Costa Rican Bulls Get Quite the Work Out Every January and February.

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.

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Filed under: Cultural Events on January 29th, 2009