Holy Week is a national holiday in Costa Rica, there are scores of religious processions and other interesting activities associated with the death of Jesus Christ.

Throughout much of the Spanish-speaking world, there is no more colorful or momentous time of year than Holy Week (Semana Santa). It is celebrated nearly everywhere in Latin America and Spain with religious observances and various types of processions.

Semana Santa is the last week of Lent (cuaresma) and the week before Easter (La Pascua). It includes the religious holidays of Palm Sunday (domingo de palmas), Maundy Thursday (jueves santo) and Good Friday (viernes santo), and lasts from Palm Sunday  until Easter Sunday . It commemorates the last week of the earthly life of Jesus Christ (Jesús Cristo) culminating in his crucifixion on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Costa Ricans take this holiday very seriously. There are scores of religious processions and other interesting activities associated with the death of Jesus Christ during Semana Santa. It is also  time for feasting. Meat is forbidden so Costa Ricans eat all types of seafood, especially canned sardines and tuna. There are plies of canned fish on display in supermarkets at this time of year.  Local dishes like miel de chiverri (a type of squash and brown sugar) are also widely consumed.

During holy week San José and other cities seem like ghost towns. Many people go to beaches or other parts of the country to visit friends and family. We jokingly say that the “whole city” goes to the beach at this time of year. One of the best things about Semana Santa is that driving is easy in San José since there are very few cars on the road, especially on Thursday and Friday.

On my monthly relocation/retirement tours I talk about Costa Rican culture and traditions. I always mention Semana Santa and all of the activities that it includes.