For those of you that were lucky enough to be in Costa Rica on September 15, you will have been able to witness the official national holiday of Independence Day. This holiday is in observance of Costa Rica and all of Central America gaining its freedom from Spain in 1821.
Independence Day is celebrated throughout Costa Rica by morning parades in every city and town. I was located in Tres Rios, a suburb outside San Jose for this year’s festive parade. Myself, along with what seemed like the entire town of Tres Rios lined up the sidewalks to cheer on, support and observe their children marching through the streets.
You won’t find the military marching in these parades though since Costa Rica abolished their Army in 1949, but what you will find is the Costa Rican flag being held high with pride, boys and girls of all ages displaying their cultural values in the form of traditional dance, costumes, scenes from their way of life and of course, music from the marching bands. Each school represented a different cultural theme and here are just a few examples. One school demonstrated the old style of transportation which is a colorful oxcart being pulled by oxen, another school had the boys dressed in bull costumes while the Toro tried to hustled the bull back into the cage, another school had the children dressed in traditional dresses and suits while they showed off some of their dance steps. There were children also representing the coffee plantations and the banana plantations which are the main sources of income for Costa Rica.
It was very easy to see by the smiles on the children’s faces as they passed by that they are very proud of their heritage, culture and their country. Watching the Independence Day Parade was a great way to start the day!
If you would like to come to Costa Rica and observe for yourself this wonderful country, please call us at 1-800-460-0847. We would love to tell you more about all the possibilities that await you for your next vacation.
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