¡Fiestas!

Liberia, Guanacaste, 2017

A bull is trapped. He’s stuck in a makeshift wooden box with a flimsy gate in front. He tries to break the side wall down, but he has no room to move. His strength is limited. The wall moves a little but holds firmly. He tries again, this time with a little more force and urgency. It budges, but not enough to free him. Every time he fails, blood rushes to his head, his eyes red with anger. There’s commotion all around him but he can’t see what’s causing it. Try after try, he can’t seem to escape. One more attempt to knock the wall down and.. nothing. Instantly, his anger boils over and he becomes motionless. His heart is pumping harder than ever. It’s overwhelming, and he goes blind.

Two men are looking from above and laughing at him. Mocking him. They can see his frustration, but they don’t care.

A huge crowd starts to gather and patiently waits at a distance. Adrenaline seekers pack into the middle, the more cautious stand around the perimeter. Most of them are young, but not all. It becomes painfully obvious who is athletic and who is fat and slow. A few are drinking beers. Some are already drunk. They’re all waiting for the main event.

An experienced rider suits up and gets on the bull. Immediately, the bull feels all of that anger explode but there’s still nowhere to go. He’s getting hard to contain. Then without warning, the gate flies open.

He thrashes around the arena in a rage, trying to kick the man off his back. Everyone in the crowd scatters while trying to avoid him.

The rider holds on for dear life but is eventually thrown to the ground, trampled by the massive weight of the crazed bull, and in some cases, thrown into the air with the bull’s horns. Everyone looks on with anticipation, alert to the bull’s every move, and ready to dart out of the way.

Interestingly, a man dressed as a clown is in the middle of the intense action. His job is to distract the bull, or more importantly, save the rider’s life. In most cases he’s successful. If the rider is injured, others will attend to him, pick him up, and carry him to a white wall with a small box labeled “cruz roja,” or “red cross” in Spanish, where medical professionals are waiting.

Now that the rider is off his back, the bull can set his sights on the crowd. He charges, horns pointed straight ahead.

These are the fiestas of Guanacaste, taking place during the working hours of the day under the hot Costa Rican sun, or at night when everyone is out and about, ready to party and celebrate their culture. The partying lasts for about two weeks, with drinks, games, dancing, singing, horse parades, and of course, the rodeo. All are welcome to join the festivities.

That includes jumping into the ring to test your luck against the angry animal. While I personally didn’t jump in, I did take a lot of photos from the stands. Believe me, there are many men braver than I am.

While the bull is racing around the arena looking for his next victim, ready to run over anything in sight, the locals are playing a different game. One thing that every participant wants to do is pull the cloth off of the bull’s horn. The lucky person who can take it wins a little bit of cash and big name recognition. However, I’m sure you can imagine that’s easier said than done.

As this is all going on, an announcer will be giving the play-by-play and encouraging the crowd to get into it. All of it will be in Spanish of course, so brush up on your skills before you go. You’ll even learn the names of the bulls if you can follow along. To my surprise, one of the bulls when I went was named “Gringo.” Obviously, he was my favorite.

Once the bull is exhausted from chasing people, he basically goes for a stroll around the arena. This is when he takes the most abuse. Don’t worry, Costa Rica is a very animal-friendly country, and they don’t kill the bull (in fact, the bull probably kills them!!) It’s worth noting, sadly, that the locals will torment the bull and throw harmless things at him, but definitely won’t cause any kind of injuries. Some people don’t like this part, but at least it isn’t like what they do in Spain! Blame it on stubborn tradition.

Finally, to end the round, experienced sabaneros (Costa Rican cowboys) come to the rescue. They get their lassos ready, circle the bull, and working together, rein him in. It takes a few tries but eventually they escort the bull to safety.

The province of Guanacaste is an amazing place not only for its lush nature, but for its culture too. If you’re in Northern Costa Rica during the dry season, I hope this article inspired you to participate in the fiestas. Costa Rica isn’t always known for its culture, but if you go to the fiestas, you won’t be disappointed.