Tuesday may not be a national holiday by law, but President Óscar Arias Sánchez and his cabinet will move the government to Nicoya, as is tradition to celebrate the date when the Partido de Nicoya chose annexation by Costa Rica instead of Nicaragua.

That was in 1824, and the national holiday celebrates the inclusion of the unique culture of Guanacaste into that of Costa Rica. Guanacaste is where cattle and horses are raised, where the marimba is played and where the dancing and the food is different than the rest of Costa Rica.

Meanwhile there is unhappiness being displayed by Guanacaste residents at a law that moves certain national holidays to the next Monday to create a three-day holiday. This year the Annexation of Nicoya will be celebrated as a holiday on Monday, July 31.

Still Arias and his Consejo de Gobierno as well as other political figures will be in Nicoya Tuesday.