At home or in exile in Costa Rica, Nicaraguans flock to the streets with fireworks and noisemakers to shout and sing to the Virgin Mary, gathering around altars set up at homes or even parking lots. They share traditional dishes, drinks and sweets to mark the largest Catholic celebration in the country, which dates back to the mid-nineteenth century, amid tensions between the Church and the government of President Daniel Ortega. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES