Beauty or Independence?

Cartagena gained its independence from Spain on Nov. 11th, 1811 (well, it was actually definitively won in 1821 b/c Spain took back this city while Colombia struggled to regain its independence). Regardless, November 11th has become of extreme importance to Colombia. Not only does today mark Cartagena's independence from Spain, it's also one of the many days that Miss Colombia is celebrated.
To foreigners, this is an odd combo. In the States, no one seems to care about the Miss America Pageant. I think the last time I watched it was back in Elementary school because it fell on the same day as my friend's b-day sleep-over. But to Colombia, the National Beauty Pageant is HUGE. Hotel owners increase their room rates (not Casa Sweety though :)), bars claim they have a cover charge, tour operators charge more for excursions, and bar owners from Bogotá, Medellín, and Barranquilla shut down their clubs and open up shop in Cartagena. Thousands of Colombians flock here for the fiestas, parades, fireworks, and good times! The Beauty Pageant contestants were welcomed this year by dozens of navy officers singing from atop their ship's mast with fireworks going off in the background...quite the spectacle.
What I wonder is if Colombia would explode with the same enthusiasm if the Beauty Pageant wasn't held on the same day. Miss Colombia seems to be the talk of the town....i haven't heard anyone talking about Independence Day. Even newscasters judge every detail of these women. It's hard for me to take it so seriously. People are hypnotized when one of the contestants is nearby.
I just think Colombians place a lot of importance on a person's beauty. Men are constantly whistling and calling after pretty girls (i've had to relax my mentality on this), and women don't take it offensively here. The women all tell me it's just a man's way of complimenting a woman. Still don't buy it, but that way of thinking does help change the way I feel about it. It's still degrading to me, but I'm trying to assimilate into their culture to fully understand what it's like for a woman here. My girl friends from Colombia were shocked when I told them that if a man did that in the workplace in the States, they'd be charged with sexual harassment. I've come to realize that 'sexual harassment' doesn't have quite the same connotation in Colombia.

While women might not be completely equal with men in the States, they sure have it better than in Colombia. In that regard, I know I was lucky to have such great opportunities available to me and even luckier to understand that it doesn't have to be this way....
I'm still not sure what it is we've been celebrating the past few weeks, but it's hard not to enjoy it! The tradition of spraying anyone who walks by with white foam and water is actually pretty fun. Constant music, colorful parades, lively atmosphere, no work for 2.5 days - can't get much better than that!  People in Cartagena seem to be having the time of their life, so it doesn't really matter what they're celebrating as long as everyone's happy...right?!