Like every year, September 15 marks the celebration of Costa Rica's independence. The main attraction of this day is the parade featuring choirs from various academic institutions, composed of dancers, drummers, and a wide variety of musicians, all dressed in costumes of patriotic colors. Since it is the rainy season in Guanacaste, the event starts early in the morning. Thousands of Costa Ricans gather in Liberia to celebrate Independence Day. At 8:00 a.m., accompanied by my family, we decided to go to Liberia to attend this celebration. In less than 30 minutes from Playa Hermosa, we arrived in Liberia. We stood alongside the street, listening to the beat of drums, harps, trumpets, and saxophones, which sounded as loud as possible to attract the attention of tens of thousands of spectators seated on either side of the main street in Liberia. It was amazing to see all these young people giving their all in the heat of 32°C. Each group had a person in charge with a cooler full of cold drinks to hydrate the participants who were sweating profusely. However, we could observe their motivation to look good to the public and on behalf of the nation!
Although this event is rich in sounds and colors and very folkloric, there were no tourists, only Costa Ricans proud of their heritage of a free and happy country. As special guests, there was a group from Nicaragua that joined and contributed their part to the parade for more than four hours, offering us a good time. It was the first patriotic event for our 9-month-old daughter, Samantha!
When the event was over, we had a good lunch in Liberia. Before the tropical storm began, we were already back in Playa Hermosa, getting ready to go to a children's anniversary party located very close to our house.
At the end of the day, Samantha was very happy, and so were we as parents, for spending a holiday together, as is always the case on a special day in Costa Rica.
Updated Feb 14, 2024