Christmas in Costa Rica
by Debbie Mayer

While Costa Rica will never have a white Christmas, the abundance of decorations and festivities make it clear that Christmas is not just any holiday. Costa Rica is a predominantly Catholic nation and preparations for the approaching holiday begin as early as mid-October.

Many Christmas traditions in Costa Rica are very similar to the United States. Decorations such as lights, wreaths, nativity scenes, and the tree are found throughout the world, but Costa Ricans do add their own unique twist.

The traditional Christmas tree in Costa Rica is a big evergreen branch, a small cypress tree, or dried coffee branches. The tree is decorated with white paint and brightly colored strips of paper. Lights and small colored balls, a variety of small figures and lace are also used to adorn the greenery. A gold star is placed on top as a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem.

Another essential Christmas decoration is the nativity scene, or portal. In addition to the traditional figures, Costa Ricans often add extras such as dolls, farm animals, and toys. Baby Jesus is set in the manger at midnight on Dec. 24th, which is the same time that gifts are set under the tree for children to open the next morning. Costa Rican children believe that Jesus, not Santa Claus, delivers the presents.

Aside from family celebrations, public festivities also take place throughout across Costa Rica. The “Tope” is a tradition that has been celebrated since colonial times. Riders from across the country come to the city to show off their best animals and costumes. It's a very friendly competition. Some people train their horses during the year only for this special occasion. Other folkloric elements have been introduced such as horse-drawn carriages and the famous hand-painted oxcarts.

Other celebrations include the Carnival and the Festival de La Luz. The carnival joins dancing and musical groups from all the country. Groups are awarded prizes for the best costumes, the best dancers and the best orchestra. The Festival de la Luz is a Light Festival, and takes place in the same streets but at night. Floats with colorful lights and decorative designs run all over the two main streets at San Jose. At the end, fireworks light the sky of San Jose.

One of the most popular celebrations takes place in Zapote, a town outside San Jose, where an improvised amusement park with games, rides, and food stands are set up. The fair grounds also contain a bull ring, but in Costa Rica bullfights, the bulls are not killed. The bullfighters are normal people that get into the arena without any professional preparation. It's amazing that only a few actually get hurt by the bulls.

The most popular phase of the Tico bullfight is the run when dozens of young men race into the ring with the intention of frightening the bull and provoking it to attack. Although the bull is never harmed, occasionally one of the men is gored.

No holiday is complete without food. Costa Ricans celebrate with tamales (corn flour dough stuffed with potatoes, vegetables and pork or chicken, then boiled in plantain leaves, read about our Girl Scout course making tamales), tres leches cake, and rompope (similar to eggnog and can be alcoholic or non-alcoholic).

Every Costa Rican worker is also entitled to a mandatory bonus, or aguinaldo. The aguinaldo is mandated by the government, and is equivlent to a month's pay. The Christmas season doesn't end until January 6th, which is the date when the three wise men arrived to see Jesus. Wise Men's day (El Día de Reyes) is celebrated with gifts in other countries such as Mexico and Spain. In Costa Rica, the portal and other decorations are taken down and put away on January 6th.

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