Religious tourism in Costa Rica is underdeveloped and, for the most part, focuses on the domestic market. Religious tourist sites are mostly linked to Catholic religious traditions.
If we talk about Religious Celebrations in Costa Rica, there are both official and unofficial festivals on the calendars. There are also events closely tied to religious activities, patron saint festivals, and spiritual activities, in other cases, that encourage people to visit different places.
Our Lady of the Angels, Patroness of Costa Rica
On August 2nd of each year, one of the largest religious celebrations of Costa Rican Catholicism takes place in Costa Rica. It is a National Festival supported by the State through a declaration of mandatory holiday. Thousands of people travel to the Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels in the city of Cartago to thank her for favors granted, to present their “ex-votos”, to request her intercession, or simply out of tradition to participate in the so-called pilgrimage. Approximately two million people attend, traveling to the Basilica on foot, horseback, by bus, or by car from various parts of the country and even from other countries.
The history
This is one of the long-standing religious traditions of Costa Rica, considered the oldest of them all. The image appeared on August 2, 1635, the date when the religious celebrate the Day of the Angels. For this reason, it was called Our Lady of the Angels. Father Baltasar de Grado, the parish priest at the time, was the one who initiated and promoted this celebration, and before he died, he left a donation to keep the tradition alive.
The importance for Costa Ricans is not only centered on the pilgrimage itself, but there are also other series of activities in which they participate. Where religious faith is mixed with recreational, tourist, and business elements. It should be taken into account that the Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels is a National Sanctuary. As such, it receives many parishioners and tourists of various kinds. However, the center is always religiosity, which is why it is necessary to promote religious activities in Costa Rica abroad.
The Chorotega Region in Costa Rica
The Chorotega region encompasses the entire province of Guanacaste as well as the peninsular cantons and Upala. In it, the Chorotegas who inhabited the Gran Nicoya in Costa Rica mainly settled.
There is a coexistence between the native Chorotega customs and those imposed by the Spanish colonizers. They are expressed in many religious and pagan traditions, all of which came together to give rise to faith practices in present-day Costa Rica. Everything is part of the religious heritage, and is celebrated as a local festival, supported by the Catholic Church. The case we are referring to is the “Dance of the Little Mare and the Virgin.”
Costa Rica and Our Lady of Guadalupe
Procession of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Costa Rica: Religious Tourism and Traditions. The festival of Our Lady of Guadalupe is organized around the brotherhood, of which there is one in Nicoya. These are congregations or brotherhoods formed by some devotees and vow-makers with competent authorization to carry out works of piety.
Also La Víspera, the procession of the past. In addition to the Solemn Mass and the candle procession, among others. Each of these events has a very special meaning that the locals enjoy, especially those who, on a religious tourism trip in Costa Rica, come to observe the tradition. Every year, more tourists, especially locals, join the celebration and share with the Nicoya community.
When is Our Lady of Guadalupe in Costa Rica
According to tradition, the activities begin on the first of November with the counting of days. Which is carried out using corn kernels, until culminating on December 12th with the celebration of “dururis” day. That day, and in some previous activities, coffee, rosquillas, traditional drinks, mainly chicha (a corn-based drink that can be fermented or not) and chicheme (a drink made with broken corn grains, milk, and spices) are distributed for free. Corn is very important as it represents one of the products of the Chorotega culture.
The Festival of the Holy Christ of Esquipulas in Santa Cruz, Guanacaste
The city of Santa Cruz was founded in 1782 in what was known as the Diriá settlement in honor of the chieftain of the same name. Currently, it is known as the folkloric city, its festivals are typical national celebrations, and the marimba (xylophone) is considered the national instrument.
Every year in January, the festivities of the Christ of Esquipulas are celebrated. A large part of Guanacaste’s culture bears the marks of this tradition and religious devotion. This is one of the religious traditions in Costa Rica that are original and not part of inherited foreign customs.
The School of History at the University of Costa Rica describes the procession as follows:
“This Sunday was the first of three days of festivities in Santa Cruz.” The previous afternoon, an image of the Saint enters the church. A large procession follows, mainly of women. They wear shawls of bright colors, in various shades of reds, yellows, and greens, creating a vivid contrast with the backdrop of the white-painted houses, the church, and the colorful, dusty streets.
“The procession on Sunday was different, of a non-religious nature.” In it, the local brass band, a decorated cart pulled by two oxen, with a canopy under which the Queen sits, accompanied by a page. Also boys and men with masks and dressed as clowns. On Fridays and Saturdays, the plaza was enclosed by a fence made of logs and tree branches, with posts planted in the ground and the barriers secured to them with vines. This construction was for the bulls, which were one of the main attractions.”
There are plenty of reasons to schedule your next Religious Tourism visit to enjoy all the religious activities in Costa Rica!
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Beleida Delgado
