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03 Aug 2006

Daily Edition: San José, Costa Rica, August 03, 2006

ON Bended Knee: Costa Ricans entered the Our Lady of the Angels Basilica in Cartago, east of San José, on their knees yesterday after completing the journey there on foot. Inside the basilica, they paid tribute to Costa Rica's patron saint, Nuestra Señora de los Angeles (Our Lady of the Angels).
Mónica Quesada/Tico Times

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Romeros Complete
Their Journey To Cartago
Thousands of Costa Ricans finished a long journey on foot to pay tribute to the country's patron saint, Nuestra Señora de los Angeles (Our Lady of the Angels) at the basilica by the same name in Cartago, east of San José, yesterday.
(Click for more)

Costa Rica Celebrates
World Breastfeeding Week
Countries around the world are celebrating World Breastfeeding Week this week, and Costa Rica will join in the celebration tomorrow at an inauguration ceremony organized by the National Commission on Breast Feeding (CNLM), the Social Security System (Caja) and the Costa Rican branch of the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
(Click for more)

August 03

Poetry Recital
Poetry readings by students with a performance by singer and composer Bernardo Quesada, 7 p.m., National Children's Museum, San José. Info: 258-4929, ext. 127, 151, 125.

�Proud of Being Gay�
Presentation by Pedro Zerolo (in Spanish), 7 p.m., Spanish Cultural Center, Barrio Escalante, San José.

Edited By Amanda Roberson
Tico Times Staff
aroberson@ticotimes.net

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Romeros Complete Their Journey To Cartago

By Amanda Roberson and Katherine Stanley
Tico Times Staff
aroberson@ticotimes.net
kstanley@ticotimes.net

Thousands of Costa Ricans finished a long journey on foot to pay tribute to the country's patron saint, Nuestra Señora de los Angeles (Our Lady of the Angels) at the basilica by the same name in Cartago, east of San José, yesterday.

Religious groups, families and giggling teenagers filled the 22-kilometer route from San José to Cartago, with the largest crowds traveling Tuesday afternoon and evening.

The journey was a peaceful and uneventful one in terms of crime, according to a statement from the Public Security Ministry. Only two cases of robbery were reported, and three people identified by the last names Méndez, Barboza and Barboza were arrested.

One death occurred, however. Cristhian Rodríguez, 26, was hit by a car and killed while walking through Curridabat, east of San José, Sunday. A man identified by the last name Campos, 53, was also hit and injured. The driver, identified by the last name Montenegro, 26, was arrested five hours later with a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit, the daily La Nación reported.

Many walkers also fell victim to dehydration and/or fatigue � Red Cross officials treated 3,620 people for these and other minor conditions, Red Cross spokesperson Gelson Rodríguez said.

Efforts by event organizers to reduce noise and advertising during the pilgrimage appeared to have paid off. The route was quieter and less cluttered than last year, and two long banners from the dairy cooperative Dos Pinos that ran the length of the church in August 2005 (TT, Aug. 5, 2005) were replaced by banners bearing messages about the Virgin Mary.

Upon reaching the church yesterday morning, walkers listened to messages of peace from Episcopal Conference president José Francisco Ulloa during a mass to honor the virgin, known as La Negrita, according to the wire service ACAN-EFE.

President Oscar Arias seconded wishes for peace in the world, particularly in the Middle East.

�I pray for the men and women in the Middle East, that the echo of love resounds over the machine gun, that the dove of peace flies higher than the missiles,� Arias said.

See this Friday's print or online pdf edition of The Tico Times for more on the story.

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Costa Rica Celebrates World Breastfeeding Week

Countries around the world are celebrating World Breastfeeding Week this week, and Costa Rica will join in the celebration tomorrow at an inauguration ceremony organized by the National Commission on Breast Feeding (CNLM), the Social Security System (Caja) and the Costa Rican branch of the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).

World Breastfeeding Week is an initiative to promote breastfeeding during the first six weeks of life, considering the �immense health benefits� it gives babies, including providing essential nutrients, protecting against deadly diseases and promoting their growth and development, according to a statement from UNICEF.

In developing countries, children who are breastfed have a three times greater chance of surviving infancy than those who are not breastfed, the statement said.

Additionally, the nutrition breastfeeding provides can help countries achieve their U.N. Millennium Development Goals, which include decreasing the mortality rates of children under age 5 by two-thirds and eradicating extreme hunger and poverty by 2015.

-Tico Times

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