Costa Rica Celebrates Christmas in a Big Way7508535

Costa Rica is predominately Catholic and Ticos love their fiestas and Christmas celebrations are over the top. It feels like the whole country is in it together. You begin to notice the season when decorations go up on October 1st. Then stores begin to take pre-orders for a Christmas delivery. There is tremendous hustle and bustle leading up to December, and then during the month of December everything stops in favor of the activities and family get-togethers of the season. There is an annual Festival de la Luz parade where the majority of the floats highlight the exotic beauty of snow. Then there is El Carnival where dancers and musicians from across the country compete against each other for best costume and performance. Another parade, El Tope, is magical as beautiful prancing horses, horse-drawn carriages, and hand-painted ox carts glide down the streets. These ox carts hark back to the 19th century. Apparently, they were actually drawn by people instead of oxen. Then the coffee industry boomed in 1840 and the carts began to be drawn by oxen. People started decorating or "pimping out" these carts in 1900. The San Jose Tope parade is the most extravagant and famous of these spectacles and typically boasts a large number of floats, dancing clowns, and marching bands. This year it will be on Friday, December 26th, starting at noon. The route will take it from the Viquez Square to 40th Street on Paseo Colon. Christmas was first celebrated in retire in costa rica in 1601 when the governor, Don Vasquez de Coronado, organized the festivities and declared it a national holiday. That was the beginning of the government involvement. Now everything shuts down for Christmas, including the government. Plus, employers must pay their employees a bonus in December equal to one month's wage. This is called the aquinaldo.

Nine days before Christmas, Ticos celebrate the Posadas and Tico families get together to build a manger for the Christ-child's birth. Around that manger they arrange the other characters of the nativity: Mary, Joseph, the three wise men, the shepherds and their sheep. Then, just before the family attends midnight mass on Christmas Eve, the baby is placed in the manger to represent Christ's birth. Most American families celebrate Christmas Day with gifts, families, and feasting. In Costa Rica, Christmas Eve is the main event. Christmas Dinner is served late that night. A local specialty served during that dinner are called Pupusas, they are typically savory pastries filled with meat. The Christmas celebrations end on January 6th when Ticos celebrate the Feast of Epiphany. Children get one more night of delicious anticipation for little gifts that the Three Wise Men bring while they sleep. Just as American children set out cookies for Santa Claus, Tico children will set out boxes of grass for the camels. Not only is there a heavy religious flavor to the season, but there are also other cultural events that take advantage of the general laid-back holiday vibe. For example, professional dancers from New York and Prague will come and present The Nutcracker to Tico audiences in the National Theatre on December 5th. This year, they will be joined by some local Tico dancers and will blend in some Spanish dances along with the traditional ballet. When asked what she observed during the holiday season, Margo Ackerman said "it's like Christmas in the 1950s in the U.S." She further described how the atmosphere is less charged and more family-oriented. Everyone gets to enjoy the holiday (whether they want to or not). Margo moved to retire in costa rica a number of years ago and is keenly interested in sharing experiences in paradise and other tips and insights about living as an expat in Costa Rica. You can find more about her and Costa Rica on her blog at http://ackermanrealtyinternational.com/category/costa-rica/. If you are interested in subscribing to the blog or simply want to keep up to date on her listings, please sign up at http://ackermanrealtyinternational.com/subscribe-today/. Summary: Costa Rica knows how to party during the Christmas season.