Semana santa In Costa Rica

What is semana santa? Semana Santa is one of the most important religious holiday seasons of the year Also called Easter Holy Week It is the week leading up to Easter Sunday Most schools and government offices are closed the entire week between Palm Sunday and Easter Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are government mandated holidays during the week of Semana Santa

How is semana santa celebrated? Rich culture is displayed during this holiday It is a week long celebration Throughout the country religious processions are held recreating the last days of Jesus’ life Some other festivities include: bullfights, rodeos, fireworks, festivals and parades Because Semana Santa is supposed to be a week of rest and celebration, preparation begins well in advance The actual holiday is celebrated on the Thursday and Friday before Easter Sunday, but most people take the whole week off

celebrations

What are the religious processions? From Holy Wednesday until Easter Sunday, every town’s Catholic church organizes festivities The religious processions are parades reenacting Jesus’ journey through Jerusalem, the crucifixion, and His eventual resurrection Parade participants dress up to perform key roles These include Roman soldiers, the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Saint Joseph The procession typically use effigies, but sometimes have live actors instead During the processions, people line the streets to watch, or join in and walk with the procession

Religious processions (cont.) Two of the most important processions are held in Tres Rios in Cartago and San Joaquin de Flores in Heredia The procession in San Joaquin de Flores is also televised

religious processions

What are typical foods eaten during semana santa? The tradition is to eat seafood during Semana Santa Also eating meat on Good Friday is typically prohibited Popular dishes include rice and shrimp, ceviche and fried fish Another dish often eaten during Semana Santa is empanadas de chiverre Chiverre is a squash-like fruit in season during Semana Santa

Traditional foods

Other ways to celebrate semana santa In addition to the processions, many people will also take the week off to just travel It is most popular to vacation on the beach Semana Santa is typically when the beaches are most crowded in Costa Rica and usually when the country has its busiest traffic

vacation

Other information about semana santa Most shops and some businesses are closed beginning Thursday of Semana Santa until Monday of the next week Banks are closed Thursday and Friday of Semana Santa Transportation is limited during this time However, the tourism industry is normal as Semana Santa is a very popular time to visit Costa Rica, as well as locals traveling to the coast Also during Semana Santa they have a Dry Law, where it is illegal to sell alcohol from Wednesaday to Friday Because of this many people buy their alcohol the week before

More festivities

And processional floats

References: Farris, Lynn. "Semana Santa or Easter Week in Costa Rica." Examiner.com. N.p., 2 Apr. 2012. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. Bram. "Semana Santa in Costa Rica!" Tropical Adventures. N.p., 26 Mar. 2013. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. Emma. "Costa Rica." - Semana Santa Easter Traditions. N.p., 14 Apr. 2011. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. TCRN Staff. "Semana Santa in Costa Rica." The Costa Rica News. The Costa Rica News, 25 Mar. 2012. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. Baker, Adam. "Semana Santa." Costa Rica Vacations. Costa Rica Vacations, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. Villalobos, Nuria. "Holy Week the Costa Rican Way." PocketCultures RSS. Pocket Cultures, 6 Apr. 2010. Web. 07 Feb. 2014.