A week of celebrations

This week has seen three celebrations in Costa Rica: Children’s Day, Independence Day and of course the big event – my birthday 😉

9 September is Children’s Day.  Which is slightly ironic as, apart from a few teenagers waiting for the school bus, I have hardly seen any children since I got to Costa Rica.  Not sure where they are all hiding.  But on Children’s Day, they are centre stage. A full day of activities takes place in the park, focussed on the children of the town. Traditional games (the traditional coconut shy being supplanted by a baseball shy!), food stalls and the obligatory inflatables of course. 

I turned up in time for the “talent” show, talent being a subjective term!  But all the children took part with pride, singing, reciting or playing an instrument.  It’s not really about talent, it genuinely is about taking part.

15 September brings Independence Day.  Interestingly, the whole of Central America shares the same date for Independence Day, having been a single country following independence from Spain. Independence was actually declared in Guatemala and the news was carried by torch all the way south through Central America.  News finally reached Cartago, the former capital of Costa Rica, on the evening of 14 September 1821.

Which does beg the question why Independence Day is celebrated on the 15^th, the day after news reached Costa Rica and presumably, in the days of horse and cart, several days after being declared in Guatemala.  And who knows how Panama to the south found out if the torch stopped in Costa Rica. But why worry about the details?!

The celebrations begin at 6pm on the evening of the 14^th when the national anthem and other patriotic songs are played.  The Ticos sing along and recite an oath of allegiance. 

The torch journey is reenacted each year, passing through several Costa Rican towns on the way to Cartago.  I suspect the La Fortuna torch was symbolic though.  Either that or it was very late arriving in Cartago. Either way, the fire brigade escorted it to the town square in case of incident.

Once the singing, dancing, oath swearing and torch lighting are over, the main event of the evening begins.  Known as the Faroles, this lantern parade reenacts the historic torch through the medium of school art class.  Children have prepared torches in all forms of Costa Rican symbolism – sloths, toucans, monkeys and turtles representing the wildlife, churches and traditional houses and even a volcano, the symbol of La Fortuna.  All amply bedecked in Costa Rican flags and actually quite sophisticated.  They may be made of cardboard, but this is a step up from Blue Peter.

The next morning, Independence Day proper begins with the Diana – another parade, this one musical.  Advertised as beginning at 4.30am, I diligently got up early and walked over to the parade ground in the pitch black, only to find that that was the muster time. False advertising I would call it. But it really just reflects the Costa Rican attitude to time.  So, I sat in the park for an hour or so as the sun came up, wondering what the day would bring.  And at just before 6am, the Diana finally arrived. A cross between a brass band and a steel band in tractor-pulled rafting trailers.  Or at least, that is the La Fortuna version.

Once the Diana has arrived at the park, a communal breakfast is served.  Traditional Costa Rican fare of gallo pinto, fried plantain and some sort of delicious potato and cheese pancake I have yet to identify.

And all around, a real community atmosphere.  Not just for the official events, but families spend the day relaxing in the shade of the trees. Almost all are dressed in red, white and blue. It really does feel like a day of national unity.

Nothing quite so big for my birthday. A day trip to the Rio Celeste, famous for its blue waters.  Got caught in my first proper downpour since arriving. But actually it just gave the rainforest an even more special atmosphere.  Vibrant green and blue to end a week of red, white and blue.