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Calendar
of Events
Official
Holidays
January
1 (New Year's Day)
March 19 (St. Joseph's Day)
Thursday and Friday of Holy Week
April 11 (Juan Santamaría's Day)
May 1 (Labor Day)
June 29 (St. Peter and St. Paul Day)
July 25 (annexation of the province of Guanacaste)
August 2 (Virgin of Los Angeles's Day)
August 15 (Mother's Day)
September 15 (Independence Day)
October 12 (Discovery of America/Día de la Raza)
December 8 (Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary)
December 24 and 25 (Christmas)
December 31 (New Year's Eve)
Additional
Information and Events
January
Copa
del Café (Coffee Cup), San José. Matches
for this international event on the junior tennis tour
are held at the Costa Rica Country Club (tel. 228-9333).
First week in January.
Fiesta
of Palmares, Palmares. Perhaps the largest and best organized
of the traditional fiestas, it includes bullfights, a
horseback parade (tope), and a wide range of concerts,
carnival rides, and food booths. First 2 weeks in January.
Fiesta
of Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, Guanacaste. This religious
celebration honors the Black Christ of Esquipulas (a famous
Guatemalan statue), featuring folk dancing, marimba music,
and bullfights. Mid-January.
February
Fiesta
of the Diablitos, Rey Curré village near San Isidro
de El General. Boruca Indians wearing wooden devil and
bull masks perform dances representative of the Spanish
conquest of Central America; there are fireworks displays
and an Indian handicrafts market. Late February.
March
Día
del Boyero (Oxcart Drivers' Day), San Antonio de Escazú.
Colorfully painted oxcarts parade through this suburb
of San José, and local priests bless the oxen.
Second Sunday in March.
National
Orchid Show, San José. Orchid growers throughout
the world gather to show their wares, trade tales and
secrets, and admire the hundreds of species on display.
Contact the Costa Rican Tourist Board for location and
dates in 2006. Mid-March.
April
Holy
Week (week before Easter). Religious processions are held
in cities and towns throughout the country.
Juan
Santamaría Day, Alajuela. Costa Rica's national
hero is honored with parades, concerts, and dances. April
11.
May
Carrera
de San Juan. The country's biggest marathon runs through
the mountains, from the outskirts of Cartago to the outskirts
of San José. May 17.
July
Fiesta
of the Virgin of the Sea, Puntarenas. A regatta of colorfully
decorated boats carrying a statue of Puntarenas's patron
saint marks this festival. A similar event is held at
Playa de Coco. Saturday closest to July 16.
Annexation
of Guanacaste Day, Liberia. Tico-style bullfights, folk
dancing, horseback parades, rodeos, concerts, and other
events celebrate the day when this region became part
of Costa Rica. July 25.
August
Fiesta
of the Virgin of Los Angeles, Cartago. This is the annual
pilgrimage day of the patron saint of Costa Rica. Many
people walk from San José 24km (15 miles) to the
basilica in Cartago. August 2.
Día
de San Ramón, San Ramón. More than two dozen
statues of saints from various towns are brought to San
Ramón, where they are paraded through the streets.
August 31.
September
Costa
Rica's Independence Day, celebrated all over the country.
Most distinctive are the nighttime parades of children.
September 15.
International
Beach Clean-Up Day. This is a good excuse to chip in and
help clean up the beleaguered shoreline of your favorite
beach. Third Saturday in September.
October
Fiesta
del Maíz, Upala. At this celebration of corn, local
beauty queens wear outfits made from corn plants. October
12.
Limón
Carnival/Día de la Raza, Limón. A smaller
version of Mardi Gras, complete with floats and dancing
in the streets, commemorates Columbus's discovery of Costa
Rica. Week of October 12.
November
All
Soul's Day/Día de los Muertos, celebrated countrywide.
Although it is not as elaborate or ritualized as in Mexico,
most Costa Ricans take some time this day to remember
the dead with flowers and trips to the cemeteries. November
2.
December
Día
de la Pólvora, San Antonio de Belén and
Jesús María de San Mateo. Fireworks displays
honor Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. December
8.
Fiesta
de los Negritos, Boruca. Boruca Indians celebrate the
feast day of their patron saint, the Virgin of the Immaculate
Conception, with costumed dances and traditional music.
December 8.
Fiesta
de la Yeguita, Nicoya. A statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe
is paraded through the streets, accompanied by traditional
music and dancing. December 12.
Las
Posadas. In this countrywide celebration, children and
carolers go door to door seeking lodging in a reenactment
of Joseph and Mary's search for a place to stay. Begins
December 15.
El
Tope and Carnival, San José. The streets of downtown
belong to horses and their riders in a proud recognition
of the country's important agricultural heritage. The
next day, those same streets are taken over by carnival
floats, marching bands, and street dancers. December 26
and 27.
Festejos
Populares, San José. Bullfights and a pretty respectable
bunch of carnival rides, games of chance, and fast-food
stands are set up at the fairgrounds in Zapote. Last week
of December.
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