, all the problems and enjoy the time together with friends," said the 30-year-old from San Salvador.
Military parade —
Ever since he was a child, Hector Aguilar has attended the annual military parades put on for Independence Day in El Salvador. "I love to watch the march, vehicles, helicopters and planes and of course the equestrian show. I always bring my camera to catch some images," said the 30-year-old graphic designer from San Salvador. He took this photo on September 15, 2011.
We are family —
These children are all members of the Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos family -- an international organization that provides a permanent home for orphaned, abandoned, and at-risk children who live in extreme poverty. This photo was taken in Honduras by 24-year-old Hunter Johnson, who works for the organization. "They rehearsed every day for weeks in advance their intricate dance and drum routines, while also simultaneously designing and sewing together their elaborate parade outfits. So, to say the national holiday was 'highly anticipated' is a bit of an understatement," he said.
Reflecting on solidarity —
During the celebrations in Guatemala the cities turn blue and white as the national colors are everywhere. "The security situation here has been complicated as of late, so it is a chance for people to walk the streets comfortably without fear of violence," said Lucas de Soto who lives and work in Guatemala City. "There may not be one unified Guatemala identity, but there is a sense of solidarity on that day and merry making, so much so that it is illegal to sell alcohol the day before, on the 14th. It is a symbol of how a nation can overcome its past and have pride in its accomplishments," he added.
Piñatas of Tijuana —
These colorful piñatas in in Tijuana, Mexico were captured by Ferla García during the Mexican Independence Day celebrations in 2012. The 37-year-old was born in Mexico City but moved to the U.S. when she was 21, but three years ago she moved back. "In the United States, I felt like 5 de Mayo was more important than our Independence Day, and I always missed the Independence celebration. Now that I am back living in Mexico, I appreciate so much the celebration, it is so much fun!" she said.
Week-long celebrations in Nicaragua —
The flowing blue dresses worn by young women during an Independence Day parade in Nicaragua was captured on film by Brad Cordeiro on September 14, 2009. The 31-year-old from Los Angeles was in Nicaragua to work on the TV-show Survivor. "The feel of the parade was of a lot of proud parents watching their kids participate. The celebration was a week long, and as San Juan del Sur is a resort town people from all over the country came to town, it felt like the whole country was there," he said.
She nailed it! —
This hands-on display of national pride was captured by Silvia Gutierrez from California. "I was brought up in a Mexican American family and since childhood we were taught to embrace our heritage. Mexican Independence Day means so much to my family; we celebrate it with parades, lots of good food and loud Mariachi music," said the cosmetologist who painted her nails herself.
Viva Las Vegas —
These two dashing skeletons were part of the Mexican Independence Day celebrations in downtown Las Vegas in 2012. "They were selling candy and toys at a booth and there was a young boy who was dressed in a Mariachi outfit who was singing his heart out," said 23-year-old Lindsey Mendibles from San Fernando Valley.
Proud parading in Guatemala —
This photo was taken by Alana McConnon, a 47-year-old teacher from Australia who is currently living in Guatemala. The masked revellers were taking part in the annual Independence Day celebrations in the city of Antigua Guatemala, south west of the country's capital. "The mask wearing group were representing the traditional dance called Dance of the Conquest that is often performed on Patron Saint Day Celebrations in different towns," she said.
The battle of the marching bands —
In the Independence Day parade in Antigua, Guatemala there are a lot of marching bands. "They take the choreography as seriously as the music. This particular band was unique. Lying down isn't common and was just part of this band's performance. I just happened to arrive at the spot when they were doing that part of their routine," said Alana McConnon, from Australia who is currently living in Guatemala. "The music is generally marching music, though often modern pop tunes are performed as well, all with a heavy focus on the percussion," she added.
The beauty of buildings —
"I thought the building looked really beautiful," said Stephanie Walsh, from Ireland, who captured this colorful display of Mexican national pride in the city of Valladolid a few days before the Independence Day in 2012. On the actual day she traveled to the city of San Cristobal de las Casas, in the Mexican central highlands. "It was incredible! The atmosphere was amazing and the entire city seemed to show up for the celebrations, with flags, painted faces and a few shots of tequila already consumed. It was one of the best Independence Day celebrations I have ever been at," she said.
On a mission —
This decorated SUV belongs to David L'Amsler, a minister and missionary from Springfield, Missouri, who has been living in Guatemala since 2008. "It was an extremely moving experience to observe first hand Guatemalans celebrating their freedom as I had the honor of driving the lead vehicle in the parade. The local police helped barricade the route as the parade snaked its way through down as horned honked, whistles blew and people cheered" said the 57-year-old.
The ox and cart of Costa Rica —
Before moving to Guatemala David L 'Amsler was living in Costa Rica. He took this photo in the township of San Pedro during the Independence Day celebrations in 2007. "Several dozen schools participated with percussion bands, drums, xylophones, and marchers with some in typical dress of their forefathers. One of the crowd favorites was an ox and cart, that has become one of the iconic symbols for Costa Rica," said the 57-year-old minister from Missouri.
