I’m typing these words under a mosquito net in a cabin by the Caribbean, but we started our day in Cartago, the historical capital. We were there to visit Our Lady of the Angels, also known as La Negrita, the patron saint of Costa Rica, on this day, her feast day, a major national holiday. We knew it was going to be big, but we didn’t realize just how big it would be until we switched on the local news last night and saw a live broadcast of the Basilica’s plaza already full of pilgrims who kept streaming in all day. Hundreds of them walked alongside the highway we took from San Jose to Cartago, where we first stopped to check out the artisanal market in the central square. This is where I got to try my best pantomime skills, trying to explain that I needed change to drop into the folklore dancers’ donation basket, literally making chop-chop gestures to express the concept of smaller bills, por favor. It took a while, and we all had a laugh at our inability to speak each other’s languages.
There was no way we were going to get any closer to the Basilica, but that didn’t matter; just being there and seeing how this whole mega-event comes together was such a thrill. And it felt like the most Costa Rican experience we’ve had yet.
If you’re wondering what all this fuss is about, here’s some background on Nuestra Senorita: “The Virgin of Los Angeles, also known as La Negrita or the black virgin, is a black statuette of the Virgin Mary. According to religious lore, an indigenous woman found the idol in 1635 at the spot where the BasÃlica of Cartago now stands. The woman tried twice to take the virgin home with her, but both times it vanished and reappeared in the original spot.”
It’s hard to say for certain, but I don’t think there was a single foreigner there besides Christine and me, so we drew a few curious looks. One kid kept staring at me with joy in his eyes, and I made up a whole story in my head about he thought I was a journalist in my little traveler’s vest stuffed with camera stuff, based off of his mother’s “CNN International” hat, like they’re a media family or something. Or he was just a dork like me who thought a vest with lots and lots of pockets is cool af.