Top 5 Most Popular Festivals in Honduras
Throughout the year, Honduras hosts a plethora of festivals and cultural events. Whatever time of year you visit this Central American country, you will almost ... read more...certainly hear of something exciting, colorful, and noisy going on around you. These 5 most popular festivals in Honduras will help you discover more about the culture of this nation.
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Feria de San Isidro is a week-long carnival hosted in the Honduran city La Ceiba in honor of the city's patron Saint Isidore the Laborer. Honduras celebrates this holiday every May, generally during the week preceding the third Saturday of the month.
Festivities, parades, live musical performances, and a plethora of cultural activities bring the scene to life, as eager Hondurans paint their faces with distinctive patterns to add a splash of wonderfully to an already spectacular ambiance. On the last day of the festival, make your way to the town's city center to see the street parade. The Feria de San Isidro is one of the most popular festivals in Honduras that tourists should pay a visit.
Time: May
Location: La Ceiba
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The Garifuna people of the Honduran island of Roatan celebrate the Punta Gorda Festival. It recalls the arrival of the Garifuna people on the island, which is usually agreed to be April 12th, the day this event is held. Locals put on exciting theater performances and re-enactments while costumed in traditional garb, bringing a feeling of vivacity into the air.
They perform songs in their native Garifuna language, accompanied by drums and other instruments. There are also food booths selling native drinks and cuisine - you must taste Machuca (plantain soup), Gifity (a cocktail of indigenous herbs and roots blended with rum), traditional coconut bread, and pretty much the greatest traditional Honduran food. Punta Gorda Festival is worthy to rank number 2 on our list of most popular festivals in Honduras.
Time: AprilLocation: Roatan
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The National Garifuna Festival is celebrated every year on the third weekend of July in the town of Bajamar, near Puerto Cortés in northern Honduras. This Honduras festival and celebration is, understandably, conducted in honor of the Garifuna people and towns.
During this day, Bajamar comes alive with people drinking Gifity and having a good time. There's singing, dancing, and a lot of fun, transforming the entire town into a huge party! When you visit Honduras, please do not miss this popular and wonderful festival.
Time: July
Location: Bajamar
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The occurrence of Lluvia de Peces (Rain of Fish) is absolutely unique to the little rural Honduran town of Yoro. Although explanations – scientific and religious – differ, this event is claimed to occur in the town every year during peak monsoons, when living fish shower down from the sky. Locals converge to celebrate the Festival de Lluvia de Peces, a weird yet distinct feature of the town.
This Honduran holiday and celebration is often held in the second week of June. Locals who believe in religious explanations for this phenomenon parade around effigies of priest Father Jose Manuel Subirana, believing that the "fish rain" was an answer to the priest's plea to feed the town's needy inhabitants.
Time: May or JunePlace: Yoro
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Semana Santa, one of Honduras' most important religious festivals, is a nationwide event held from March through April (dates vary due to the lunar calendar). The celebrations last a week, during which time residents commemorate Jesus Christ's life and works. Palm Sunday is the first day, while Easter Sunday is the last.
On Good Friday, several religious exhibits are carried about in parades, and multi-colored sawdust carpets with religious imagery are constructed on city streets. Some of the greatest celebrations can be seen in Comayagua, Tegucigalpa, and Santa Barbara. This festival is so popular and exciting, that tourists should come to Honduras right now!
Time: March to April
Location: Honduras