Hello everyone, in this month of Halloween I want to share with all of you some stories, legends and myths of Costa Rica. Some of them were what kept me well behaved when I was a child and actually so far lol.
The Ox-less Carts
This particular period of time carried its own problems The new leader, who had a number of arrests, wants to leave a marked and innovative course. The reward for doing these was the respect of his people who followed his orders, trusting his ideas for the good of the commonwealth.
San Jose de la Boca del Monte (it was the first name of the City of San Jose) had to be built - under the new leader rules - in the strongest city of the new Republic. Of course this would not be possible if its inhabitants continued to wander the valley. That kind of living feels at ease without relations between each others, due to the selfishness and greed of the landowners! The saying to justify-' was: "Everybody in their houses and God in all of them"; and because that belief that seems uncivilized, feed on a sick freedom, denying all solidarity and strong cohabitation. The liveliness that all people need is to be progressive, productive and caring for the progress. This issue had to be inverted.
Soon, after he showed his strong directing side, the leader started to realize how San Jose de la Boca del Monte showed its firsts organizational signs that will lead them to a modernized city. And this was accomplished by the ruling of an intelligent, fatherly leader Although, the government was undeveloped, it offered the necessary bases to carry out the innovative project of making a city. How it could not be possible to fall into temptation of acquiring the necessities to make life more pleasant9 Those first pioneers, who were used to fight the adversity of an unattended colony of the Guatemala Kingdom, started to feel the necessary human heat to get rid of the segregation, which made life difficult for them.
One lovely morning, in an Open Meeting, the neighbors decided to come down from the hills in order to fulfill the leaders orders. It was not liable to oppose his commands, so they did it gladly.
They started by dividing the land into blocks to make enough land to hold four families.
Immediately, they started c"La Fiesta del Barro" (mud Party) in order to build a well based and spacious houses made of sun-dried clay brick. The city was boiling with enthusiasm and hardworking; some were cutting and carrying wood from the mountains, others were churning mud with animals, and the smartest of them were knitting fabrics. And what about the ovens, that were built for common use by the women and getting ready to use*7 Some were cutting different kind of grass to give to the cattle and biscuits for everybody to enjoy.
In less than a year, those hard working peasants were enjoying a nice house with milking houses and barns to store the season's crops, as well as small part of land on which the family could grow their own crops and vegetables to sell at the market for a personal income. The laziness they once had, had now been changed into an organized com m unity.
Then it happened that the Mother Nature seemed to test the newly built village, news from up North of the Country arrived announcing a plague of cholera creeping towards the village.
The alarm was in the village; at once, Juancho Pacheco went house by house in order to call to a meeting in Eduviges Brenes' house.
As it was expected, Juan de Dios, known as "Juancho", an active and well spoken person, showed enough enthusiasm to motivate the people.
'See here my friends, I did not know about cholera... that sickness had taken too many lives in the 56' war that were produced because of unsanitary conditions. And this was told by Gomez just before he had come from North called by the government. And this is not a story telling; he seems to know about that because he comes from an European University. "Do you know who his father is? Don Paco Gomez, is he with us? I would ask don Paco, he knows more of the matter than me, have a word with him and tell everybody the news. Because he was not here! It seems that he was sent by Lajuela (Alajuela), where the things are very bad, and has a lot of deaths already. And we are here, so ignorant and without any worries of the business and with all this sickness around us. Is better to let don Paco tell us about the matter'
'Good evening and thank you all for being here tonight, and thank you Juancho, who was very concerned. ! While talking to my son, he told me that we should do something very' soon, because the unsanitary ways of lifestyle we use among us is the cause of this terrible disease. But we should learn about better way of sanitary ways and have potable water in our homes to wash our hands and clean our vegetables, we could fight this disease. We must do something very soon.'
'So, what should we do' Don Eduviges asked?
'Get together with the educated ones' suggested Juancho., 'if you let me do it I will ask him to tell me what we should do.
'We are with you!'All of them said, and the meeting ended.
The next day, early in the morning Juancho went to look for Dr. Gomez, who received him very warmly.
'Doctor', I have come to ask you for your help in order to convince the village folks to clean up and fight the cholera epidemic. They will do whatever you say, and you already know our lifestyle... Filthy! Filthy! ; OK? And it is a good idea, one of the activities has to begin through education, a neighborhood Committee must be organized. No time to waste, because the piping from the government is coming any minute and we have to install it. The water is the main thing for our health. And we must clean up the town im-. - mediately.'
'And who do you think could do the job? I don't know, you are in charge, you must find that person.
Juan de Dios, without loosing his time and as Chairman of the Health Committee of San Jose de la Boca del Monte, started to create the committee with really quick success, with the help of the Cubillo family and others. And he explained the job to be done, as cleaning toilets and other tasks.
Daniel, the eldest asked 'How do,you expect to do such a job Juancho?
That is easy - Juancho said- look; you put an extra compartment on the cart soit can easily fit six barrels. And with a rope you start to take out all the crap from the bottom of the holes and put it into the barrels. Then, because you don't want to be seen, put on black clothes that cover your heads and then, between two, pull the cart to the Virilla River an empty the barrels and that will take care the mess.'
'Seems OK', Miguel said, 'but, what about the smell? I can feel sick in my stomach just thinking about it!'
That can be easy fixed, Juancho reassured them. If you start the job after ten o'clock at night, when they are all asleep, no body will see you, not even when you take out the muck from their holes in the garden. Anyway, it's a secret that will be kept with me.
Then the job was started. The town folks were overjoyed to see their tanks empty in the mornings, but at the same time, the town was horrified by the occurrences during the night. After the lamplighter put out the lights, the whole town was left in a scary situation, because of the horrifing darkness. In the mornings, people told stories about how the chickens had been stolen, the nests were ransacked and pigs were slaughtered. And to everyones surprise, the girls were mysteriously getting pregnant and people were saying that it was the Holly Spirits job. Blasphemy! they were saying. To complete the story, the browe ones who dared go on a spree, come back late to their homes, appeared speechless and without sight. They all swore that they saw an ox less cart leaving the "crime scene".
And so many times this story was told, that people stared to believe that the town was haunted.
"YES", said my grandfather, after hearing the story, "my grandfather told me this story too, but he told the other part that nobody knows. The children that were born from those unfortunate girls mysteriously pregnant over night were in fact members of the Cubillo's family. They were about one hundred in total, so for the next hundred years. The Cubillo's family made up one third of the population without know-'ing their sons secretly committed these "crimes" when finished their jobs of emptying the septic tank of the town. How about that?
Story written by: Próspero Castro Fallas, cc/Papillo
The Cegua
A peasant was walking with me. He had a healthy soul that he had being able to maintain, with ail its purity and simplicity. I love virgin souls and I take the pleasure in penetrating them, and listened closely to his conversation and only interrupted to ask questions. There was no breeze through the trees, and nobody was on the road and the majestic silence ruled the starry night. All of a sudden we heard the galloping of a horse.
"Someone is coming" I told my partner he put in practice his country man ear, safely and convincing he said:
"Not in this road, it's going up the road"
I haven't finished the words in my mouth, and then suddenly the galloping stopped, A few moments later the galloping started again, but tt wasn't rhythmical like last time, there was something strange about tt.
In a quiet tone of voice, almost superstitiously respectful the man whispered to me:
"That rider has encountered "La Cegua", but do not fear my friend, because there are two of us and she won't come near, because we are walking"
"La Cegua?" - I asked with interest. "What kind of animal is that"?
It seemed to me as if a smiie appeared on the lips of the man as if my ignorance amuse him:
-But, Sir! How is it possible that you, who read lots, do not know about "La Cegua"? It is the devil itself, and God help you if run into her.
"I assure you that I do not know, explain it to me:
We were very near our destination and the dogs could smell us started barking, not menacingly, but in friendly welcome way. The stars lit up the night and it seemed like one of those fantastical landscapes you only see in books.
No soul has become the same after seeing "La Cegua". Strong men. healthy, happy, joyous, hard working men, had change completely. "Some even die out of fright-", then he began to name a list of a few people he knew that has lost their life of this terrible apparition
"It's not easy to see her" it goes everywhere, in particular places mostly. Around here appears a lot, this is why you will never see a rider by himself, there is almost always two riding together."
Is it possible that she can be seemed by two? - I asked! "When we are by ourselves she approaches us. He replied happily, because he knows he has been listening with a lot of interest.
In some places out of the town's limits, where there are a lot of bushes and trees on along road, is the usual spot where she likes to surprise the passing riders. She appears in the middle of the road, and with a very sweet and weak voice she says: -"Kind Sir, Tin very tired, and I'm in my way to see my sick mother, would you be kind enough to give me a lift to..0 And she gives the name of the nearest town, (because she is the devil itself and knows everything).
"Then, it is a person, or has a person characteristic9 -I dared to ask again.
"She is a very pretty young girl, with big black eyes, curly hair and a beautiful mouth. Everyone who looks at her falls under her charms and felt very sorry for her because they can see the tiredness on her and her little voice."
At that moment a gentle breeze started to make the leaves move that created shadows all around and then brushed the path ahead us, as if some invisible mischief force was moving ahead of us. Mother Nature was helping the narrator the effect he wanted.
-"Not even the most cold-hearted men and no one can resist to her charm. Some take her on the back of the saddle, but most prefer to take her on their laps. To her is the same thing, When they started to move, if she in front, she turns their face, if she in the back, she makes the rider turn back And comes the very scary thing, and the beautiful woman disappears, her face looks like the skull of a horse, fire comes out her eyes. Se opens her mouth and shows her huge yellow horse like teeth and lets out a horrible putrid breath. At the same time her arms like iron. hang on the rider. The horde seems to know what is happening, it take off in a crazy gallop trying to get rid of the monster."
-"And then what happens?"
-"Then the men who have picked up the girl, and of course with wrong intentions on their minds, are later found dead with their eyes wide open in fear and with a horrible look on their faces. The others, as I told you before, live but, serve out to remain there uselessly.
We arrived to the gate and I could hear the dogs barking louder. Meanwhile, I was in a deep meditation. Is there no other healthy way to teaching this fantasy0 Who has not encountered "La Cegua" Who has not surrendered to the seduction of a beauty and its physical charms and nothing more? Who hasn't surrender to the misunderstanding mercy?
And then, the weakness of the body, the soul, and perhaps death? And "La Cegua" is a stow used to scare young men into doing the right thing and keeping their minds pure.
Story written by: Melitón Araya Marín
The Tulevieja
Another terribly sad and depressing story about young women who have babies out of wedlock, is the famous "Tulevieja." This creature wears an old "tule" or hat and is short and skinny; some say that it has the body of a chicken and large breasts that hang down. Regardless of the details, most will agree that she isn't a pretty sight...The "Tulevieja" was once a thirteen year-old girl who became pregnant, thus getting kicked out of her job and causing the anger of her parents. When she gave birth, she refused to breast-feed the baby, thus killing him. She was sent to Puntarenas by her parents (province by the coast), where she got sick and died only two weeks later. Because of the injustice that she committed, she's doomed to wander around houses, looking for children that she can breast-feed.
The Cadejo
There once was a young man called Joaquin, who lived in the old capital city of Cartago. Joaquin loved to party, and to party hard, and he used to cause much suffering to his parents, especially his father. Sometimes, his father tried being tender and soft with him, at other times strict and authoritative, but nothing seemed to work. Then, his son didn't come back home until after a one-week rampage through all of the local bars and corrupt places. His father looked at him with burning red eyes, a look which was passed on to his son's eyes, and ordered him not to ever come back to the house. However, Joaquin wouldn't move or answer anything, and his father's scoldings and curses were so harsh, that they transformed him into a black dog called "Cadejos" that wanders forever, with a chain around its neck. The dog will follow any person that is straying from "the good path" by drinking and staying out late, and will not part from their side.
I hope you guys enjoy this nice stories that have been a part of all costa ricans.
VIVA COSTA RICA!!!!!