Costa Rica is commemorating its 203rd Independence Day with nationwide parades this weekend.

The festivities begin on Friday with the arrival of the Torch of Independence, a symbol of freedom that usually travels through Central America from Guatemala to Panama.

On Friday morning, Katharina Müller-Castro, Minister of Public Education, received the torch at the General Directorate of Migration border station in Peñas Blancas Canton, Guanacaste Province.

Students from local schools are sprinting throughout the country with an escort provided by the Ministry of Security, pausing regularly to allow students to take turns leading the torch path.

They will carry the torch for approximately 230 miles, from the northern border with Nicaragua to the southern border with Panama.

On Friday, the national emblem will travel from Guanacaste to Puntarenas.

On Saturday, students will carry the torch around the provinces of Alajuela, Heredia, and San José.

When the flame arrives in the capital city, officials plan to hold Independence Day Eve celebration at San José Central Park at 6 p.m.

The torch will thereafter continue its journey to Cartago City, in Cartago Province. The government plans to hold the Independence Day Eve ceremony at Cartago Central Park, following the tradition of the country's first capital, Cartago City, from 1821 to 1823.

President Rodrigo Chaves-Robles will lead a ceremony to address the nation on Independence Day Eve.  The event will be televised live on the state-owned Channel 13.

During the torch journey, civic and cultural events are scheduled in cantons where many people gather to salute the flame of freedom.


Costa Rica, like the rest of Central American nations, commemorates its independence from Spain on September 15, 1821.

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