Late posting, but life sometimes gets in the way. You will understand more with the posts in the next few days.
October 1st was Palau Independence Day! An entire weekend was dedicated to celebrating, and the festivities were abundant.
But first, a history lesson. Palau has gone through quite a lot in its history. I won’t go too far back, but knowing it’s background does explain so much when thinking of the cultural influences here. In the 1800’s, Palau was part of the Spanish East Indies, until Spain lost the Spanish-American War and thus sold Palau to Germany. I know, Germany. Seems strange, but it’s true. During WWI, control passed to Japan. While you only find a little German influence here, the Japanese influence is aplenty, especially when it comes to food. You may remember some of that from my Japanese Cooking Class post. During WWII, the US took over control of Palau. I will have more information about WWII and the role Palau played when I finally get to make it out to Peleliu. The UN officially made Palau a US territory after WWII as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, along with other Pacific Islands.
Some of those islands become what we know today as FSM (Federated States of Micronesia). Palau declined that offer, though. Instead, they worked towards independence. A constitution was written and ratified, and finally, in 1994, Palau became independent. Palau is officially younger than I am…not sure how I feel about that one.
Thursday, October 1st was a national holiday, and no one went to work. In the center of Koror, festivities went on all day. Each of the 16 states of Palau had a tent area where they showcased and sold food and crafts. On the main stage, the President gave an address, and after the real fun began. Dancers danced, students recited traditional Palauan poems (in traditional Palauan garb), and a band played. There were also food trucks set up, just like at the Night Market. Then, Thursday night, they held a fireworks show. Watching the fireworks light up the water was a pretty amazing experience.
Friday was traditional games day. On the lawn of the old OEK (think Senate), they chased pigs, did tug of war, and participated in other traditional games. Friday night was Night Market, and it was hopping!
Saturday in Palau not much happens. Many people here are Seventh Day Adventist, and theyobserve Sabbath from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. Because of this, Saturdays don’t have many government sponsored events.
Sunday, though, was Boat Race Day! It’s exactly as it sounds. There are different categories of boats (engine strength, etc) and they race under the Friendship Bridge. At the end of both sides of the bridge, local groups set up tents to sell food. We got caught in a rain storm during it, but it was still a great day overall.
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