Celebrations in Potrero

For the most part, Potrero is a pretty quiet community and day to day volunteering doesn’t change much. Usually I get up pretty early (between 6 and 7:30) and head to the office to check email (the main form of communication between everyone at AM) and work on the curriculum or plan lessons for my adult classes. There are classes in the afternoons and sometimes volunteers get together at night or go to the beach to see the sunset. Most of the members of the communities go to work or are at home during the day. A big soccer game sometimes happens on the plaza during the weekend and that’s generally the biggest party around. People enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and spend time with each other.

However, a few days out of my time in Potrero have been really exciting because of celebrations or activities that have been going on here. I’m a little behind on writing since some happened a while ago, but I’ll write briefly about each of them and add some pictures of each event.

Día de la Patrona de Potrero

In July, Potrero celebrated their patron saint. During a four-day period, there was a parade and special masses and decorations in the church. For the most part, there not too much seemed different during the day, but I ended up being part of the parade one of the days. The community members had told us there would be a parade starting at the school so I headed over there to see if I could find the festivities. The parade was one truck that had been decorated by one of the moms and the statue of the saint was carried onto the float. All of the kids and some of the parents got on the truck too and they invited me along. Curious to see what it was all about, I jumped in the truck too. The truck carried us around the square and then out onto a few roads to reach the families that don’t live right in town. A few hundred feet from the square on the way back, we met the priest and people brought the statue off of the truck. They then walked the rest of the way back to the church with the priest reciting prayers along the way. The kids had a great time throwing candy to people watching along the road and to any children in the houses that we passed. I’m really glad that I caught the parade and got to go with the kids because the one float would have been easy to miss since it left town for most of the route. Once the statue was taken into the church, mass started (I think), but I left the parade at that point to go watch our Abriendo Mentes children be filmed by the CNN crew that was in town that day.

I did go to the Catholic church the next day to see what the mass was like. I went with another volunteer and we weren't quite sure what was going on for parts of it. The group sang very joyous songs (something like Let God come in, and then God is Here) and then began praying in partners. Becca and I were each picked up with two Costa Rican women and joined in their circles. We definitely weren't quite sure what was going on the whole time, but it was a nice way to see a different part of life in Potrero and to learn about one of the very important celebrations for the people here.

Carerras de Cinta

On Sunday, horses and riders started showing up early in the morning and staked out places around the plaza. By mid-morning, there were horses all around the square and flags had been set up on one of the sides of the plaza where the races would take place. Once the races got underway, people came out to see the horses run down the dusty road with the riders trying to put a stick through a small ring strung across the road. Two horses and riders started sprinting down the road and then the riders had to ride one handed using their other hand to try to point their stick perfectly to capture the ring. If they did get a ring (which was pretty unlikely), they then had to keep the stick upright so that the ring didn’t fall to the ground. It was pretty crazy to watch and really incredible to see the riders that did manage to get a ring down. These races are held all over Guanacaste in different cities with different levels of competition. Many people from town came out to see the races and food was sold all around the plaza too. It was a really fun afternoon!

Guanacaste Day

On July 25, the province of Guanacaste celebrations it’s annexation from Nicaragua in 1824. Much of the celebration occurred in Liberia (formerly named Guanacaste), the capital of the province. We almost went to Liberia to see the horse parades, typical dances, and bull riding, but instead we stayed in Potrero and watched the children in the town’s parade. School wasn’t in session, but all of the children had to attend the parade in their uniforms or traditional dress. The school band led everyone around the plaza a few times for Portrero’s celebration of the holiday. It was fun to see which of the AM kids played in the band and some of kids dressed up in their traditional colorful skirts.

These celebrations are nice additions to the more regular days we have in Potrero. They’ve allowed me to learn more about the important celebrations for the families that we serve in the community and how they celebrate. All of the events centered around coming out to the plaza and spending time with family and friends on special days of the year.