Lempira Day

Lempira Day is a big holiday in Honduras. Celebrations were held Sunday in Honduras, as well as during schools days surrounding the holiday. Lempira was a indigenous leader who led a popular uprising against Spanish colonial forces in the 16th century. Although he was ultimately unsuccessful, he is honored today in schools and processions. Most schools are in sessions right now, as the "summer vacation" is usually taken in December and January. Children dress up as natives, and schools and communities often hold festivals in his honor. For children, it's a really fun day.

I am not in Honduras this year for Lempira Day, but I found some old photos from a trip in 2005 to Honduras. Some of these pictures are from Villa Franca, a poor mountain community near Tegucigalpa. The boy on the horse and the street photo are from a fellow blogger's site, http://www.sowers4pastors.blogspot.com/ Her blog is from western Honduras, and she has great pictures concerning Lempira Day.

Chief Lempira is also honored on the national currency. The name of all the currency is called the lempira, and his picture is on the one lempira note, which is worth about a nickel. Since alot of my friends are elementary teachers, feel free to ask me while I am in the States for a lempira. I always keep a few to give away.

For more information on Chief Lempira, you can check out the article about Lempira on Wikipedia.

PS. I don't feel too lonely for Honduras this week. The local painting contractor I hired to paint my house sent a crew comprised totally of Hondurans to paint my house. And, two houses down from me, there are 2 more Hondurans who are working on a new house construction. So far, in the neighborhood, we have workers from the following places in Honduras: Danli, Tela, Tegucigalpa and a few rural towns whose names I can't remember. And.....every week my yard man, Senor Vasquez from La Ceiba, Honduras, does an excellent job of mowing!