Easter in Costa Rica

Easter is a major Catholic holiday all over the world, and Costa Rica is no exception. In fact, Easter in Costa Rica is probably one the longest and most widely celebrated holidays in Costa Rica. Second only to Christmas of course. During the week of Easter and the weeks leading up to it, you can expect to see all kinds of festivals, celebrations, parades and more. This is true for even some of the smaller and more remote areas of Costa Rica as well.

What to Expect

In Costa Rica, Easter is a very big holiday for the locals. It is a holy week with religious masses, and processions. The actual holiday takes place on the Thursday and Friday before Easter Sunday. The streets are extremely crowded, with local Costa Ricans celebrating the Easter holiday. There are not a lot of visitors during the holidays in Costa Rica, but when there are, it is a time to relax on the beaches or join in the Costa Ricans holiday celebrations. In the Costa Rica Easter celebrations, they have processions and depict the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, as most Costa Ricans are of Roman Catholic decent.

During the Thursday and Friday holiday, all transportation is off, and no one is working. That is one of the reasons that there are not many visitors on the holiday, because there is no transportation to any attractions. Everyone celebrates together, and the streets are full of people attending processions. Many businesses are closed the whole week long, so they can celebrate the holiday without any interruption. There are street fairs with dancing, music, traditional food, and what is known as toro a lo tica. Which is basically bullfighting without any bloodshed. The Easter holiday is a time for the locals to put off work and relax.

Festivals during Easter

One very popular festival during the Easter time in Costa Rica is the Fiesta San Vincente de Moravia. This fiesta is a huge party that all locals attend, it is basically a street festival with a lot of partying. It is like a fair with music and dancing all over the streets, and traditional Costa Rican food is served. It is a time for the locals to relax and enjoy their faith. The festivals flood the streets, and all local Costa Ricans participate in the celebration. Some have time off of work for the whole week before Easter Sunday, and have a large festivals throughout the entire week.

The celebrations start the Thursday before Easter and do not stop till Easter Sunday, and even into the Monday after Easter. The holiday however is really only the Thursday and Friday before Easter Sunday, but many locals will celebrate throughout the entire week. In Costa Rica it is one of the largest holidays for the locals, and includes parades, festivals, celebrations, and many other activities. The holiday is of a Christian descent since Catholic is the primary religion, but nowhere else in the world has celebrations for Easter like Costa Rica does.

History of Easter in Costa Rica

Most of the local Costa Ricans are primarily Roman Catholic, so during the Easter time they are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Roman Catholic is a descent of Christianity, and during Easter time is the time when Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross. According to the Christian faith, the body of Jesus Christ was put in a tomb, and three days later on a Sunday, Jesus was not in the tomb any longer. The family and disciples were looking for Jesus Christ in his tomb saw him, and Jesus told them he had resurrected to be in Heaven with God. It is celebrated in Costa Rica throughout the entire weekend, as in other parts of the world it is only celebrated on Easter Sunday. That is what makes the holiday so special for the locals, being the largest religious celebrations for them.

Easter falls at the end of a forty six day Lenten season, beginning with ash Wednesday. During the forty six day period, there are six Sundays that fall in the time period. On the last week of the Lenten season, it is considered the holy week. It is the highest festival for the Christian faith, and is a continuation of penitence in preparation for Easter Sunday. In Costa Rica it is one of the largest festivals, even all over the world it is celebrated for being the highest festival in the Christian faith. It is the most important holiday, because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ which pieces together the entire Christian faith.