Kneeling before La Negrita in Cartago's Basilica de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles

Photo: Clare Mary Macguire

Every August 1, half of Costa Rica drops to their knees or straps on their walking boots for the pilgrimage to the Basilica de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles in Cartago.

A Catholic tradition that harks back to the 17th century, devotees walk or crawl from all points in the country to honour or seek the healing powers of La Negrita - a statuette of a black Virgin Mary that is Costa Rica's patron saint.

Story has it that in 1635 an indigenous woman found the statue on the site of today's church. The woman took the statue home, but it kept disappearing and reappearing in the spot where she had discovered it. This apparent miracle provoked the building of the splendid white basilica. Today, the statue is set on a flamboyant alter at the back of the church. 

The August 1 pilgrimage is a jolly affair, with more than a million revellers and devotees braving the rainy season electrical storms and terrifying traffic along Costa Rica's pot-holed roads to reach the Basilica de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles. The crowds of pilgrims get thicker as you get closer to the church. Come nightfall, the basilica is all dolled up like an illuminated wedding cake and the square around the church becomes a heaving mass of euphoric humanity swaying to the strains of a reggaeton-singing priest.

Of course, the event is also a prime marketing opportunity for various brands of bubbly. And the fast food and religious paraphernalia stores set up around the square certainly expect an economic miracle.

Still, it's a memorable experience and a chance to see Costa Rica's Catholic church in full fiesta mode.