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Fiestas Patronales of Managua

ViaNica.com | Jul 30, 2007

The city of Managua celebrates the noisy and colorful patriotic festivity in honor of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, the most important days are the first and the tenth of August, dates which are holidays for the people of the capital where there are processions and horse and car parades.

The capital celebrations have two faces: one is the massive procession which accompanies the image of the Saint through the city, and other one is the horse and car parade, in which thousands of people will participate.

In the morning of the first of August, at the Sierritas de Managua, located closet o the extreme south of the city, there will be hundreds of people meeting around the small local church, where there is the image of Santo Domingo de Guzmán. On that day, every year, the image is taken and brought to the church of Santo Domingo, located at the old center. During the walk, thousands of people will join the procession, infected by the joy, the music of the chicheros or because they join to beg for miracles or pay promises to the Saint. This event is known as “la bajada del Santo”.

That same day, in the afternoon, at another point in the city, there will start the traditional horse parade, in which dozens of horses, ridden by their owners or friends, who try to exhibit the beauty of their horses. This parade is completed by decorated cars, which belong to commercial businesses or institutions. The parade last for various kilometers and event it varies, usually it goes from the malecón of Managua to the surroundings of the rotonda del Periodista. During the whole parade there will be thousands of spectators animated by the parade and the atmosphere of it.

Managua comes back to reality on the 10th of August, the second and last celebration day. At this day, every year, there is the “la subida del Santo” in the morning, a similar procession as on the first of August: the image returns from the church Santo Domingo to the Sierritas de Managua. In the afternoon there is the same parade again.