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TEFL Training In Costa Rica | Updated: 02/02/2023

August: Barva Festival

Written by International TEFL Academy Costa Rica

Our TESOL school is located in Barva, a small town outside of the main city of Heredia, Costa Rica.  Every August, residents of Barva and visitors alike, gear up for two weeks of festivities revolving around the patron saint, Bartholomew.  August 24th is the day of Saint Bartholomew, and the town celebrates the weekend before and the weekend after. 

The festival is known as much for its mask festival as it is for the religious celebrations.  The park is filled with typical carnival food and games and keepsake vendors, and the people of Barva organize traditional parades with small bands. 

For over 70 years, the mask festival has taken place in the afternoons and includes the town's teenagers and young adults. They wear masks, carry water-filled pig or cow bladders and follow a small, traditional band around the streets of downtown Barva.  If you are watching the festivities and would rather not be hit by a foul bladder, it is recommend to stand behind the fence on the church's property. 

Barva has a country-wide reputation for art, especially sculptures and the masks. The hand-crafted masks can be anywhere from historical figures to current pop cultural icons. The streets of Barva are decorated year-round with dozens of these masks, so take your time to locate them all.

Throughout the celebration, different members of the community prepare other presentations, including dances,  with masks of various sizes and types.  Be sure to check with the locals for a schedule for all events during the festivities. 

And don't wait any longer to save your seat in our TEFL course 



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