It’s a
Carnaval, Not Carnival
No, you are
not reading it wrong. In Limón, Costa Rica it is spelled “Carnaval”, not
Carnival like the famous Brazil Carnival. I had the opportunity to visit Limón,
Costa Rica for their annual Carnaval celebration a couple years back. It was a
colorful event that lasted two weeks long. It is a huge celebration that
combines Costa Rican culture with Caribbean culture.
Christopher
Columbus landed in Puerto Limón in 1502 during his exploration of the
new year. Every year the people of Limón celebrate the arrival of Columbus to
their port during their “Día de las Culturas” carnaval. I was also told by the
local Ticos (Costa Rican people) that Día de las Culturas is also referred to
as “Día de las Raíces”. Día de las Culturas translates to Day of the Cultures,
while Día de las raíces translates to day of the races. What both of the
phrases implies is that the day Columbus and his men step foot onto Costa Rica
via the Puerto Limón (Port of Limón), the Tico race was born, with the
combination of cultures.
Limón is a town mainly inhibited by a
population whose ancestors were once brought there from Jamaica to pick plantains. You can truly see how
the Jamaican culture influenced the little town of Limón. As soon as I stepped
off the bus, I could hear reggae music playing, males sporting dreads and the
Jamaican flag posted everywhere! My favorite part of the Caribbean culture so
apparent in Limón was their dialect. It was pretty neat to hear a mix of
languages and dialects all in one conversation from Spanish to a Jamaican
creole. I had spent a couple of months in Costa Rica by that point and heard
the most English spoken in Limón than in any other Costa Rican town or city.
I started
off my Limón Carnaval adventure by attending the Carnaval Infantil (Children’s
Parade). It was an exciting adventure, to say the least. There were grown,
macho men wearing large mumu looking dresses with HUGE handcrafted masks on.
The men in masks and male youth would play a game called Rass’em. The guy in
the mask would chase the guys and it looked as though the one he caught had to
put on the mask and dress and do the same. It was very funny to watch and quite
entertaining.
That night
I was able to really experience the fiesta life of Limón Carnaval. It was like
an entire block party that lasted for blocks and blocks long! You just roamed
the many streets, seeing everything there was to offer. Everything was located
outside, just like a fair. There were booths of food, bars, and dance floors.
Some of the music was the typical Spanish pop heard all over Costa Rica, and
other places had Reggae. I loved when I came across Spanish Reggae, that was
really cool. I couldn’t really understand any of the Jamaican creole but I
enjoyed listening to it and giving the opportunity to even experience it all.
If anyone ever wants to see a combination of Latino and Caribbean culture,
Carnaval Limón is the perfect place to experience it.
One of the
evenings I was there, my friends and I were dedicated to trying out some real,
authentic Caribbean food. I decided to order the Rice and Beans. Now, if you
know Costa Rican culture, the majority of Ticos would call rice and beans
“gallo pinto”. This was not gallo pinto. It was pretty good too, and went quite
well with the pollo de coco, which was coconut chicken. I paired it off with a
Lemonese Ginger drink which I really did not like as the ginger was incredibly
strong.
During the
daytime, I recommend heading over to Playa Bonita , which is about 15 minutes
away. That beach is incredibly beautiful and the ocean water is much different
than that I experienced in Tamarindo. The water is very tranquil and even warm.
If you are traveling to Limón from San Jose, the trip is a 3 hour trip. It is a
beautiful ride where you will be able to see lush green foliage and tall
waterfalls. Also, an expensive place to stay is the Hotel Palace, with the
balconies having the most beautiful view. Be sure to make your reservations a
week ahead, though.
One day I
hope to return to Limón Carnaval, taste some coconut chicken, take pictures of
the parades and roam the Carnaval in the nighttime while listening to Spanish
Reggae and sipping on a Cuba Libre (rum and Coke).
Contact us,
lay back and we will make your Costa Rica trip an
unforgettable one.
