~ The Costa Rican Holidays ~
December 31st/January 1st (New Year's Eve and Day): MAJOR partying in the clubs and homes the night before with huge festivities, bullfights, live music, folk dancing, carnivals with rides and games, MANY fireworks. There is a big dance at the Central Park of San Jose (San Jose’s Parque Central).
January (2nd week) Fiesta Santa Cruz: The festival in Santa Cruz on the Nicoya Peninsula has a western flair with bullfights and a parade followed by a party with traditional foods, concerts, and fireworks.
Jan.: Dia de Santo Cristo de Esquipulas (Fiesta Santa Cruz Day Of Christ): Popular religious festival celebrated with fiestas, music and dancing, traditional food, and ox-cart parade in Alajuelita, Dulce Nombre and Santa Cruz.
Look At Pics Of Black Christ In Santa Cruz: Photos Od Santa Cruz City, The Fantastic Histories
February (2nd half of Feb.): Fiesta de los Diablitos or The festival of the little devils: Consists of re-enactments of a battle between the Spanish troops and the Boruca Indians. People wear their carved masks and traditional costumes, eat traditional food, fireworks, music.
March: Carnival and Festival del Mar (March Festivals): A week of local celebrations in Puntarenas and Quepos with street fairs, fiestas, dancing, sporting events, food, & parties.
March (2nd Sunday): Día de los Boyero (Oxcart Driver's Day): A parade of beautifully handmade and painted oxcarts and people wear their traditional costumes, eat traditional foods, dancing & música.
Mar. 19th: St. Joseph’s Day, patron saint of San Jose and San Jose province. Recognized nationwide by Catholics with special masses; banks, schools, and most businesses closed this day.
April: Semana Santa (Easter): Holy week is observed with many family and religious observations and masses. The official holiday falls on the Thursday and Friday before Easter Sunday. Dates are different every year and most businesses close for the entire week preceding Easter weekend. Many parades, marching bands, dances, bullfights, traditional comida, and street fairs during Holy Week. *Many Ticos travel to the hotels and beaches.
April 11th: Día de Juan Santamaría (Juan Santamaria Day): National public holiday to honor honoring a national hero fighter from Alajuela who defended his country to the death against the American invader William Walker in 1856. This week in Alajuela are many parades, marching bands, dances, bullfights, traditional foods, and street fair.
May 1st: Día de los Trabajadore (Labor Day): Parades, marches and the Presidential "state of the union" address to Congress and the people. Cricket matches in Puerto Limón. Street fairs, music, dancing, traditional comidas, bullfights, parades all over Costa Rica
May 30: Memorial Day celebrations for the U.S. citizens, and U.S. military veterans who are in Costa Rica. American Legion Post 10 in Escazú has annual ceremony at the San Antonio de Escazú cemetery and the names of U.S. military veterans who died in Costa Rica are read.
June: Día de los Padres - Father's Day (Same As U.S.A.)
Juno: Fiesta San Juan de Tibas (San Juan Day In Tibas): Street fair with music, dancing, traditional food, bullfights
June 29th: Día de San Pedro y San Pablo (Saint Peter and Saint Paul's Day): religious processions and masses.
July: Fiesta de La Virgen del Mar: The Fiesta of the Virgin of the Sea in Puntarenas and at Playas del Coco (Coco beach)-fishing boats "parade" carrying a statue of La Virgen del Monte Carmelo and a special mass. A week of parades, dances, regattas, parades and fire works.
July 25th: Día de Guanacaste (Guanacaste Day): celebrates the annexation of Guancaste from Nicaragua in 1824. Street fiestas, folk dancing, topes (horse show/parade), traditional bullfights, rodeos and cow shows.
August 2nd: Dia de Virgin de los Angeles (Virgin Of La Negrita Day): Day a Patron saint of Costa Rica—National holiday celebrating the patron saint of Costa Rica, La Negrita. The Pilgrims come from all over CR (mostly on foot) to celebrate the special mass in Cartago.
Aug.: Fiesta Ciudad Colon (San Carlos Day): Street fair with music, dances, food & bull fights with no bloodshed.
August 15th: Día de la Madre (Mother's Day): Mother's day is a major National Holiday where all the schools, banks, and most businesses are closed.
August: Fiesta Pattronale Aserri: Street fair with music, dancing, traditional food and toro a la Tica (bullfights without the bloodshed)
August: National Parks Day: The major National Parks here have special events this particular day.
September 15th: Independence Day: Costa Rica celebrates independence from Spain in 1821. The nationwide celebration starts with huge patriotic parades, traditional dancing and food, and street parties and the children enjoy faroles parades where they carry small lanterns through their local towns.
Oct.: Fiesta Pattronale San Francisco de Dos Ríos: Street fair with music, dancing, traditional food and bullfighting.
Oct: Founding Day: A week of local celebrations in San Isidro de El General with street fairs, parties, music and dancing, carnival, and sporting events.
Oct. 12th: Dia de la Raza (Columbus Day): Carnivals (particularly along the Caribbean coast), street fair with music, dancing, traditional food, bull fun.
Octubre 31st: Halloween: Celebrating in CR but it is gaining popularity as Ticos usually consider it "evil" or "night of the witches"...many children now trick-or-treat in the Central Valley area.
Nov. 2nd: Día de los Muerto (All Soul's Day): is observed across Costa Rica with Catholic masses and visits to the cemeteries.
November: Many Coffee Picking Contests In Local In The Coffee Communities
Noviembre (the last week): El Desfile de Carretas: One of the largest parades of ox-carts (the other is the Día de los Boyeros the 2nd week of March) this one is in San José the last week
December 8th: Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary (Fiesta de los Negritos): celebrated with religious processions, masses, and dancing with costumes.
Dec.: Festival de la Luz (Lights Festival): San José's week long festival of lights is marked by lighting displays and concerts and fireworks after dark in the park.
Diciembre: Fiesta Pattronale Pavas: Street fair with music, dancing, traditional food, bullfights, Tica toro.
24th and 25th (Christmas Eve & Day): Family-oriented celebrations, people eat a lot of traditional foods such as sardines, tamales, apples, and grapes. Misa de Gallo (Mass of the Rooster)—Christmas Eve midnight mass.
Many Ticos travel to hotels and beaches all week long. The whole week of Christmas might as well be a National Holiday all in itself! Younger children receive gifts from " Baby Jesus " under their trees. A lot of Fireworks! Many Catholics go to various homes and pray.
December: Tope Caballos (A Huge Horse Parade in San Jose): A huge horse parade through downtown capital San Jose in Cr central American nation.
Unexpectedly Fell In Love With A Tico In A Small Typical Midwestern Town...And Didn't Even Know Where Costa Rica Was Exactly. It Took Me Awhile To Stop Calling It Costa Rico. I Sure Do Know Where And What It Is Now Though! Now Just Taking It One Day At A Time.