The Embassy and the Consular Section of the United States in San Jose, Costa Rica, will be closed on Friday, October 11 and Monday, October 14, due to the commemoration of the Día del Encuentro de las Culturas and the Día de Cristóbal Colón, respectively.
The diplomatic headquarters, located in Pavas, in a note to the Q said it will attend the public again on Tuesday, October 15, at the normal time of 8:00 a.m. at 4:30 p.m.
The Día del Encuentro de las Culturas – Columbus Day in the United States and Canada – is holiday in Costa Rica observed every October 12, commemorating the arrival of Cristóbal Colón – the Italian explorer, Christopher Columbus – who set sail across the Atlantic Ocean in search of a faster route to the Far East only to land at the New World.
In Costa Rica, before, October 12 was called the “Día de la Raza” (Day of the Race). A change in legislation, to rename the holiday, was the result of a deep struggle of an important sector of citizenship, conscious of the vital importance of memory in the construction and preservation of national identity. The 1994 law established that “every year will be commemorated on October 12 as‘ Day of Cultures ’, to exalt the multicultural and multiethnic character of Costa Rica”.
The holiday is a “pago no obligatorio”, meaning if you work the day you get paid, if not, no pay. Being a Saturday this year, it won’t affect services such as government offices and banking.
