Guanacaste Annexation Celebrated July 25

Residents of the northwestern province of Guanacaste today began celebrating the 182nd anniversary of their province’s annexation by Costa Rica with a 10-day fair filled with Costa Rican-style bull fights, music, archery contests and horse shows.

July 25 is Annexation of Guanacaste Day, which celebrates Guanacaste’s decision to secede from Nicaragua and become part of Costa Rica in 1824. The decision was partly driven by civil wars in Nicaragua (TT, July 23, 2004).

Though July 25 is the official date of the annexation’s anniversary, the national holiday will be observed July 31 this year because a new rule places holidays that do not fall on a weekend or a Monday on the Monday of the following week.

In Liberia, the province’s capital, the Livestock Fair and Exposition marks the event. Organized by the Chamber of Livestock Owners, the fair will run today through July 31 and will include horse shows and bull fights this weekend, a rodeo on July 27, archery contests on July 29-30 and a concert by the Guanacaste National Band July 31.