The Masquerade of Saint Bartholomew

August 24, 2025, 1:00 p.m. My wife and I are traveling by bus to the city of Heredia, passing through the canton of Barva. At that moment, we notice that several people are wearing masks along with some very peculiar “balloons.”
A woman sitting in the seat in front of us told us that it was Saint Bartholomew’s Day, a date when people wear masks and hit each other with cow bladders (the “balloons”) filled with air or water.
The idea was to visit San Isidro de Heredia, but out of curiosity, we decided to stay in the city of Barva.
It was a very nice experience, and I would like to share with you the details of what we saw.

At least hundred of people showed their traditional masks in Saint Bartholomew masquerade. More people joined later.

Saint Bartholomew, patron de Barva

A representation of Saint Bartholomew holding his own skin in the Parrish of the same name in Barva city.

A little background.
Bartholomew was one of Jesus Christ’s apostles. Together with Jude Thaddeus, he is credited with evangelizing Armenia. In that country, Bartholomew is a celebrity. But he is no less so in Barva de Heredia, where he is the patron saint of the city’s parish.

At the end of this page you can check more photos of the masks and the event!!

The festivities are always celebrated for 15 days around August 24. Typical features of these festivities include amusement rides, food stalls, and dances with live bands. In addition, there is a serenade and a dawn serenade (cimarrona playing at dawn) for Saint Bartholomew.

The Masquerade of San Bartolo

The participants of the masquerade gathering around the cimarrona in the park of Barva.

On August 24, or sometimes the closest Sunday, Barveños and eager neighbors don traditional Costa Rican masks. These masks cover the entire head.
We saw masks of all kinds, from the typical devils, clowns, and skulls to some “imports” such as characters from horror movies and video games.
Some go the extra mile and wear costumes associated with their masks. My favorites are the masks of ordinary people with a dark twist.
The other ingredient, although not mandatory, is an inflated pig’s bladder. Participants hit each other with it, or sometimes a passerby who, through ignorance and bad luck, ends up on the street during the activity.
Some participants carried several bladders. These have a particular smell, not very pleasant. Sometimes they accumulate some water, which intensifies the smell.
In the middle of all the participants is the cimarrona (a small band composed of wind instruments), playing dance music, including popular and traditional songs.
Also present are the gigantas, which consist of a mask on top of a metal frame. This gives them a height that makes them stand out from the rest of the people.
By the way, people of Barva nicknamed Bartholome as “Bartolo”.

The good and the bad

My personal favorite masks are those depicting normal people with a obscure twist.

The good

Part of the good thing is maintaining Costa Rican traditions. This festival is over 100 years old, having been celebrated since the late 19th century. If you only want to participate in the costume part, you can arrive early or stay in the “safe areas” with your mask and take photos with passersby.
The bladder activity does not begin until around 2:00 p.m. and is announced by a couple of firecrackers (pyrotechnics). The church area and the park are off-limits to those carrying bladders. You can watch the activity from a safe distance and dance to the sound of the cimarrona.
As the masquerade moves away from the park, you have to take a little more risk if you want to continue enjoying yourself. The participants follow the cimarrona band as it circles the entire town.
Some children join in, accompanied by their parents, carrying their bladders and masks. I observed a lot of common sense, and those who receive the bladder blows are usually those who expose their backs to the masked participants. Children and women are not bothered in any way.

Once the start of the masquerade has been announced, everyone must look after themselves in the streets where the activity takes place.

The bad

From what we saw, everything proceeded normally. The heavy police presence indicated that something had happened in the past that they did not want to see repeated.
I witnessed a group of masked individuals, who were separate from the main group, striking a group of teenagers who were standing away from the caravan with the bladders. The teenagers, among whom were two women, were visibly upset.
My opinion is that there is confusion, both among participants and passersby. It’s like going to the “tomatina” in Spain and standing in the street hoping not to get hit by a tomato. If you’re not from the area, ask what the activity is about. If you don’t like what you’re told, either find a safe place or just leave. The young people who attacked were also unable to see the teenagers’ displeasure.
Other than that, I didn’t notice anything unusual, although the activity gained momentum as the rain drove away older people and parents with children, leaving only young people. They turned their backs to receive water balloon hits from other participants until the bladders burst.
Although they were not the majority, there were many masks from American movies, a symptom of a Costa Rica that is rapidly globalizing and losing its own identity.

Gallo de papa and vigoron with agua dulce. All of this cost like 4000 colones. Not expensive and delicious.

The rest of the afternoon

After getting caught in a heavy downpour in the park, we decided to go to the parish dining hall. They were selling traditional Costa Rican dishes such as vigorones, casados, empanadas, chicharrones, among others.
A bingo game was being held there with very few participants due to the rain.
We ordered a vigoron (chicharron with salad and boiled yuca), a gallito de picadillo de papa, and an aguadulce.
Around 4:30 p.m., we decided to go home, but the buses were not entering the town. We walked through what remained of the activity. The cimarrona band was still playing after two and a half hours, despite the heavy downpour that would have caused the cancellation of any sporting event. Many masked people continued dancing and hitting each other, completely soaked.
We took the bus and said goodbye to Barva for the moment, because we plan to return soon.

More information, disclaimer and more photos.

If you want to know about the history of the masquerades in Costa Rica, check this page. Check my main website if you want to check out more articles from me about Costa Rica.
No artificial intelligence was used on this article. I just went there and live the experience myself, no artificial ingredients added. If you read this totally or partially, I dont care, I truly appreciate your visit. AI is killing the Internet, stealing information from blogs like this.
Enjoy more photos of the event right down below.