Independence Day

Photographer Priscilla Mora captured the vivid colors of the Independence Day celebrations in Santo Domingo de Heredia.

On this Independence Day, The Tico TImes is proud to share the stories of five new Costa Ricans.

The famous Manneken Pis got a makeover for Costa Rica's Independence Day.

The new U.S. ambassador to Costa Rica, S. Fitzgerald Haney, made his first public appearance Thursday during an Independence Day celebration at the ambassador’s residence in Escazú.

Thousands of students from 18 San José schools marched along Avenida Segunda Monday morning to celebrate Costa Rica's 193 years of independence. Cantons across the country also had their own parades.

The image only shows up for Google users current in Costa Rica. The four other Central American countries celebrating Independence Day this Monday -- El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Honduras -- also received their own doodles.

U.S. President Barack Obama issued a statement Sunday to mark Costa Rica's 193rd anniversary of its independence, along with the rest of Central America. In his message, Obama highlighted Costa Rica's "strong partnership" with the United States, a relationship he said is based on the shared goals of "protecting human rights, freedom of expression, and our environment, especially our oceans."

Even with the rain as a guest, students from the Buenaventura Corrales School in San José celebrated the traditional Lantern Parade.