PHOTO ESSAYS/National Day celebrations 2019

The Republic of China (Taiwan) holds celebrations around the country on Oct. 10 to celebrate National Day, including an annual parade in front of the Presidential Office.

Members of Taiwan's Armed Forces perform a rifle drill in front of a huge crowd at the start of the National Day parade.

A CH-47 military transport helicopter flies over the Presidential Office in Taipei carrying Taiwan's national flag.

New Taipei Mayor Hou You-yi (center, in blue t-shirt) and members of his staff give a thumbs up from the peak of the city's Guanyin Mountain which they climbed to celebrate National Day.

Men and women dressed in traditional Honduran long dresses and costumes take part in the National Day parade in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei.

A large whale-shaped float made by state-run CPC Corp., Taiwan, is showcased during the parade.

Five jets from the ROC Air Force's Thunder Tiger Aerobatics Team perform a flyby, leaving behind a colorful smoke trail in the sky above the Presidential Office.

A street in downtown Zhongli District is adorned with Republic of China flags as part of the National Day parade celebration in Taoyuan.

Japanese expatriates living in Taiwan wave ROC and Japanese flags as they walk past the Presidential Office during the National Day parade.

Marching band members from Taipei Jingmei Girls High School are seen showered with colorful confetti as they parade past the Presidential Office during National Day celebrations in Taipei.

Foreign participants, including those from Palau, are pictured during National Day celebrations in Taipei.

(By Hsieh Chia-chung, Wang Teng-yi, Wang Fei-hua, Wu Chia-sheng, Huang Shu-sheng, Kuo Jih-hsiao, Wu Jui-chi and Ko Lin)