The municipality of Masaya is the only one in which its inhabitants enjoy festivals most of the year. They begin in January and end in December. The main festivity is the patronal feast in honor of San Jerónimo, which begins on August 15 with the request for a license. Called The Doctor Who Cures Without Medicine, its main procession takes place on September 30.
The festivities last until the first Sunday in December, the date on which the great festival that closes the patron saint festivities takes place.
The octave of San Jerónimo, takes place on October 7; All the people from the surrounding regions come to give testimony and pay promises to San Jerónimo, making a journey of more than 14 hours. Due to the massive activity this festival is called the festival of the Masayas.
San Jeronimo
Immediately after the octave of San Jerónimo, the other festivities begin in his honor, such as traditional dances, El Torovenado, Los Diablitos, among others. The participants, most of them promising, show off their costumes and dances every Sunday in October and November, admired by national and foreign tourists. The most representative dance in these festivals is the dance of "Las Inditas de Masaya", reminiscent of indigenous culture and a true document of Nicaraguan history.
The Los Agüizotes procession, which takes place on the Friday before the Torovenado de Monimbó, starts in the Plaza de la Iglesia María Magdalena de Monimbó, runs through the main streets of Monimbó and other central neighborhoods of the city, with costumes alluding to myths and legends of Nicaragua. It is a magnificent party of great popularity.
The Torovenado
El Torovenado is joy, satire, humor, mockery; try to imitate or ridicule a character from the locality, the country or abroad.
The two most important Tovenados are the Torovenado de Monimbó that takes place on the last Sunday in October and the Torovenado el Malinche that takes place on the third Sunday in November.
The Feast of Saint Lazarus It is one of the most colorful and original religious manifestations that exist in Nicaragua, with more than 200 years of celebration.
It is carried out on a Sunday before Palm Sunday and the main protagonists of this celebration are the dogs, dressed and adorned with colorful costumes, worn by the parishioners to thank Saint Lazarus for the miracles received during the year, either to a family member or pet.
In the Santa María Magdalena Parish, in the indigenous neighborhood of Monimbó, hundreds of people come together, from all social strata, who arrive with their dogs of different races and sizes adorned with exotic costumes. Once the solemn mass is over there is a ritual where people present their dogs to the saint. Two young altar boys take them to bring them closer to the venerated image.
Before the mass, the image comes out in a procession carried on the shoulders by the promising ones and accompanied by the canines, giving a great color to the route, there is no lack of folkloric dances of the Masayas with their marimba sounds. As part of the festival, there is the Fair of Traditional and Typical Products of Masaya and the White Villages, where gastronomy, sweets and crafts stand out, as well as the traditional mechanical games that are the attraction of adults and children.
To stimulate the participation and ingenuity of the parishioners who dress up their pets and keep the tradition alive, the Nicaraguan Institute of Tourism, INTUR, holds a contest to reward the best dressed dogs, where three categories are evaluated and awarded. do with fantasy, folklore and originality of the costume.
It is a tradition of these festivities that some promising people distribute typical drinks such as ginger chicha and corn chicha.
Celebration of Saint Jerome
There are also other religious festivals, where the faith and devotion of the Masayas are manifested, among these:
The Child God of the People. It takes place from December 15 to January 6, it is a popular religious activity that is celebrated in Monimbó. El Niño Dios del Pueblo visits Our Lady of the Assumption Parish and returns to Monimbó where the festivity ends with a rosary and attention to the attending parishioners. They stand out in this celebration, the appointment of butlers, the shepherds, the pass of the Niño Dios, novena and the distribution of typical foods: mancarronas, chilate, black cajeta, pork marinated with yucca and nacatamales.
The Miracle of the Volcano of the Virgin of the Assumption. It is a popular religious activity that is celebrated in Monimbó, it takes place on March 15 and 16. A procession is made that leaves the Santa María Magdalena Church towards the Bajadero de la Laguna, in front of the Roberto Clemente Stadium. In 1772, the community of Monimbó took the Virgin of the Assumption out in procession to protect families from the eruption of the volcano. She is known as the "Virgin of the burnt finger", which is proof that through her intercession the lava was stopped.
The community is organized with its brotherhood and stewardship to carry out the activities: novenary, dawn and procession accompanied by traditional folk dances. The procession is accompanied by the dance of Las Inditas de Monimbó and other traditional folkloric groups from Masaya. They distribute typical foods such as old Indians, corn chicha, mancarronas, nacatamales and oven stuff to the parishioners.
Ash Wednesday. It is a religious holiday, with which Lent begins. A solemn mass is held in which ashes are imposed on the foreheads of the believers, remembering that "dust you are and to dust we must become." Ashes are imposed and typical Lenten meals are distributed: donut or cheese soup, syrups, fritters, cusnaca and ginger chicha.
Presentation of Judeas de Masaya. Groups of artists from the Popular Street Theater that represent the life, passion and death of Jesus. They are presented in different places in the city, their stellar presentation takes place on Holy Wednesday in the street from the María Magdalena Church to El Calvarito de Monimbó.
Via Sacra. It is Good Friday on the street of the Iglesia El Calvario, it is a cultural and religious manifestation that begins with a solemn procession in which the 14 stations of the Way of the Cross are represented. Your tour begins in the Parish of Our Lady of the Assumption towards El Calvario Church. The residents of Masaya and visitors pay promises in various ways: kneeling, blindfolded, children dressed as Jesus carrying their cross and promising giving traditional drinks such as gingerbread chicha and corn. The streets through which it passes are decorated with curtains, carpets of flowers and colored sawdust.
Festivities of the Assumption of Mary. This religious celebration in honor of the Patron Saint of Masaya, is celebrated with religious services: novena, solemn mass and procession accompanied by traditional dances. It takes place on August 15. Among the most representative activities is the transfer of flowers and the vigil, where filled tamales, coffee and chocolate are distributed. Accompanied by the Traditional Güegüense de Masaya.
The Screaming. Traditional religious festival where people make altars in their homes for the parishioners to sing to the Virgin Mary and distribute a traditional toast, known as the cap ”to the shout of“ Who causes so much joy? ”. The central activity is December 7.
Pilgrim carts to the Sanctuary of Popoyuapa, in Rivas. The procession of the pilgrim carts of Masaya is a tradition that the Monimboseños have perpetuated for more than a century. The promisers gather to fulfill their offering to Jesús del Rescate in the Sanctuary of Popoyuapa, in Rivas. It starts eight days before Dolores Friday.
judea
Promising people prepare their ox-drawn wagons with the food they need for their week of travel. They leave with their families, the day before departure, a rosary is made at the butler's house where they distribute traditional food and the Municipal Mayor's Office delivers a basket with basic products for the more than 80 families that participate in the pilgrimage.
On the morning of the wagon departure, the villagers accompany the pilgrimage of promising people until they reach the road and bid them farewell with gunpowder and philharmonic music at the start of their eight-day journey.
Religious tourism
If yours is religious fervor, go for a tour of the churches that adorn this beautiful city with their splendor. Our Lady of the Assumption, San Jerónimo, San Miguel, San Juan and Magdalena are some of the Catholic temples that you should visit. Most of the churches in the municipality open their doors from 7 in the morning.
Visit Masaya during the San Jerónimo festivities and you will have a unique experience in Nicaragua for its colorful dances, processions, representations of myths and legends, offering floats, among others.
Masaya will captivate you!
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