Celebrating the National Day

Followers going to Managuaby Ainara Casajús

19th July is the National Day of Nicaragua. The date commemorates the victory of the “Revolución” as in the same day in 1979, the “Sandinistas” entered in Managua. It was the end of the Somoza’s family dictatorship, which ruled the country for more than four decades. In the late ‘70s, almost the entire Nicaraguan society united under the “Revolución Popular Sandinista” (Sandinista Popular Revolution) to bring down the militarised dictatorship.

More politicised than popular, the celebration takes place in Plaza de la Fe in Managua. Most of the transportation is rented to carry Ortega followers from all places over the country to the capital. Finding any available public transport is very difficult but my colleague and I decided to embark on the adventure of arriving to the beach. We wanted to enjoy the breeze and the calm. And we were quite lucky! Nearly 5 hours later of cues, hot and overcrowding vehicles, we arrived to “Las Peñitas” in León. In our way, we could prove the mass mobilization that still causes the “Revolución”. We found thousands of buses full of followers, many of which are youngsters, carrying red-and-black flags and showing the motto “35/19 Unidos en Victorias” (35/19 United in Victories) in their t-shirts.

By judging those crowds’ mood, I wasn’t sure whether celebrating the day is better in the capital or far away, by the rhythm of the Pacific ocean, under an orange sky.