On September 15th, Salvadoreños celebrate Independence Day (Dia de la Independencia) to mark the country's 1821 liberation from Spain.
The months leading-up to the celebration are marked with the sounds of brass bands blowing, crashing and banging their instruments, as schools all over the country prepare themselves for the big parade.
We were in Juayua - a charming town high in the hills surrounded by coffee fields - on the Ruta de las Flores.
When the kids started their procession - in outfits ranging from military to traditional garb with a sprinkling of vivacious ballroom-style dresses - the streets were overflowing. Children with ice-creams peering over the shoulders of their parents, young couples huddled under their umbrellas and a lot of proud grandparents.
And when the heavens opened up again (as they tend to do in rainy season), they continued to march, sing and dance. A little bit of rain wasn't going to, well, rain on their parade.
