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Festivities of Santo Domingo

Santo Domingo celebration - Managua

History

In the year of 1885, a lumberjack named Vicente Aburto who worked on the property of Mr. Inocente García Lara, found a small image of Santo Domingo in the hollow of a tree of black wood, surprised he ran to inform his boss.

Getting started to the first festival, as all those living in the vicinity of the Sierras were visiting the farm of García Lara, no one knew what was that statue and took it to a church in Managua where a priest told them that it was the Holy Domingo de Guzman, who was a missionary, protector and defender of the slaves who lived from 1170-1221.

They left the image and returned to las Sierritas where the mysterious saint reappeared again in the same tree hollow of black wood, the farmer who found the first did it again and ran to the Church of Managua to inform the priest, who review and confirm that the image was no longer in place. Seeing the miracle happened, the priest recommended that they should built a chapel and then will take the saint each year to Managua to visit the capital, the tradition was born celebrating Santo Domingo, the saint patron of Managua.

Celebration

On the eve of the festivities is celebrated the sailing boat, who will carry the holy, the traditional Palo lucio and the election of the queen. The festivities begin giving to the Steward of the Feast, a blessed Tajona, a stringed instrument of wood and leather used to afflict the naughty.

Between thousands of cheering, pilgrimage full the capital of joy, and tradition, they dress traditional costumes such as devils, inditos and are follow with philharmonics chicheros and burning of fireworks, with the image through the main streets of the city in what is known as the down and rise of Santo Domingo de Guzmán.

The Steward takes the patron of the festival, in a tour of Horn in the communities of Membreño, Las sierritas and Esquipulas, where families prepare typical foods as nacatamales, Indio viejo, rosquillas, chicha and others to celebrate the sailing of the Saint.

Parade of horsemen

Another activity that has become tradition, the parade is celebrated at 1 and 10 of August as the starting and closing of Santo Domingo festivities, where participating horsemen came from all around the country and special international guests, demonstrating their skills in front of the spectators; are also a procession of allegorical floats. The parade starts in the Malecón Managua to Tiscapa lagoon, Güegüense roundabout ending near the Periodista roundabout.

You can also visit fairs of Microfer, in which there are musical performances, sales of domestic products, handmade, games, among other amenities, and the Fair Expica which is one of the most important for the livestock sector, where you can appreciate the best specimens equestrian national and Central American, bullfights, concerts, and other products, all products are duty free.