The Patron Festivities of Managua Begins

Faustino Salcedo | Jul 31, 2012

The Patron Festivities of Managua are one of the most popular Festivities in the country, they are made in the first days of August and are in honor of “Santo Domingo de Guzmán”. From Religious activities up to 2 horse parades are made. To enjoy these events with the proper security, the National Police will implement various plans, for which it developed some recommendation that we will be mentioning in this article.

From tonight July 31st and on, there will be various activities in Managua by the eve of the arrival of the saint, from the “Sierritas of Managua”, place where he stays all year. These activities are: "El palo lucio" (The pike pole), which consist that people have to climb a greased pole high-rise, and get the tapes that are at the top of this; the event takes place at the roundabout Cristo Rey, located a mile from the roundabout Rubén Darío. Pablo Emilio Avalos, Mayor Commissioner of National Police, recommended to avoid passing through this area because it will be closed to vehicular access.

Another important activity of this day will be the “Vela del Barco” (Sailing Boat) in the “San Judas” neighborhood, which is a kind of vigil to get ready the ship (platform) that carries Santo Domingo from the Eastern Market to the Church of Santo Domingo, in the neighborhood of the same name. There will also be the “Vela del Arco” (Candle of Arc), which takes place at the “Gancho de Caminos” (Hook Road0, located in the “Mercado Oriental” (Eastern Market), place where the saint approaches the ship the first of August, and where it lands on August 10th. To better understanding of this tradition, we invite you to read our special Patron Festivities of Managua.

Activities carried out from August the 1st to August 10th.

Avalos said there will be 3.500 National Police officers deployed during the 10 days holiday. On August 1st the image of Santo Domingo comes out in procession at 6:00 am from the “Sierritas of Managua”, located at the highway of kilometer 8 to Masaya. It travels in procession to the church of Santo Domingo in the neighborhood of the same name; located in the old center of Managua, where the saint arrives approximately between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm. On the day 10th is the same route but in reverse.

Alongside religious activities, both days there is a parade horse that starts at 2:00 pm. It departs from the boardwalk of the city, arrives to the Tiscapa lagoon, goes straight to the Rotunda The Güegüense, continues until the roundabout “El Periodista” (The Journalist), turns left and continues up to the Holiday Inn Hotel. During the event there is also a parade of floats, which finish the event at approximately 6:00 pm. Then there are theme parties throughout the city.

To enjoy the holidays without any problems, the National Police made the following recommendations and prohibitions valid from 6:00 am until 12:00 am on days August the 1st and 10th:

• No firearms, ammunition, explosives and other related materials, 200 meters from the equestrian parade and the route of the image of Santo Domingo.
• Special care is recommended with children, elderly and disabled people.
• Respect the arms of police security that will be on the tracks, as well as in the holy path, and in the horse parade.
• The sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages, sodas or soft drinks in glass containers, and the sale of liquor to minors are prohibited.
• It is recommended to respect the established area for the movement of mounted and floats during the horse parade.
• Tampering and burning of gunpowder on unauthorized sites are prohibited.

Here some interesting maps on the event (perspective distortion):
Click on the image to enlarge it.

Translated by Aída Pichardo