5 Costa Rican traditions during Christmas

In case you are coming this way during holidays you can take part on costa rican celebrations so you don’t get homesick.

And since lots of traditions are the same, like visiting Santa or having hot cocoa with marshmallows; you don’t have to quit those because we have them as well.

Festival de la Luz

A beautiful parade during the second week of December held in San José downtown, it involves marching bands, floats and cheerleaders.

Every year a remarkable celebrity is chosen as the marshal and goes in the City Hall’s float

Festival de la Luz 2015, @Festival de la luz

Posadas

Every neighborhood likes to recreate the holy birth of Christ, kids dress up and it all ends with candy at somebody’s house.

It’s a tradition for families and anyone who loves feeling loved and eating holidays treats.

Fiestas de Zapote

Zapote is a neighborhood situated at the East of San Jose, where some nights during December there’s a big street fair with rides, bull fighting and concerts for any “josefino”.

If you want to enjoy the true Christmas environment come and have a Churro Relleno. There are activities for any music lovers, games addicts and street foodies.

Fiestas de Zapote, Costa Rica link

 

Tamales & Rompope

The main reason to have tamales, besides it’s flavor, is family gathering. Families make an assembly line to put together hundreds of tamales each year.

Costa Rican tamales are great to have for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and if you top them with Lizano sauce it’s the full experience.

Misa de Gallo

This is a catholic tradition, but the very religious families tend to go to church for a midnight mass on Christmas. So if that’s one of your traditions, don’t miss it when staying here. Ask anybody for the nearest church :)

Catholic church, Opus Dei