Brief History & Meaning of Anthem

Brief History & Meaning of Anthem

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Culture - National Symbols

The Music & Its Meaning
In 1852, the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom accredited, for the first time, their diplomatic representatives in Costa Rica. The Honorable President Juan Rafael Mora wanted to host a welcome ceremony for the two missions. Since Costa Rica did not have a National Anthem at that time, President Juan Rafael Mora requested Mr. Manuel María Gutiérrez, Director of the Costa Rican National Army Orchestra, to compose the music of the National Anthem to be performed at the welcome ceremony.

The music of the National Anthem was first played at the Presidential Palace (Casa de Gobierno) on June 11, 1852 at 12 p.m.

The music does not have a military connotation since it was composed to welcome two diplomatic missions. Instead, the music evokes an act of union, solidarity, and peaceful agreements among nations. It conveys a patriotic feeling through which the country shows its identity and peaceful nature.

 

The Words & Their Meaning
In 1903 there was a public contest for all Costa Rican citizens who wanted to write the National Anthem. Mr. José María Zeledón won that contest. The National Anthem was sung and played for the first time on September 15, 1903.

In 1949, those words and music became the official National Anthem.

The words address the "campesinos" - farm workers - of the early 20th Century who laid the foundation of Costa Rica's democracy and development. They lived in the countryside, cultivated crops, raised horses and cattle. The greatness of "campesinos" was not based on their possessions, but on the way they handled daily matters and conducted themselves. The blue sky and the fields were enough to find meaning in their lives. The hopes and dreams of Costa Rican people of that time depended on not only the future, strengthened by the efforts and success of the present, but also on the preservation of the traditions passed through generations.

 
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