Carnavales de Limón

Last weekend I was finally able to make it to Puerto Limon and the Carribbean coast of Costa Rica. It is amazing how different this side of the country is from the other parts I have visited.

Puerto Limon is a port city and the capital of Limon Province in Costa Rica - which covers most of the Carribbean side of the country. This port city takes in a lot of the goods that are shipped to the coast of Costa Rica and then trucked in to San Jose. It is also home to Costa Rica's Afro-Carribbean community. A majority of the population here traces their roots to Jamaican laborers that were brought in in the late 1800's to work on the railroad that connected Puerto Limon to San Jose. Until 1948, the Costa Rican government did not recognize Afro-Carribbean people as citizens and therefore restricted their movement outside of Limon Province. They could not even travel to San Jose. Due to this, the community became firmly entrenched in this area of the country. While they do speak Spanish, most families also speak a creole version of English in the home. 

My friends Anna, Justin, and I went down last weekend to take part in the final parade for this year's Carnavale celebration. Think Mardi Gras, Costa Rican style. We set up shop at a small soda (restaurant) on the parade route and were able to watch much of the festivities from there. 

Our view of the parade route:

It was incredibly hot there, and, of course, the parade was late getting started. This is how we felt:

You gotta keep your head cool in the Costa Rican sun!

There were tons of people in the streets, all waiting for the big show to begin:

I am always amused when there are clear similarities to how things are done in our culture and other cultures. This parade has some definite parallels. There were lots of vendors in the streets selling balloons and little toys for the kids. There was also face painting and street food - all things we have at our parades!

Buzz and Woody made an appearance. Although, based on the double chins they were rocking, it looks like they have been spending their post Toy Story years hitting the bars here in Costa Rica...

Finally the parade began! There were bands, and dancers, and lots of high, feathered, head dressses!

 

I found this balcony full o'gringos to be amusing. I think they were scared to be down in the streets in all of the chaos.

 The parade was chaotic, loud, colorful, and all around a really good party! The culture on this side of the country is very laid back and a lot of fun. I'm glad I was able to experience it and hope to get the chance to experience it more of it soon.

-Amber