Tag: Semana Santa

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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.)

Easter Week Pageantry, 2016, Granada, Nicaragua
Sunset over Granada, Nicaragua 2016.

He is Risen!

¡Pura Vida!

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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.

Easter Flowers in my Home.

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”
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Crimson Patch & Semana Santa

One is a butterfly and the other maybe the busiest week in Costa Rica.

Crimson Patch Butterfly, Guayabo Lodge, Turrialba, Cartago, Costa Rica – A “Bokeh” Photo!

Crimson Patch Butterfly

This butterfly is one I photographed at Guayabo Lodge last week and my first time for it! I had earlier mistaken a Bordered Patch for this species, but the big difference is the two-toned orange on the underside of wing. 🙂 See my new Crimson Patched Gallery and to compare the two, my older Bordered Patch Gallery. Even though the photo above is of a damaged butterfly, I like that photo better than the next one below because of the better soft background which I just learned yesterday from another blog is called a “Bokeh” photo – “. . . defined as ‘the effect of a soft out-of-focus background that you get when shooting a subject, using a fast lens, at the widest aperture, such as f/2.8 or wider.’ Simply put, bokeh is the pleasing or aesthetic quality of out-of-focus blur in a photograph.” ~nikonusa.com

Continue reading “Crimson Patch & Semana Santa”
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Physical Education Last Week

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!
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Danta Corcovado Book is Ready!

Click image or this caption for a 
FREE ONLINE REVIEW OF THE BOOK & ALL PHOTOS!
I probably say this about all of my trips here, but this was one of the best and some very good photos like this cover photo of the Red-eyed Tree Frog made with my cell phone! When you click and get to bookstore, just click the cover image to start free preview of all pages and click each page to go to next page in this amazing digital world!
Happy Easter Week!
¡Feliz Semana Santa!

Read what one gringo says about this holiday week here. 
It is SPRING BREAK in big way with schools out and many off from work. 
Beaches are very busy this week. 
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Other Wildlife at Tarcoles this Week

Brown Basilisk or Jesus Christ Lizard
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica

Brown Basilisk or Jesus Christ Lizard
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica

American Crocodile
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica

American Crocodile
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica
Green Iguana
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica

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!

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Too Much Seen to Report it All!

Today’s Volcano Mombucho has many more photos but I’m settling for the orchid growing near the top! Yesterday’s boating trip had about 20 different species of birds photographed and I’m settling on just the Limpkin, my first to see or photograph in the wild! Plus one of the monkeys we saw on an island. And at dinner tonight more Holy Week pageantry. Tomorrow after breakfast I leave on my birding tour, so in the rainforests the next 6 days. And MAY NOT HAVE INTERNET MUCH OF THE NEXT WEEK.

Orchid growing wild on Volcan Mombucho
Limpkin camouflaged in tree on Lake Nicaragua
Monkey eating apple on an island in Lake Nicaragua
Tonight’s Semana Santa pageantry in addition to a carnival at the church.
Again with the large volunteer brass band playing and parading with the above through streets.

It’s an awesome place!
Nicaragua!

Nuestras experiencias más encantadoras son las más breves; es mejor que no sean comunes . . .
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First Night in Granada is Memorable!

La Merced Church is across the street from my Hotel La Merced and I watched this during my open air dinner,
Semana Santa (Holy Week) has pageantry several days and I’m thankful to begin my tour of Nicaragua with this!

From Wikipedia: 

A common feature in Spain is the almost general usage of the nazareno or penitential robe for some of the participants in the processions. This garment consists in a tunic, a hood with conical tip (capirote) used to conceal the face of the wearer, and sometimes a cloak. The exact colors and forms of these robes depend on the particular procession. The robes were widely used in the medieval period for penitents, who could demonstrate their penance while still masking their identity. These nazarenos carry processional candles or rough-hewn wooden crosses, may walk the city streets barefoot, and, in some places may carry shackles and chains on their feet as penance. In some areas, sections of the participants wear dress freely inspired by the uniforms of the Roman Legion.[1]

I will share more about the trip and other activities tomorrow.