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Published Tuesday, December 1, 2020
Children's Museum Christmas
festival virtually today
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Christmas festival of the Children's Museum, which is one of the traditions during the holidays in Costa Rica, will take place Tuesday virtually due to the pandemic.
Starting at 6 p.m., the show will include the lighting of the museum building, a Christmas musical show, choirs presentations and fireworks that will be streamed on the Museum's Facebook page.
According to the organizers, more than four-thousand colored lights will illuminate the building, plus special video effects will be used during the show that this year commemorates its 20th anniversary.
Another tradition that marks the beginning of the Christmas festivities in Costa Rica is the lighting of the big tree at the Children's Hospital.
Due to the pandemic, this show will also be done virtually on the Hospital's Facebook page on Thursday, Dec. 3 at 5:30 p.m.
For 56 years, the tradition of lighting the giant hospital is one of the main traditions for kids. The presentation will include choirs and a Christmas musical show.
Also, the municipality of San José announced the installation of Christmas lights and decorations in the streets and parks of the center of the capital.
The illumination will also streamed on the municipality's Facebook page of the municipality today, starting at 5:30 p.m., including a musical show and fireworks.
This year, authorities from the Ministry of Health banned traditional public massive celebrations for the rest of the year in Costa Rica, as a preventive measure to contain the rapid spread of covid-19 in the country.
Following the guidelines of the ministry titled, all mass public activities are suspended for the rest of the year.
Among the most popular and traditional mass activities banned in Costa Rica are: the New Year's Eve fest, the La Luz fest, the cycling competition Vuelta Ciclística a Costa Rica, the popular Zapote fair, the horse parade aka Tope Nacional, the New Year's Carnival, the Children's Museum building Christmas lighting should go virtually, the Children's Hospital Christmas tree lighting must go virtually, the public concerts on the central avenue so-called Avenidazo, the Christmas festival of the National Amusement Park, and the respective year-end festivals organized by cantonal municipalities throughout the country, among many others.
According to the ministry, the ban on all these activities is mandatory throughout the country.
"The suspension is based on the determination of that activity that favors the emergence of a very high number of simultaneous transmission chains or that can occur in a short period, generated from the same event of concentration of people and also promotes the spread of the virus inside and outside the country," the ministry said in its statement.
According to the guideline of the ministry, the activities that are banned this year are:
• All activities that attract large crowds such as concerts, public shows, fairgrounds, bullfighting activities, sports events, popular celebrations, fairs in communities, entertainment activities in shopping centers, the International Film Festival, conventions, commercial exhibitions, and the National Arts Festival.
• Also banned are activities such as anything at the Conference Centers, Theaters (except for virtual broadcasts or with groups of no more than 50% of the maximum capacity), children's playgrounds, skate parks, jumping parks, the Viva Park (except for motor racing without spectators and drive-in cinema), bars, nightclubs, spas, the August religious peregrinate, among many others.
Following the order of the ministry, all the activities mentioned above cannot be rescheduled before January 2021.
It is understood, therefore, that if the health emergency for covid-19 is maintained, rescheduling activities with crowds may not be authorized, the ministry said.
According to the ministry, the reference used for informed decision making and risk details for mass meetings guideline during the global covid-19 outbreak was provided by the Government of Canada guideline, "Risk mitigation tool for gatherings and events operating during the covid-19."
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What traditional activity of all the popular Christmas and New Year's Eve events in Costa Rica will you miss most this year? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com
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