There is a project to move all holidays that fall in the middle of the week to Mondays, as in the United States, in order to stimulate tourism within the country.
In the Tempisque River basin of Guanacaste, specifically in the smaller Bebedero River, a strange custom has existed for many years whereby men from the nearby village, during one day in Holy Week, plunge into the river to capture a lagarto (alligator). Many alligators live in this area and it's said several persons in the past lost their lives in the jaws of these reptiles. The ceremony or act of capturing one during this time of year is called a lagartajeada, and is considered to be very manly. Eventually the life of the alligator is spared by returning it to its habitat and the men go off to celebrate. There's no religious connotation to this custom.
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