The
La Ceiba Carnival (Gran Carnaval Internacional de La Ceiba), is an annual celebration in
La CeibaLa Ceiba is a port city on the northern coast of Honduras in Central America. It is located on the southern edge of the Caribbean Sea forming part of the south eastern boundary of the Gulf of Honduras...
,
HondurasHonduras is a republic in Central America. It was formerly known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras...
held every 3rd or 4th
SaturdaySaturday is the day of the week between Friday and Sunday. Saturday is considered either the sixth or seventh day of the week....
of
MayMay is the fifth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. It is also a month within the northern season of spring....
. The event is in held in honor of Saint Isidore the Laborer, the
patron saintA patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, or person. Patron saints, because they have already transcended to the metaphysical, are able to intercede effectively for the needs of their special charges...
of the city. The celebration starts at least one week before the main event which is a big
paradeA parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind...
followed by an all-night party along Avenida San Isidro (Saint Isidore Avenue, La Ceiba’s main thoroughfare).
In 1917 La Ceiba held its first fair known as “La Feria Isidra” in honor of its patron saint.
The
La Ceiba Carnival (Gran Carnaval Internacional de La Ceiba), is an annual celebration in
La CeibaLa Ceiba is a port city on the northern coast of Honduras in Central America. It is located on the southern edge of the Caribbean Sea forming part of the south eastern boundary of the Gulf of Honduras...
,
HondurasHonduras is a republic in Central America. It was formerly known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras...
held every 3rd or 4th
SaturdaySaturday is the day of the week between Friday and Sunday. Saturday is considered either the sixth or seventh day of the week....
of
MayMay is the fifth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. It is also a month within the northern season of spring....
. The event is in held in honor of Saint Isidore the Laborer, the
patron saintA patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, or person. Patron saints, because they have already transcended to the metaphysical, are able to intercede effectively for the needs of their special charges...
of the city. The celebration starts at least one week before the main event which is a big
paradeA parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind...
followed by an all-night party along Avenida San Isidro (Saint Isidore Avenue, La Ceiba’s main thoroughfare).
History
In 1917 La Ceiba held its first fair known as “La Feria Isidra” in honor of its patron saint. It was during this event that the city picked the “Reina de la Feria” (Queen of the Fair). In 1968, it was decided that there would be a parade in honor of the Queen of the fair. The parade was held on May 25 with only 5 floats which were sponsored by local businesses. By 1972, over 15 floats were in the parade. In 1976, the first “carnavalito” was held in Barrio Mejia, a local neighborhood. Many neighborhoods were offered the chance to have one of these small carnivals and parades, but Barrio Mejia was the only one that accepted. Seeing that this carnavalito was a success, other neighborhoods followed in later years
The Carnival Today
Today the festivities start with the crowning of the queen, 2 weeks before the parade. After, on May 14 a small procession with many of the local high schools takes place. The official St. Isidore feast day is on May 15 and it’s a local holiday.
The week before the parade, from Monday to
FridayFriday is the day of the week falling between Thursday and Saturday. It is the sixth day in countries that adopt a Sunday-first convention. In ISO 8601, in work-based customs, and in countries adopting Monday-first conventions, it is the fifth day of the week...
, many neighborhoods and plazas have their carnavalito. The amount of carnavalitos varies. The neighborhoods and Plazas that have or still participate with their own small carnival are:
- Barrio La Isla
- Barrio Ingles
- Barrio Mejia
- Barrio El Iman
- Colonia El Sauce
- Barrio Solares Nuevos
- Mall Mega Plaza
- Plaza Premiere
The Saturday after the last carnavalito during the afternoon the parade starts usually in the south end of Avenida San Isidro and runs along the entire road and ends at the beach. After the parade, thousands of people remain on the street where many people sell food, drink and souvenirs all night.
The event is regarded as the largest in Central America, bringing over 500,000 tourists in 2008 alone (number provided by the Unidad Turistica Municipal, which is the office that is in charge of the carnival)