The second Sunday in March is designated “día nacional del boyero”, National Boyero Day, in Costa Rica. It was declared such by executive decree in 1988.
The Día nacional del boyero is celebrated each year with a colorful family festival in Escazú, including an oxcart parade that begins in downtown Escazú and finishes in the main park at San Antonio de Escazú where most of the celebrations are held.
The tradition of “Boyero y la Carreta” (driver and oxcart) is from the colonial era and dates back to when farmers used wagons / carts pulled by oxen to transport coffee from the Central Valley. In many cases they also represented the only means of transportation for a family and symbolized their social status.
In 2005, the National Day of the Boyero was declared Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
