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.