Costa Rican holidays are a big deal. Workers enjoy an extra day off from work. Families gather together to celebrate and enjoy time together. Costa Ricans highly value their families and, as a whole, enjoy getting everyone together to celebrate.

Some Costa Rican holidays, like Christmas and Easter, are familiar to those who live in the US, and many parts of the world. But Costa Rica also has her own holidays.

Today, April 11, is el Día de Juan Santamaría. Juan Santamaría is one of the few war heroes of Costa Rica. Let’s take a look at Costa Rican Holidays and what Juan Santamaría did.

Costa Rican Holidays

Most Costa Ricans work a 6-day work week. In fact, 48 hours is considered full-time here. So, Costa Ricans wholeheartedly welcome an extra day off here and there.

In the US, paid holidays are voluntarily offered by companies as part of their benefits packages. The number varies but lies between 7-8 on average.

There are 12 “días feriados” or paid holidays that the law requires employers to give their workers. That’s basically one for every month! It doesn’t quite work out that way, though, because some months have more than one paid holiday.

Regardless, Costa Ricans enjoy the chance to take a break and have some fun.

El Día de Juan Santamaría

A US citizen, William Walker, is the villain in this story. He came through Central America, seeking to conquer it as his own slave-trading empire. He succeeded in overthrowing the Nicaraguan government and was on his way into Costa Rica.

The President of Costa Rica, Juan Rafael Mora Porras asked the population to take up arms against this threat. The Costa Ricans marched north through the Guanacaste province and succeeded in driving out Walker’s men from Santa Rosa.

They pressed on and the famous Second Battle of Rivas ensued in Rivas, Nicaragua in 1856. Walker’s men were entrenched in a hostel and were putting up a good fight. A few soldiers tried and failed to set fire to the hostel.

Juan Santamaría, nicknamed “the porcupine” after his spiky hair, had joined the army as a drummer boy. He came from a poor background as the child of a single mother.

During the battle, he volunteered to try to set fire to the hostel, on the condition that his mother would be taken care of if he died. He succeeded in setting fire to the hostel, which turned the battle decisively in favor of Costa Rica. But he, unfortunately, didn’t survive.

His memory does, however. Though there is debate about whether the story is true, Costa Ricans celebrate the anniversary of his death every year on April 11th.

In Alajuela, where he was born, there are a museum and park honoring him. The park bears his name and has a statue. There is another statue of him in front of the Congress in San José, the nation’s capital. The country’s large, international airport in San José is also named after him and displays a statue in his honor.

Costa Ricans take the day off and celebrate with parades and fireworks. Marching bands play and children march with the Costa Rican flag held high.

The Takeaway

Why do Costa Ricans celebrate so much even though there is doubt about the truth of the actual story? It has more to do with the idea behind it.

Juan Santamaría was a poor boy that was willing to sacrifice himself to save his country from slavery. But, he wanted to ensure that his mother would be okay before he did.

The courage, loyalty, and devotion to one’s country are what makes the story so endearing to Costa Ricans. They are proud of their heritage and they are proud of their country. Juan Santamaría is the embodiment of that sentiment for many Costa Ricans.