Colon Day
In Panama, November is known as independence month and there are many holidays that celebrate Panama’s independence. November 3rd celebrates the 1903 celebration of Panama from Columbia, November 4th is Flag Day, and on November 5th people celebrate Colon Day.
Colon Day is a holiday that commemorates the persuasion of Colombian forces not to resist Panama’s separation and is named after the city of Colon, Panama. During this 3-day span of holidays, there are concerts, festivals, huge parades, and a lot of fireworks. All in celebration of independence and freedom.
The History Of Colon Day
Colon, Panama is a city that was founded in 1850 at the Atlantic terminus of the Panama Railroad. It was originally called Aspinwall, after one of the builders of the railway, but its name was changed to Colon in honor of Christopher Columbus.
In this city on November 5, 1903, the locals managed to convince war-weary Colombian forces to not march on Panama. If it weren’t for this action, it’s quite possible that the Colombians would have made a push and been able to gain a military advantage.
Some Quick Facts About Panama
Below are some quick facts that we’ve uncovered about Panama. Hopefully, everyone reading this will find them as interesting as we did.
- Panama City has a rainforest in its city limits. It’s called Parque Natural Metropolitano.
- Panama was the first Latin American country to adopt and use the U.S dollar as its official currency.
- The Panama Canal Railroad is one of the oldest operating railroads in the world.
Observing Colon Day
Colon Day is at the end of a three-day period of holidays that contains a lot of activities going on. People are usually off from school and sometimes work and there are things to do all over Panama. There are concerts, fireworks, festivals, and parades that can block off entire streets.