SPORTS AND RECREATION
The Honduran national sport is soccer (fútbol) and people are passionate about it. Boys and men play soccer in their spare time and follow the sport in the news. Outstanding soccer players are treated like heroes. Baseball is another very popular sport in Honduras, and basketball is gaining in popularity in Honduran cities.

Many girls prefer dancing to sports. Girls learn to dance at a very young age and often go on to take dance classes. Every department, or province, has a traditional folk dance, in which boys can also participate. Dances are held in villages on weekends and holidays. Marimba bands provide the music, and people dance and socialize during the festivities. In the cities, people who like to dance can also go to discos.
Time off from work is usually spent visiting with family members. Other pastimes include checkers, chess and cards. Many men like to play billiards. Young girls play hopscotch, boys fly kites, and both boys and girls play marbles and hide-and-seek. Honduran children also play a type of "kick the can" called cantarito. In the game of enchute, children hold a stick that has a cup attached to it by a string. They try to catch the cup upside down on the stick by flipping the stick.

Storytelling is part of many holiday festivities. Many folk tales are passed on from generation to generation this way. A common fictional character is the duende, a frightening boogie-man. Another popular tale is about the day the red rooster overslept. No one got up that day, including the sun, because it hadn't heard the rooster crow.
   Did you know?
Among their athletes, Hondurans honour Caneja Cardona, who plays soccer for Honduras, and Leticia Castro, who played women's basketball for Honduras and was recognized as the best Central American player of her time.
Honduras has a long coastline on the Caribbean side, and those who can afford a holiday go to the beach to picnic, swim and surf. Tourists may go to the Bay Islands for scuba diving or to see dolphins and whales. Honduras also has many national parks, where visitors can enjoy the diversity of plants, animals and landscapes found in the country. At La Tigra National Park near Tegucigalpa, people can see quetzals (a colourful crested bird), butterflies, tapirs, ocelots, jaguarundis, pumas, monkeys and snakes. El Picacho in United Nations Park, north of Tegucigalpa, and the Lancetilla Botanical Garden near Tela are popular destinations for Hondurans and tourists.