The Veranillo of San Juan is the name given to a weather phenomenon that occurs in South America and Central America during what is traditionally known as the “green season” or “rainy season” (“invierno” or “winter”, locally here in Costa Rica). It is basically an interruption of the rainy season for about a month, starting around solstice on June 21, when sky’s turn blue, breezes pick up, things dry up a bit and temperatures rise. It’s a flashback to summer here in Costa Rica – the only difference being that the tropical dry forest canopy is deep green, a giant blanket of broccoli covering the undulating hillsides that spill down into the blue Pacific Ocean.
The annual phenomenon gets its name from its association with El Noche de San Juan (“Saint John’s Night”). According to the tradition of the Roman Catholic Church, St. John the Baptist was born 6 months before Christ, thus putting his birthday on or about solstice time on June 21 each year.
El Veranillo de San Juan manifests itself south of the Tropic of Capricorn not only in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, but in the South American countries of Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay, where colder winter temperatures abruptly rise for a month, then fall back to their chilly regularity. In Costa Rica, it’s less about temperature than it is about precipitation, when suddenly the skies turn blue, the rain abates and the humidity drops.
So we and our guests will be enjoying a couple more weeks of “Little Summer” here at Hotel la Finisterra. It’s a time of year when we can “have our cake and eat it too”. The landscape is deep green with dense canopy while the skies are deep blue with few clouds. The balmy breezes compensate for the temperature increase, as does the drop in humidity. And perhaps best of all, the ocean temperature hovers right around 80 degrees F (27 degrees C) – perfect for swimming, skim boarding, and scuba diving!
Come enjoy the “Little Summer”, el Veranillo de San Juan, with us! ¡Pura vida!
