One of the most famous traditions of the Catholic Holy Week is the “Quema de Judas” (Burning of Judas). This carnivalesque celebration is predominant in most Spanish speaking countries and takes place late at night on the Saturday before Easter.
The ritual consists of the burning of a human-like figure that represents Judas Iscariot. It’s common for the whole community to gather and create the doll using old clothes, paper and firecrackers.

The figure of Judas goes beyond being a Biblical reenactment, it’s also meant to expiate the town of all its guilts, sins and misbehavior. With this ritual, they atone for their sins, while punishing the treacherous Judas. In Costa Rica, it’s traditional to have a public hearing where Judas is accused and then sentenced to death. Before the figure is set on fire, his testament is read. Said document is made up of a series of inside jokes, written in verse in the style of traditional “bombas”.

Considering this ritual lacks any of the solemnity attributed to the Holy Week, the Catholic Church doesn’t approve this burning. They don’t condemn it either, which is why it’s common for this to take place right after the eight o’clock mass on Saturday.

However, this tradition doesn’t come off as festive and exciting as it might sound. During the last few years, the Quema de Judas has also served as an excuse for vandals to trash private property and commit felonies. In 2009 a furniture store in San Rafael, Heredia, was burned to the ground by people who had attended the Judas festivities.

This year, the police department of San Jose has prepared over 500 units to patrol the areas where the Quema takes place. This will be done in accordance to prevision laws which suggest authorities should be able to contain potentially problematic situations.

Have you ever attended a Quema? Do you think it’s wise for the police to supervise them?

There is a celebration day for them, the Festival de las Esferas. It is a three day event, starting in Palmar Sur, in the Osa Peninsula.

The Festival de las Esferas is shaping up to be much more than the usual local fiesta. The three-day event starting Friday in Palmar Sur in the Municipality of Osa in southwestern Costa Rica.

The festival concentrate on the actual sphere and the mysteries that surround them, on the current environmental and ecological issues that are now common place in the country. It also  gives information about the native indigenous cultures.

There is a guided visit to Finca 6, a property that actually belongs to the National Museum, where a few spheres can be seen on site. The aim of the museum is for the spheres to be designated as a world heritage. This would be a great victory for the archaeologist and a boost for Costa Rican Tourism! The designation is to be based on the culture of the local indigenous people, called the Diquis, and nearby other cultures from Panama to the Central Valley and the Caribbean Coast. The museum has to present a guarantee protection of the entire area. The descendants of the people who had actually built the sphere will make a presentation and the Indigenous Culture of Rey Cure will also perform the Game of the Diablitos, where awesome masks representing various forces are worn and the diablitos fight against the toro for days, recreating the fight between the Spaniards and the natives. This normally takes place in January and goes on for days and a considerable amount of  liquor is commonly consumed, however in this case if will only last a few hours. TheNgobe community of Conte Burica will perform the Danza de la Serpiente. Various seminars will also take place throughout the event.
On Saturday, there will be Art fair and local food. A special show for children will take place at 9am in the local school.

With Osa being attacked by developers and illegal logging, there will be a variety of seminars that will concentrate on the biodiversity and ecological scandals and threats to the fauna and flora of the area.

Sunday will close with music, more food art, seminars for children

For those who are more adventurous, there will be trips in the mangroves of the Terraba River, boats will board at Las Vegas Restaurant for lunch in Sierpe.

Finca 6 is just one of the areas where the spheres can be found. They have been found basically all over the country and more are still being discovered today. The Museum is planning to have them on exhibit in the Finca 6, a large area which already has 10 spheres in place. Another site, called Batambal, has 4 spheres exhibited, including the largest one found so far. To date, the museum has registered 300 spheres; that one measures 2.5 meters in diameter. Francisco Corrales, ex museum director, estimates that there could be as much as 500 spheres in the country.

Nobody knows or understand anything about these mysterious spheres; what did they mean, why were they made? Archaeologists believe that the ancestors of the Borrucas made them, between 300 and 1500 AD; many believe they were used as tomb stones. Others think they marked important locations. There are so many different theories; some even say that they were built by aliens by some the inhabitants of Atlantis. Others have declared they were built to guide navigators. In brief, nobody knows!

Truth be told, few things seem to irk Costa Ricans. Yet all you have to do is mention to someone that Shakira was chosen as the opening act for the new National Stadium and all hell breaks loose.

The Colombian superstar was announced late last year as the artist who would have this honor; after names like Coldplay, U2 and even Madonna had been thrown around as possibilities.
This caused an immediate reaction from the media with some calling it an embarrassing choice while others praised the fact that they had gone with Hispanic talent.

A Facebook group called “We don’t want Shakira in the National Stadium”, was created a few hours after an official statement was made and so far has acquired almost five thousand members.

Most comments in the group are from young people who have gone as far as suggesting that protests should be made in order for concert organizers to find someone “better”.

“[I wouldn’t go] even if someone gave me a ticket!” says one of the group members, while others proclaim that Shakira represents how third world Costa Rica still is. One of the group members says that the concert is a totalitarian strategy meant to perpetuate the right wing values the stadium represents (the stadium itself came with some controversy as it was a gift from China to the Costa Rican government).

What remains interesting though is the choices non-fans suggest: artists ranging from David Bowie and The Rolling Stones to AC/DC and Black Eyed Peas are mentioned as better options than Shakira. The fact that not a single Costa Rican option is mentioned as a replacement must be saying something about the discrepancy between what these people say and the way they act.

Shakira is currently one of the biggest musical icons: her World Cup song “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” was the most popular worldwide single of 2010, despite controversy surrounding how she acquired the rights to use a sample in it. Locally, she’s one of the only “Latin bomb era” artists who managed to remain relevant after the fever died early during the last decade and her world tours are real blockbusters.

What’s more, her lack of popularity in Costa Rica, should be taken with a grain of salt given that tickets for her concert sold out in a day.

Tickets began selling at 12:01 AM on February 7^th and by the next day, 80% were sold. It’s interesting to take note that the most popular tickets were the VIP ones priced at 63,000 colones (about $125). These aren’t numbered seats but could land you a chance to be right under Shakira’s hips.
With failures in the online selling system, fans waited in line for hours. Tickets were restricted to one per ID number and attendance is expected to include people from all over the region (this is the only tour stop Shakira will be taking in Central America).

Shakira was last seen in Costa Rica during the mid-90s and has since gone from a Latina Alanis Morrissette, to being a worldwide sensation. Some people who demanded bigger stars should’ve opened the stadium, seem to be forgetting that Shakira has appeared in such events as the Live 8 in 2005 and has headlined the FIFA World Cup concert not once, but three times (she performed twice during the 2010 tournament in Africa).

In the end though, it’s redundant, but necessary, to point out that regardless of how many people dislike her, Shakira will go down in Costa Rican history for as long as this stadium exists. For some it’ll always be a disappointing moment and will probably continue singing the praises of the Human Rights concert in the 80’s where superstars such as Sting and Bruce Springsteen appeared in San Jose.

To her devoted fans though, April 10^th will probably be the biggest fiesta of their lives.

What is your stand on this controversial concert?

It is a plane with a history to tell; Though the U.S. government originally supported the Contras at the beginning of 1980, Congress cut off all funding in late 1984; there were rumours that the CIA had mined the Nicaraguan harbors; they were afraid in case this would  turn into the next Vietnam.

Thus the Fairchild C-123 took part of one of the biggest US scandals in the mid 80’s:  The Reagan Administration worked up a strange network of arms sales to Iran in an attempt to win the release of US hostages being held in Lebanon and from this raise money in order to fund the Nicaraguan’s counter-revolutionary guerilla fighters, commonly referred to as the “Contras.”! Authentic story; and while they were artificially inflating the prices of the arms, NSA official Oliver North was able to grab the profit that in turn could be used to fund the counter-revolutionaries of the Cuban allied Sandinista government. The plane was  later on dubbed “Ollie’s Folly” because of its connection to Oliver North who had been the chief architect of the covert operation and he was solely responsible for the funding and providing military assistance.

The profits exceeded $16million, however in the end only $3.8 millions reached the Contras, nobody knows for sure what happened to the rest of the money. Amongst their purchase were the two C-123, one of which is now resting on a lush tropical hill over looking the Pacific Ocean, a place to chill out, have a bite and a few drinks! How did this happen? An air strip was built on an american-owned ranch somewhere North-West of the country. On October 5^th 1986, one of the two planes was shot down over Nicaragua. One crewman, Eugene Hasenfus, was able to escape, he was however captured by the Sandinistas. The fact that Hasenfus was alive by itself set off an infernal chain of lies and cover-ups that eventually became known as the Iran-Contra Affair. The Operation was suspended and the remaining C-123 lay abandoned in some isolated spot in Juan Santamaria Airport in San Jose, and the rest is history.

Now, the C-123 is retired, a cold war relic that has taken on the title of El Avion on to a new a venture as a restaurant, bar, and coffee shop with an an unbeatable atmosphere and gorgeous sunsets. And what a better place to tell the tale of the scandal than the El Avion! It landed on one of the hottest spots of the area, with a stunning view over the ocean and some of the best food around. It also has the advantage of staying opened till the early hours, for many, the last place to go after a long night out! The place to be by excellence.

The Steinvorth building was built at the beginning of the 20th Century and is one of the oldest and most beautiful edifice in San Jose, one of the very few representing the Art Nouveau; many beautiful buildings were destroyed in earthquakes, resulting in the rarity of what one can call a work of architecture in this city.

When the building, designed by architect Francisco Tenca,  was finished in 1907, it reached  as far as the Avenida Central and its facade was ellaboriously ornate and was difficult to go unoticed. Located between calle 1 and avenida 0 and 1, it is located right in the center of the town. In 1872,  Otto Steinvorth started works on the building, He was one of two brothers who came from Germany to settle on Costa Rican soil. The name Steinvorth became associated with Adolf Hitler and the Steinvorth brothers were sent to Costa Rican concentration camps and their posessions and estates were seized. Ricardo Steinvorth was sent to the United States, and was back in Costa Rica in the 1950s. He managed to get the Steinvorth building back from the goverment but found that doing business in Costa Rica had become difficult and before long, he got into the real estate business. Indeed, in 1960 he sold part of the building that was later demolished by Samuel Grinspan.

The Steinvort won first prize beating nine competitors in an annual contest, and in fact thanks to this annual competion many valuable buildings of San Jose have had a face lift. There is presently an offer to start working on the restauration of the Steinvorth in order to save and recuperate its architectural glamour and to give it a mixte value so that it would serve as housing as well as being a commercial property.

Presently, the Steinvorth has a very popular Lounge, concert venue bar and discotheque on the second floor, but it also serves coffee and snacks in the afternoon. Indeed it is probably one of the most sought after night spot to hang out for much of the night fun seekers of San Jose.

If all goes according to plan, the Steinvorth is to receive $200,000 so it can be fully restored and shine in all its glory again. This money actually comes from a competion called” We save our heritage” of the Ministry of the Culture, where the Steinvorth won first place.

It is refreshing and inspiring to see the very beautiful and artistic buildings of San Jose getting the attention they deserve, and that they can be protected and restored instead of being pulled down, painted over and generally abused. San Jose may not be the most beautiful city of the world but it does have its share of beautiful building, it is just a matter of finding them!

Semana Santa, or Easter week, began in Costa Rica this past weekend on Palm Sunday with masses and processions marking Jesus’s entrance into Bethlehem before his execution and resurrection. For many Costa Ricans, this is the most important religious event of the year, and people are expected to spend their time in prayer and avoiding work and physical labor. To promote this, Thursday and Friday of Holy Week are official holidays on the Costa Rican calendar, while many government employees are enjoying the entire week off of work.

As with most holidays in modern times, the traditions that come with Semana Santa are both cultural and religious. It is expected that 1.5 million residents will take advantage of their time off not to head to church, but rather to the beach. One unfortunate norm that comes with this is traffic, and lots of it! Bus companies come prepared by significantly increasing their daily departures, in part because on Friday bus routes shut down completely to allow employees time to celebrate with their families.

Preparation

Easter preparations usually begin a week in advance within the family, with traditions depending on the region you are in. In Guanacaste March and April mark mango season, and the youngest generations of the families can be found gathering mangos from around the neighborhood so that the matriarch of the family can make a mango marmalade that will show up in almost every desert during Semana Santa. Traditionally, food should be prepared in advance for the week to allow everyone plenty of time to relax.

The television stations do their part to set the tone by playing classic religious films like the 10 Commandments, Spartacus, Mel Gibson’s The Passion of Christ and even the DreamWorks animated classic, The Prince of Egypt for the kids.

While Catholics are given all of Lent to go to Confession in preparation for Easter, the numbers increase the last week before Easter as the sacrament is not available on Thursday through Easter Sunday so that the Church can focus on the important masses and processions to come. Preparation for the processions includes decorating and cleaning the religious effigies that are stored away the rest of the year, many of which will take part in up to 10 processions, with different colored clothing for each.

Religious Traditions

Like in most Catholic nations and communities, Easter week is celebrated with the family and in church. The week is a time for rest, and family gatherings often center around the television or over coffee and sweets. While there are no large meals associated with the season, Catholics will stick to fish as meat should not be consumed during the week. This is noted in the endless promotions on seafood and canned tuna for the weeks leading up to Semana Santa.

Many families will also be sure to take part in at least one of the many religious processions that take place during the week, starting with this past Sunday’s procession to the Basilica de Los Angeles in Cartago. Participants took part in the blessing of the palms, trailing behind effigies of Jesus and other saints mounted on horseback or held up on the shoulders of other participants.

As the week rolls on, the processions will depict different moments in the last week of Jesus’s life up to when he is crucified and resurrected. One of the most dramatic depictions takes place in Tres Rios, Cartago where live actors take the place of the effigies. The procession in San Joaquin de Flores de Heredia is usually covered by local television stations and includes an actor for every person that was present at the scene of Christ’s death. Most small towns will hold smaller processions where anyone is welcome to participate.

Controversial Traditions

In one particular town, Ortega de Santa Cruz in Guanacaste, men continue to participate in an age old tradition on Good Friday that involves capturing a giant crocodile with their bare hands and tying it up to put on display in the center of town. While the animal is released the following day, the tradition has been under scrutiny of animal and environmental conservationists for years. It has also grown in popularity as many visitors head to the small town to witness the act.

Another tradition that is present in several other Latin American countries is the burning of a straw and cloth effigy of Judas, the apostle that betrayed Jesus, on Holy Saturday before Easter. While most towns have some kind of representation of this, some are much more pronounced than others, especially in the Heredia province including San Rafael, San Joaquin, Mercedes Sur and Heredia centro.

The effigy is usually set up in the middle of the town soccer field in front of the church or on the beach in coastal towns. As recently as 5 years ago, the Judas night festivities have turned into riots and arrests as police try to control what becomes a giant bonfire as more and more debris is thrown in and vandalism becomes a problem. In Guanacaste, it is a tradition for men to set up a game of soccer, using the burning head of Judas as the soccer ball.

In Venezuela, where this is also a popular tradition, Judas is often made to look like a current political figure and stuffed with fireworks in an impressive display where pyrotechnics meets religion meets politics.

Superstitions

As older generations work to maintain religious traditions in their families, several superstitions have developed to reinforce the need to rest and pray during Semana Santa. Many Costa Ricans will remember their grandmother telling them that a Semana Santa spent at the beach will result in them turning into a fish. An older superstition states that driving a car during Holy Week is a sin, and some small communities apparently still throw nails out into the street to deter anyone who would consider it.

No matter how residents and visitors decide to spend this week, it’s importance to the country is clear and it is not just another holiday that may go overlooked. Holy Week manifests itself in all aspects of daily life from TV to transportation to work schedules, and even alcohol sales. It is a great time to visit Costa Rica to take part in some of these traditions, but the visitor must make his or herself fully aware of what is to be expected before arriving to avoid any unexpected inconveniences!

Photo courtesy of La Nacion.

The sleepy beach town of Mal Pais, on the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, will play host to an exclusive group of A-list guests and family members of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and supermodel Gisele Bundchen for their second wedding of the year. The couple was first married in a casual, secret wedding in Santa Monica, Calif. on Feb. 26., apparently for the sake of Brady’s 1-year-old son who will not be allowed to travel to Costa Rica for the larger wedding due to the wishes of his mother, Bridget Moynahan.

The second wedding will take place at Gisele’s Costa Rica home, and will be attended by less than 50 close friends and family members, including Brady’s teammates and Gisele’s supermodel pals. They will hold a dinner reception on Friday, April 3, and the wedding on Saturday April 4, says the latest celebrity gossip.

The couple already went on their honeymoon to Gisele’s home country of Brazil, and must not want to let go of newly wed bliss. The remote beaches of this Central Pacific sector of Costa Rica mixed with a wedding party of fashion and athletic icons, should make for one picturesque day in the tropics!

Every year the Municipality of San Jose takes on its calling to turn the city into the cultural capital of the country by organizing a series of festivals related to the arts, culture and music. This weekend is the biggest festival so far this year that will be hosted by the Municipality: the Festival de Verano Transitarte. The schedule for the 3-day event is truly packed and is a great opportunity for anyone in the city to get out, enjoy some fresh air and some great entertainment, all for free!

The event will be spread out over four large plazas all within a block of eachother in the center of San Jose. The Parque Morazan, home to the Templo de Musica and in front of the Holiday Inn where all the concerts will be hosted is just two blocks north of the Plaza de la Cultura where the National Theater can be found. The Jardin de Paz is the adjacent plaza located directly in front of the Metallic School, and just across the street to the East is the shady Parque España. To find the National Park, continue east one block. This is the largest of all the venues and will be hosting artisans who will set up shop, as well as theater and dance performances.

Now that you know where to find it, there is no excuse to miss it! The weekend schedule is non-stop as follows:

Friday, March 13, 2009

10 a.m. – 3 p.m.: Municipal libraries will hold present story telling including the stories La gallina Avelina and El lobo feroz (all in Spanish) in the Parque España.

10 a.m. – 3 p.m.: In the National Park, visitors can enjoy Mascaradas by Los Chapetones, marimba music by Sonando and Calypso Urbano.

4 p.m.: Folkloric group Viajando por Nuestro Pais will close the festivities in the National Park

6:30 p.m.: The dance group Metamorfosis will present a show called 70% agua in the Parque Morazan

8 p.m.: A concert by Son de Tikizia will officially inaugurate the weekend event.

Saturday, March 24, 2009

All Day: Urban Canopy Zipline tours and Climbing walls in the Jardin de Paz, and story telling until 5 p.m. in Parque España.

10 a.m.: Day long theater presentations in the National Park including “Caminito del Mar’ by the group Contraluz and “Sexo? Si gracias por preguntar” by Abya-Yala.

11 a.m.: Taekwondo presentation in the Jardin de Paz

11 a.m.: Music presentation by Mexican rapper MC Tshh in the Parque Morazan

11 a.m.: 9 p.m.: Concerts will be presented all day long including Sincopa, Introvisión, Escafandra, Mechas, Parque en el Espacio, Pato Barraza and Evolución.

1 p.m.: Central American Boxing Championship with the participation of Panama and Nicaragua in the Jardin de Paz

9 p.m.: Presentation of dance and percussion by Orquestap in the Parque Nacional

9 p.m.: Music performance by Panamanian group Cienfue in Parque Morazan

Sunday, March 15:

10 a.m. – 6 p.m.: Story telling in Parque España.

10 a.m. on: Music, dance and theater with presentations by the Camote Circus and Par de 2, the Camerata Bach and La Cuna del Swing in the Parque Nacional.

11 a.m. on: Music presentations in Parque Morazan by Los Cumbiamberos, Humberto Vargas, Francisco Murillo, Digital 80, Santos y Zurdo, and Amarillo Cyan y Magenta.

7 p.m.: A concert by Peregrino Gris will close the weekend music festivities in the Parque Morazan.

8 p.m.: The entire event will close with a show by the French group Puce Muse, that will include music and projections in the Parque de Paz.

As is typical of the summer months in Costa Rica, the streets of San Jose will come alive this weekend with the IV Summer Festival Transitarte, which takes place from Friday the 13th through Sunday March 15. The festival is organized by the Municipality of San Jose with the goal of re-infusing the country’s capital with art and culture. The festival will take place over a series of venues and include literary readings, crafts, live concerts, visual and urban art, workshops and even a boxing championship.

Each year the festival presents a new theme. This year the event organizers went for an eco-friendly theme with the title “Por un San Jose Verde” (for a green San Jose). It is hoped that many artists will use this as an inspiration for their art by using eco-friendly materials or expressing environmentally friendly messages.

All the activities will be focused in the center of San Jose with urban themed art in the Parque Morazan in front of the Holiday Inn. The Jardin de Paz (next to Morazan in front of the Metallic School) will be dedicated to recreation and extreme sports, Parque España will present a literary theme with local libraries and story tellers. Finally, the Parque Nacional will present the Artisan Fair with art expositions, crafts for sale, as well as live music and presentations.

The event will begin at 10 a.m. on Friday the 13th, while the official inauguration will take place at 6 p.m. the same day with a concert by groups Metamorfosis and Son de Tiquizia in the Parque Morazan. Other artists that will perform in clued Mechas and Peregrino Gris.

After the Fiestas Palmares are expected to go out with a bang this weekend, party goers won’t have to wait long, or at all, to find the next party destination in Costa Rica. As annual tradition goes, the first two months of the year are filled with fiestas patronales and civicas. The former are festivals in celebration of the patron saint of a town, while the latter are more of a bragging rights type town festival in which each one hopes to gain the reputation of hosting the best fiestas in the country. No matter if it is a fiesta patronal or civica, you are likely to find the same thing: megabars, bull fights, Chinese food, horse parades, masked dancers and beer. The main difference is that a fiesta patronal usually involves a religious pilgrimage and a bit of Catholic guilt may accompany the heavy drinking.

Tomorrow is the infamous carnaval de Palmares, and some 150,000 people are expected to show up for the 2 kilometer long parade that begins at 5 p.m. The parade will run from the Palmares stadium to the festival grounds and will include 15 dance troops from all over the Central Valley, four floats, three mascarada groups from Barva and Alajuelita and three musical groups. Visitors should also expect lots of fireworks and a “surprise”, an event organizer said, which will likely include public participation.

A concert by Chilean Beto Cuevas in one of the megabars should serve to draw in even more visitors who may not be interested in the parade. On Saturday the long awaited Festival Ranchero will be hosted in the bull ring starting at 7 p.m. and Puerto Rican music group Calle 13 will warm up their vocals at a concert in one of the megabars. Finally, on Sunday, Calle 13 will present a free concert on the main stage starting at noon to close the fiestas. Afterward, bull fights will continue in the evening and during the day on Monday.

If you were not or are not able to visit Palmares, have no fear, as there are plenty more parties to come. Today marks the beginning of the fiestas patronales de Nicoya, in honor of San Blas. As is common in Guanacaste, these parties will be highlighted by the bull fights as the best bulls in Costa Rica, El Chirriche and Malacrianza make an appearance. The parties, which continue until Feb. 8, will also be marked by the crowing of a town queen.

This Saturday, Jan. 31, the streets of Jaco, Puntarenas will come alive with its own Second Festival of Art. The event, which will continue until Feb. 8, will include concerts, theater, dance, artisan crafts, a carnival and dozens of artists. The festivities will begin at 4 p.m. on Friday with a parade of dancers from the Red Cross to the new park in Jaco. The same evening will host a show by the “Fantastic Circus”, a presentation of short films, a live concert and a show of aerial dancers. Visitors will also be able to view painted life-sized cows from the Cow Parade that have been traveling the country since the close of their 3-month debut on the streets of San Jose.

Once you are all rested from traveling between three provinces to visit these spectacular festivals, it is recommended that you head right back up to Guanacaste for the Fiestas Populares de Liberia, which will take place from Feb. 12 to Feb. 22. This festival, slightly more popular than the Expo Liberia fiestas in honor of the annexation of Guanacaste in July, will host international artists, bull fights, megabars and more. The events will be similar to those of the fiestas de Palmares, but being set in Guanacaste, a region rich in agricultural traditions, promises that the Costa Rica culture and pride will be more vibrant.

If you are visiting Costa Rica in January or February, there is no excuse to miss the opportunity to see Costa Rican pride and culture at its finest. There are activities for all ages, as entire communities unite to celebrate their home town and their heritage. If for nothing else, the Costa Rican bull fights, in which a bull chases after a ring of humans, are a must-see as you cannot experience such a thing anywhere else.