Costa Rica Celebrates the Annexation of Nicoya, July 25, 2011

[Samara Language School]

On July 25, the Costa Rican province of Guanacaste celebrated the 187^th anniversary of the annexation of Nicoya. The people of Nicoya, in a public event called "cabildo abierto", the equivalent to modern referendums, decided to annex the Partido de Nicoya to the Republic of Costa Rica. On July 25, 1824, Nicoya was formally joined to Costa Rica. Since then, the coat of arms of Nicoya states the words: "De la patria por nuestra voluntad" which could be translated as "part of the nation because of our own will".

 

The city of Nicoya and other Guanacasteco pueblos celebrate the annexation with bailes tipicos (Traditional dances), rodeos, traditional foods such as chichemi (a drink made from maiz), rosquillas (an unsweetened cookie made from maiz), tamales and perereque (a type of bread made from sweet corn). 

 

Samara Language School celebrated with dancing, eating and drinking and bombas, traditional bombas--shorts phrases/poems that rhyme and are generally hilarious commentaries on the culture.  Visit our Samara Language School Facebook page for pictures of all the professors, dances, local families and students! 

 

Additional information (in Spanish) can be found at the website of La Nacion, a newspaper in Costa Rica.