Costa Rica fiestas are a huge part of the culture throughout the country. These traditional fiestas take place all year long in different towns. The fiesta will run from Thursday until Sunday and feature plenty of food, dancing, and fun.
The spotlight of the fiesta is the nightly bull riding, which is similar to rodeos in North America. There are about 10 to 15 riders and bulls per night and they draw names to see what bull they will be assigned and also in what order they will have to ride.
The young men of the town fill the inside of the bull ring and wait with anticipation until the bull and rider burst through the gate. Once the rider is thrown off, the bull is free to run at the young men inside the ring. After a few minutes cowboys lasso the bull with great skill and guide him back into the pen. The next bull and rider get ready and so the fun continues.
Sunday is the last day of the fiesta and is the night the biggest and best bulls are brought out. This is also the day they have the horse parade where skillful riders show off the horses' fancy stepping. They often dress the horse in colorful headdresses, while the town’s people are decked out in full western garb.
Below are videos taken at the fiestas in Sardinal, Costa Rica in April, 2009. Sardinal is a small inland town just 10 minutes from Playas del Coco.
