Holy Week

Holy Week in Costa Rica is not what I expected. School is out for the whole week. Most stores are closed on Thursday and Friday (big party days). Saturday and Sunday everything's back to normal. In the States, Easter Sunday is the big day. Here, it doesn't count for much.

Peace Corps kept us in class through Wednesday, but on Thursday morning I was privileged to participate in one of Costa Rica's great holiday traditions:

1) go for a hike

2) arrive at the river and build a dam so you have a spot to swim

3) cook something delicious

The third picture holds a startling revelation: my host family is not catholic (much less vegetarian). Most Costa Ricans don't eat meat during Holy Week. Instead, they eat lots of sardines and salted cod (which makes a delicious soup).

Here, the divide between Catholics and "Evangelicals" (read: anyone who isn't Catholic) is much stronger than what I'm used to. The Catholic church has a lot going on for Holy Week, including some marches through the streets with music and floats and the stations of the cross. Most evangelicals here don't want to have anything to do with the Catholic church, though. But Catholics and Evangelicals alike can both enjoy the plethora of Christian films on TV this week!