Christmas
If you celebrate Christmas in Costa Rica, you may miss snow and a few of your favorite family foods, but you will also discover a few things you probably hadn’t experienced in previous Christmas or holiday celebrations.
There are some very obvious signs that Christmas is on its way: the rain stops and the wind begins, stores (holes in the wall) selling Christmas paraphernalia appear overnight and FIREWORKS begin in earnest. No celebration in Costa Rica is complete without a few startling loud bangs and pops. Unfortunately, just outside my bedroom window is a telephone pole with a metal band around it near the bottom – the ideal height for children to mount fireworks, light them and run for cover. After the ensuing boom has startled people, cats, dogs and birds, the noise continues in a chorus of car alarms set off throughout the neighborhood.
There is one notable difference in the US and Costa Rica traditions: the Christmas Party. People living in the US often start marking up their calendars with party dates in early November. Oftentimes, people will attend more than one party per day during December, seeing many of the same people at each party. As Costa Ricans tend to celebrate with their family members, there aren’t as many parties.
Celebrations, parties, sharing are the major components of Christmas celebrations of Costs Rica. Costa Rica has its own way of celebrating Christmas. Christmas is celebrated with great enthusiasm. It is a festival of joy and happiness. Arrival of Christmas marks the birth of Jesus. Christmas signifies spreading love and happiness among fellow human beings.
For official start of Christmas celebration, there is one festival de la luz. All trees are beautifully decorated for Christmas celebrations. But, cypress trees are usually preferred by Ticos. Major highlights of Christmas tree decoration in Costa Rica are Cypress scent, lights, balls etc. Children’s National Hospital has one of the most significant Christmas trees of Costa Rica. This tree symbolizes hope for a happy and prosperous New Year, along with thanks for all gifts and blessings.
Portal is another major factor of Christmas decoration. Portal symbolizes Jesus birth, along with Mary, Joseph, Melchor, Gaspar and Baltazar figures. Traditional Christmas meals in Costa Rica are pork leg and tamales. Tamal is usually made up of corn flour with vegetables, potatoes, pork or chicken. Entire family participates during the preparation of tamales.
Along with the “sounds” of Christmas, there are also sights and smells. Horse parades (which cover both sounds and smells!), tamale making (the traditional Christmas food), parades of lights, bull fights in Zapote (bulls are not speared or killed), increased traffic, longer bank lines and school children running about playing soccer in the streets (students in Costa Rica have their long break from December until February – like summer vacation “up North”). It is a time of increased activity and a sense of anticipation for everyone.
On New Year’s Eve, Costa Rica erupts in fireworks displays. If you are fortunate enough to be at a mirador (look-out) where you can enjoy a view of the Central Valley, you can see showers of light and color all across the landscape. About mid-January, life will return to normal as people working in the courts, registry, immigration, etc. will have returned to work and the tourists will have begun arriving en masse.
