¡Pura Vida!
The Promise!
My Most Memorable Semana Santa
Semana Santa is Spanish for “Holy Week” or “Easter Week” if you prefer and my most memorable and colorful one since moving to Costa Rica was 8 years ago (2016, my 2nd year here) while on a birding tour of Nicaragua and during Semana Santa I was for 3 days in the historical colonial town of Grenada where from my old hotel across from the oldest church I could watch the nightly processionals that along with architecture and the later 87 species of birds photographed made it my most colorful and memorable Easter Week here! (Linked to my photo gallery of that week.)
He is Risen!
¡Pura Vida!
Rejoice!
He has risen!
He has risen indeed!
¡Pura Vida!
For a few shots of old Traditional Easter Pageantry, see the trip gallery of my 2016 Visit to Granada, Nicaragua Easter Week, called “Semana Santa” en español.
PERSONAL NOTE: Tonight I will be at one of my favorite nature lodges, Maquenque Ecolodge in Boca Tapada on the Nicaragua border from which you can expect weeks of nature photos and maybe one tonight! 🙂
A Blessed Easter from Costa Rica
A quiet morning walk, a special breakfast, the songs of birds in my trees, and a bouquet of lilies in my house replace my old traditions of Easter Eggs for the children and a “dressed up” Easter Worship in a Baptist Church for most of my life. That old tradition is not me now.
This majority Catholic country has both traditions and superstitions that I explored those first few years here. This week’s Tico Times online article Processions and Superstition Mark Easter Week in Costa Rica describe only some of those and my blog posts & galleries linked below describe even more.
Continue reading “A Blessed Easter from Costa Rica”Happy Easter!
Its a beautiful sunny day in Atenas, Costa Rica for Easter Morning with the Yigüirro singing his heart out for the rains to come (any day now) though I cannot photograph him or any birds for several weeks now because of the high winds. The birds are hiding in the thick trees for protection from the wind. Thus I resort to Easter Flower Photos! 🙂
And our online English language newspaper Tico Times also wishes you a Happy Easter with a photo of the oldest church in Costa Rica. It is a beautiful historical place that I have visited once (my gallery link) in the Orosi Valley. The Ruins of Ujarras (Wikipedia link) is the site of Costa Rica’s oldest church, the Spanish colonial church built between 1575 and 1580 . . .
Happy Easter!
He Arose!
¡Pura Vida!
¡Felices Pascuas! – Happy Easter!
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| ¡Felices Pascuas! – Happy Easter! Scarlet Macaw flying above Tambor Bay, Costa Rica this past Christmas. |
Note to those not on the mission team coming here this week: I am sharing one of my Costa Rica photos with an inspirational Scripture verse each day in an email during the last week before they get here this Thursday. 9 old friends from Nashville First Baptist Church. This is the photo/verse I share with them today. Happy Easter to you also! He is risen!
Charlie Doggett
Retired in Costa Rica
¡Pura Vida!
And for more photos of life here, see my gallery Charlie Doggett’s COSTA RICA.
Physical Education Last Week
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| A class lines up for Physical Education activities last week. This week there is no school, many businesses closed, and many on vacation trips. Atenas, Costa Rica |
All of the usual activities I pass by daily during most weeks aren’t happening this week, Holy Week, in a quiet little town with many on vacation. Tomorrow is Easter AND Election Day!
Article on tomorrow’s Presidential Election (Things are changing in Costa Rica.)
My photos of past Easter Processions (but none tomorrow because of election):
¡PURA VIDA!
Atenas Homes Prepare for Easter During Lent
Just three examples of the many homes celebrating Lent in Atenas.
These I walk by almost every day – reminders of the atonement.
From the internet at:
“In the Catholic and Episcopal churches, purple is the symbol of royalty,” said the Rev. Garry White, pastor of Orangeburg Lutheran Church. “It’s also a symbol of bruising and suffering. That is the color that is used during the season of Lent. In the week immediately prior to Easter on Good Friday, a lot of churches will take the purple cloth down and put up a black cloth as a more stark reminder of Jesus’ death.”
The placement of a white cloth on the cross on Easter Sunday represents the purity and wholeness demonstrated through Christ’s resurrection, White said.
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live
John 11:25
Atenas Easter Processional
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| The Altar Boys & Girls Lead from the Church Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| The Band is already in the street. They join parade behind Jesus statue. Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Men in Biblical Costumes Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Real flower petals prepare the way. Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| New Priest flanked by Little Angels Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| The Risen Christ Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Some of the congregation join in the procession that circles Central Atenas, about 8 blocks back to church Atenas, Costa Rica |
Photo Gallery of these same above photos, Easter Processional 2017
This year it was held at end of the 4:00 PM Mass, meaning around 5:30 as it is starting to get dark and threatened rain this time. The last time I watched it was two years ago after the 9 AM Mass. And last year I was in Nicaragua and observed two Easter Week processionals that were really different. Here are links to those posts:
Easter Week 2016 in Nicaragua: First Night (1 photo) and Second Night (1 photo)
Other Wildlife at Tarcoles this Week
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| Brown Basilisk or Jesus Christ Lizard Tarcoles River, Costa Rica |
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| Brown Basilisk or Jesus Christ Lizard Tarcoles River, Costa Rica |
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| American Crocodile Tarcoles River, Costa Rica |
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| American Crocodile Tarcoles River, Costa Rica |
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| Green Iguana Tarcoles River, Costa Rica |
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| Spiny-tailed Iguana or Black Ctenaura Iguana Tarcoles River, Costa Rica |
As always on this blog you can click a photo to see a larger version on black background.
Yeah, it is possible to sometimes see a monkey, sloth, coati, agouti, bat or other mammal, though no longer frequent on Tarcoles. People population growth reduces the animal population everywhere!
You can see all of the photos from this day trip at 2017-13-April Tarcoles Float Trip gallery
Or see my photo collection of OTHER WILDLIFE in Costa Rica or BIRDS separately
EASTER BUNNY?
And for Easter I have yet to see a rabbit here, though one website says there are 3 species of forest rabbits. The more common agouti twitches his nose like a rabbit, but he’s actually a rodent! 🙂
EASTER IS EITHER RELIGIOUS OR BEACH HOLIDAY FOR TICOS
Easter is purely a religious holiday here officially almost equal with Christmas in importance but purely for the focus on Jesus, not spoiling children with candy. (They spoil them other ways!) I’ll try to get some photos to share from the Easter Mass Processional tomorrow which is big deal everywhere. It used to be a “Dry Week” with no alcoholic beverages sold nation-wide, by law! Now it is up to local communities and is not enforced in the dry cantons.
Click this One tourist guide to being here for Easter (Semana Santa or Holy Week) with a list of other major holidays included. It is important to know before visiting here because many Ticos travel for many holidays, especially this week, and especially to the beaches, meaning the highways are literally bumper to bumper. It took us twice as long as usual to get to Tarcoles Thursday because of this. I would never go to a beach during Semana Santa (Holy Week). Think Spring Break!