Richard Detrich’s Boquete, Panama Weblog

Fireworks are an American tradition . . . right? Every July Fourth, but in many jusdictions only when shot off appropriately by pyrotechnical experts with official permission. When we lived in Newbury Park, California we would climb the hill behind our house, spread out our blanket, and surrounded by neighbors watch as the City of Thousand Oaks shot off its fireworks display while the local radio station played patriotic music. Since it was frequently dry in Ventura County in July we’d watch as the officially sanctioned fireworks set off brush fires and the County firefighters raced to put out the fires.

Nice . . . but trust me, fireworks in the USA are nothing compared to fireworks in Panama! Almost anyone can buy fireworks and shoot them off at will. So the sky lights up with regularity to celebrate weddings, birthdays, reunions and business events. Almost any holiday is an excuse for fireworks. In Valle Escondido it’s really no big deal when a spectacular fireworks show erupts to celebrate some event at the resort. And the “boom” richochets through the mountains just adding to the effect. Some dogs don’t like fireworks, but our dogs, being Panamanian dogs, have grown up with them, so they just turn their heads skyward and watch.

But the day the sky explodes with fireworks all across Panama is December 24th! For most gringos it is a very unexpected way to celebrate Christmas, but, just as a star lit up the sky to show the way to the wise men, on Christmas Eve precisely at midnight the sky explodes. Almost every Panamanian no matter how poor manages to scrape enough money together to buy at least one firework with which to celebrate the birth of Christ.