Costa Rica's Best Holiday

Since I last posted I've returned from Nicaragua and gone to the official close of service conference-which is a conference that Peace Corps volunteers go to three months before we officially end our service. But-as some people leave early-it's the last time my training group was all together in one room. In the middle of coming back from Nicaragua and going to the conference, was Costa Rican Independence day. I posted briefly about it last year, but this year was able to participate in activities at the elementary school and take my camera down to the parade. I went to the parade in downtown Limón-the port city 20 minutes away from my town. Sadly, my elementary school nor high school had marching bands-so they weren't in the parade.

(the raising of the lanterns)

(raising my lantern)

First, a brief note on the history. Due to both Spain being embroiled in a war with Napoleon (the Peninsular War) and growing tension between Mexican born and Spanish born citizens, Mexico fought a war of independence against Spain from 1810 to 1821. Taking advantage of a Spanish state troubled by the Peninsular War and much weakened in the Americas by the Mexican war, the Central American provinces-all ruled from Guatemala, drew up independence papers and declared themselves independent on September 15, 1821. So, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica all celebrate their independence day that day. One of the independence day activities is a torch run, which represents the original riders riding by torchlight to bring news of independence from Guatemala to the other countries.

(1st-3rd graders perform a traditional dance)

My host parents went to Heredia (a big city in the Central Valley) to spend the holiday with their kids and other relatives that live there, but there were some complications with an in-law, so there wasn't really space for me to go. But my host mom left me something important: a very well done lantern that my host brother had made the year before. This was important because last year, I was busy taking my pre-all night party nap and didn't get to to go to the lantern activity. 'Faroles' as they call them here are an important part of the independence day celebrations-especially in the elementary schools. Somewhat  like Paul Revere's ride, a women in Antigua Guatemala ran around, using her lantern, telling her neighbors of the great news of independence. So, elementary school kids make and decorate lanterns, then after an assembly and then singing the national anthem at six p.m., light their lanterns and raise them to celebrate independence. Because my host mom dusted off and showed me the lantern, I got to participate with the kids! I was also pretty excited that the national anthem was played with a slideshow-featuring pictures of Costa Rica-but having the lyrics at the bottom. Sadly, I haven't memorized the lyrics yet-but the slide show saved me!

As I said above, the next day-independence day itself-I went down to Limón Centro to catch the parade. I had been told it would start at ten, so went to catch a bus around 9:30. After seeing three buses pass by completely full (apparently everyone was going to the parade) , I got into a bus that was operating as a bus taxi with about 15 other people. I was worried I would have missed most of the parade when I arrived. Yet, true to Costa Rican form, despite arriving at 10:30, I was able to Limón's corpulent mayor lead off the parade. The parade was great-the bands here only play percussion instruments-which gives the parade a pretty amped up feeling. It was super hot-but I'll take that over rain. Lots of the kids had their hair pretty done up-both guys and girls. My favorite high schools were the ones where all the teachers helping with the parade (read: giving kids water) had coordinated outfits with the school's color. I grabbed two patty (spicy meat pastries) and a coke from my favorite patty place, as well as a Gatorade later-but after two hours baking in the sun and feeling the parade was about done-I grabbed the bus home. I've seen every holiday in Costa Rica, and independence day is by far the one they do best. More pictures at this link.