Christmas in Costa Rica

The Christmas season in Costa Rica is filled with entertaining events, social gatherings, and tasty food. Although Costa Ricans consider Christmas a family holiday, it’s in no way quiet and solemn.

Costa Rica ranks among the happiest places globally, which doesn’t come as a surprise seeing how locals celebrate Christmas.

The country is a popular tourist destination year-round but is especially worth visiting at Christmas time – it will happily involve everyone in local traditions and share some festive spirit.

Christmas in Summer

Costa Rica, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, attracts thousands of tourists every year with its warm weather and picturesque shores.

December in Costa Rica is hot – temperatures often exceed 80 degrees Fahrenheit, so Christmas is technically a summer holiday.

If you’ve seen enough of white Christmas and always wanted to experience something different, consider traveling to Costa Rica at Christmas time. Jealousy of friends after seeing you suntanning at the beach in Santa hat is guaranteed.

Jokes aside, the climate has influenced Costa Rican Christmas traditions and atmosphere. People in Costa Rica don’t ski or build snowmen but surf, dive and watch the sunset at the beach.

Many families go on short trips to local waterfalls, ocean shore, mountains, and other scenic landmarks, which the country has plenty of.

Interestingly, Costa Rican kids even go on school holidays at Christmas time, just like American kids go on a summer break. However, the reason isn’t the warm weather but the coffee harvest that runs during the Christmas season.

Back in the day, local kids were meant to help parents on the fields. However, nowadays, most Costa Ricans do something else for a living, and children can get the most out of their holiday.

Festival of Lights

Costa Rican Christmas celebrations are vibrant and merry, filled with parades, rodeos, fiestas, and festivals. One of such events is the Festival of Lights or Festival de la Luz in San Jose, the most popular festival of the year.

The Festival of Lights in Costa Rica takes place annually in mid-December. Millions of people gather on the streets to witness this spectacular event and welcome the Christmas spirit.

The festival was first held in 1966 by San Jose Municipality and has since become one of the most anticipated traditions of the Christmas season. The participant count, float extravagance, and budget constantly grow.

The Festival of Lights has gained such popularity that it has been broadcasted on international TV. Locals and tourists can enjoy live music concerts, witness impressive fireworks, and participate in masquerades.

The festival begins with a parade of floats that head from the National Gymnasium to Plaza de la Democracia – the route is about three kilometers long.

After the parade, the festival organizers award the brightest, most original, and largest floats.

The floats aren’t always Christmas-themed – some depict traditional Costa Rican heroes in national costumes, flowers, animals, mythical creatures, and Disney characters.

Apart from the Festival of Lights, San Jose Municipality organized funfairs, games, and circus shows, so getting bored at Christmas in Costa Rica is practically impossible.

Las Posadas

Las Posadas is one of Costa Rica’s coziest, most heartwarming Christmas traditions. It’s a nine-day period from December 16 to December 24, commemorating Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem.

During las posadas, Costa Ricans gather with family, friends, and neighbors at someone’s house to sing Christmas carols, pray, and enjoy traditional food.

The custom is observed in many other Latin American countries, including Panama and Brazil.

Traditionally, two people dress up as Mary and Joseph, and every night, one house is designated to provide them shelter. As they walk the streets, a crowd of locals sings Christmas hymns.

When Mary and Joseph arrive at the designated house, they ask for shelter, and the hosts must agree. Then, the entire group prays around the nativity scene.

Christmas Decorations

Costa Ricans may not put up the Christmas tree, but they will never forget to set up the nativity scene. Nativity scenes are widespread globally, but Latin Americans consider them the most important Christmas decoration.

Costa Ricans have one unique custom related to nativity scenes – they set up the entire scene, including Mary, Joseph, shepherds, and the manger, in early December, but they don’t place Jesus in the crib until December 25.

Costa Ricans often place nuts, fruits, and toys in front of the nativity scene like small offerings.

Of course, Costa Ricans also dress up their houses, stores, city squares, and avenues with Christmas character displays, garlands, and colorful string lights.

Poinsettias can be found in most Costa Rican homes. Poinsettia is native to Latin America and was brought from Mexico to the U.S. by botanist Joel R. Poinsett in the 1820s.

Cypress Tree as Christmas Tree

Costa Ricans consider the Christmas tree one of the most important symbols of the holiday. Despite a common misconception, Costa Rican climate is perfectly suitable for pines, fires, and spruces.

However, most locals prefer to use the native cypress tree as a Christmas tree. Costa Ricans believe that there’s no replacement for a fresh, fragrant cypress and aren’t fond of artificial Christmas trees.

Cypress trees are denser than firs and pines, have a longer lifespan, and have a pleasant aroma. The decorations are traditional – baubles, tinsel, and string lights.

Bullfights

From December 25 to January 5, San Jose Municipality holds annual bullfights. However, Costa Rican bullfights are different from Spanish or Mexican because injuring bulls is illegal.

The bull is released in a ring surrounded by a high fence where it chases several bullfighters. The bullfighters must stay within a market area, and if they cross the line, they leave the game. The winner receives a money prize.

In another bullfight game, two men sit on a seesaw, and when a bull approaches, one of them goes up out of its reach, and the second one goes lower.

The bull then runs to the second participant but soon gets confused, failing to gore either player. The tradition has been integral to Costa Rican Christmas celebrations since 1846.

Gifts from Baby Jesus

Most Costa Rican kids await Christmas gifts from baby Jesus, known as Niño Dios. They don’t hang stockings on the fireplace but place their shows on the window or receive presents under the Christmas tree.

However, some kids believe in Colacho, the Costa Rican Santa Claus. Santa Claus in Costa Rica is similar to American Santa – he wears a red suit with a buckled belt and has a long white beard.

Rooster Mass

On Christmas Eve, Costa Rican churches are crowded. People attend the Rooster Mass that takes place around midnight to celebrate the birth of Christ.

Christmas Mass in Costa Rica usually involves biblical readings, singing hymns, and holy communion.

The church service lasts two to three hours, after which locals go home to feast with family. Some people also attend the Christmas Day Mass, but most sleep after partying.

Horse Parade & Carnaval

December 26 in the U.S. and many European countries is known as the Boxing Day, when stores hold holiday sales – but not in Costa Rica. Instead of spending time shopping, Costa Ricans attend the annual horse parade, el tope.

The parade takes place in many Costa Rican towns, with the largest one held in the capital city of San Jose. Horses are integral to Costa Rican culture and Christmas celebrations in particular, even though they have no connection with Christmas.

Back in the day, most Costa Ricans lived in the countryside and were dependent on horses. The parade symbolically links present days with the country’s colonial past.

But Costa Rican Christmas horse parade isn’t just a way to show off locals’ equestrian skills. It also involves gorgeous horse-drawn carriages, dancing, drinking, and musical performances.

On December 27, San Jose residents and visitors can witness the grand el Carnaval. The festive procession includes troupes, clowns, motorcycles, masked people, maroons, and vintage cars.

Christmas Food in Costa Rica

Christmas dinner in Costa Rica takes place on December 24, after people return home from church. The main entrée is traditionally roast pork with rice, beans, mashed potatoes, or grilled vegetables.

Costa Rican Christmas feast wouldn’t be complete without tamales – dough pockets with pork, vegetables, and rice filling steamed in banana leaves. Banana leaves act as a flavoring and shouldn’t be eaten.

The preparation of tamales involves numerous rules and rituals. All family members must participate, and the eldest woman in the family typically leads the process.

For dessert, Costa Ricans eat fruitcakes topped with nuts, cocktail cherries, and sugar powder or icing.

The recipe isn’t unique to Costa Rica – it’s known as Bolo Rei or King Cake and is traditional for Spain, Portugal, Jamaica, and many other countries.

The King Cake is lighter and softer than the British Christmas pudding and usually doesn’t contain alcohol. As for drinks, Costa Ricans prefer Rompope, an egg punch with aromatic spices. Rompope is similar to eggnog but is served cold.

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