Costa Rican Christmases are affairs that include music, lights, and gatherings of loved ones. It is a practice in Costa Rica to adorn fragrant cypress trees or dry coffee bush branches with lights and ornaments. One common adornment is a nativity scene, also called a pasito or a gateway. Rather than Santa Claus, the baby Jesus gives presents on Christmas Eve in many Western traditions. Until the Three Wise Men supposedly welcomed infant Jesus on January 6th, the Christmas season continues in Costa Rica. Roast pork served with rice or mashed potatoes and veggies, along with eggnog, rum punch, pastries, tres leches cake, and tamales are the traditional Christmas meals in the country. During the second week of December, the capital city of San Jose is transformed into a garland of lights during the Festival de la Luz (Festival of Lights). Costa Ricans says ¡Feliz Navidad! for Merry Christmas!
Christmas Traditions in Costa Rica
The Christmas traditions in Costa Rica encompass various age-old customs blended with elements of globalization. In this way, there are rites from the Catholic Christian religion, such as the setting up of the Christmas nativity scene, combined with foreign customs like the Christmas tree. Generally, it is customary to decorate cities, homes, businesses, and companies with lights and objects related to the season, a practice that starts in late November or early December.
- Nativity Scenes: One common Christmas decoration in this country is a miniature nativity scene, or “Pasito.”
- Misa de Gallo: This is the Midnight Mass that is celebrated on Christmas Eve which is also called the “Mass of the Rooster.”
- Christmas Meal: In the hours after midnight mass, guests sit down to a Christmas dinner of chicken and pig tamales, roast hog, pastries, and festive beverages like eggnog and rum punch.
- El Niño Dios: With the growing popularity of Santa Claus, Costa Rican children put their shoes out for the Baby Jesus, Niño Dios, to fill.
- Beach: During the Christmas season, many Costa Ricans visit the beach for a swim and barbecue. This is despite the fact that the country is not actually located in the Southern Hemisphere, unlike Australia or Brazil.
- Festival de la Luz: San Jose hosts the Festival de la Luz which is a world-renown festival devoted to Christmas lights. It literally means Festival of Lights.
Traditionally, families gather on December 24 or 25 for the Christmas dinner and the midnight Mass, and it is during this celebration that the exchange of gifts takes place. Among the Christmas beliefs in Costa Rica, it is noteworthy that the character responsible for delivering gifts is the Baby Jesus, while in other families, it is instilled that it is Santa Claus (also called San Nicolás, and colloquially, Colacho), or even the parents themselves. A new family gathering occurs on December 31 or January 1 to celebrate the New Year.
Christmas Cuisine in Costa Rica
- Pork Tamales: Traditional Costa Rican Christmas fare includes tamales wrapped in banana leaves and filled with meat and veggies.
- Bakes Pork Leg: On Christmas Eve, families enjoy a supper of baked pork leg with side dishes of salad, white rice, or mashed potatoes.
- Christmas Cake: Rich fruitcake stuffed with almonds, dried or candied fruits, and rum.
- Christmas Apple Salad: Apples, beets, and other fruits come together in this Christmas apple salad.
- Eggnog: A holiday beverage, eggnog is a blend of rum, milk, and cream.
- Rice Pudding: Creamy, sugary, and spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Rum Punch: Using rum, fruit juice, and spices, one may create a festive alcoholic punch.
Meals
One of the most identifiable factors of Costa Rican cultural identity during Christmas is its cuisine. In Costa Rica, the Christmas tamale made of corn with pork, chicken, and stew, wrapped in banana leaves, is considered the quintessential Christmas dish. A popular celebration among families is the “tamaleada,” where they gather to make this dish while eating and drinking various customary preparations of the season, culminating in tasting the first tamales out of the pot.
A 2014 survey determined that Costa Ricans would prepare more than 390 million tamales in December, with 91% of the population consuming tamales during this season and 62% of households having the tradition of cooking them. Its consumption dates back to pre-Columbian times, along with its association with religious themes, as it was used as an offering by the indigenous people.
On Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, some families prepare a meal that can vary between chicken with rice, chickpeas with chicken, or pork ribs, stuffed loin, roasted chicken or turkey, and ham. Especially notable is the pork leg bathed in a sweet and sour sauce (usually based on plums). The main course can be accompanied by potato and apple salad, garden salad, mashed potatoes, boiled vegetables, applesauce, white rice with almonds or raisins, sweet potato puree, and many families add Russian salad. During this festive season, the consumption of apples, pears, and grapes is also traditional.
Desserts
Desserts include the Yule log, corn cake, coconut flan with caramel or dulce de leche, King’s ring cake, Christmas cookies, sweet bread, and panettone. It is also typical to drink eggnog, which can be consumed at any time, but the tradition is to do so during family celebrations. Accompanying the eggnog, it is traditional to eat Christmas cake, a kind of pudding made with flour, brown sugar, milk, butter, eggs, candied fruits, nuts, almonds, prunes, rum, and brandy.
Christmas Decorations in Costa Rica
The Portal or Nativity Scene
In Costa Rica, the nativity scene is traditionally called “portal” or “pasito.” The “pasito” consists of the five main sculptures of the decoration (the Holy Family, the mule, and the ox), while the “portal” is the collection of all the figures along with the scenery. The name “pasito” derives from the word “paso,” which in Spain refers to a group of sculptures, usually of large proportions, paraded during Holy Week.
Typically, in the Christmas “pasito,” sculptures representing the Holy Family, the three wise men, a shepherd with his sheep, a mule, an ox, and an angel are placed inside a wooden house (simulating a stable). Traditionally, the nativity scene is set up at the end of November or the beginning of December, except for the figure of the Baby Jesus, which is placed at midnight on December 24th.
Similarly, it is a tradition to place the figures of the wise men on their way to the nativity scene, and then, on January 6th, they are moved alongside the Holy Family, or in other cases, they are turned around, simulating the magi’s return to their lands. The Christmas “pasito” is placed in a visible location in the house, but it is most commonly done under the Christmas tree. In the past, the pieces were crafted by hand from plaster or wood, but currently, they are made from more durable materials.
The tradition of setting up the Christmas nativity scene began during the colonial period, with images brought from Guatemala. After Costa Rica’s independence in 1821, the connection with Guatemalan workshops diminished, leading to the creation of sculptures in local workshops, mainly located in Cartago and Barva. The artistic appreciation of the Christmas “pasito” was defined by the work of imaginative sculptors such as Manuel Rodríguez Cruz and Manuel María Zúñiga in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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During the Colonial period, the tradition of activities such as prayers, meals, and frequent visits to relatives to contemplate the nativity scene originated. Prayers at the foot of the nativity scenes are a tradition that has persisted to this day in certain cantons of the country and culminate with the traditional “Rezo del Niño” (Child’s Prayer).
The preparation of the Christmas “pasito” is a family activity. Costa Rican nativity scenes have some indigenous characteristics, such as the placement of other figures, shapes, and colors that distinguish them from other countries. One of the most traditional elements is placing the figures on dry moss, locally known as “lana.” Some families also customarily add colored sawdust, flowers, decorations, toys, and ornamental plants representing the country. Therefore, it is not uncommon to find some Christmas “pasitos” with tropical scenery, shapes representing the jungle, Costa Rican flora and fauna, rivers, lakes, mountains, and volcanoes. In addition to painted typical carts, small baskets for collecting coffee, and even characters dressed in traditional Costa Rican attire, all mixed with the traditional nativity scene figures.
Christmas Tree
Just like in other countries, it is customary in Costa Rica to set up a tree with decorations to celebrate Christmas. This is usually a cypress or a pine tree and can be either natural or artificial. It is adorned with baubles, stars, dolls, ribbons, and a large number of lights, in addition to other ornaments related to Christmas. The tradition of placing the Christmas tree in Costa Rica dates back to the 19th century.
According to Ferrero, the Christmas tree was introduced by European and North American immigrants and Costa Ricans who traded coffee in England. It was encouraged by the liberal ruling elite of the late 19th century as a way to combat the tradition of setting up Christmas nativity scenes. The rulers of that time in Costa Rica were proponents of positivism, which encouraged leaving aside religious traditions as a way to civilize the people. For them, the placement of the Christmas tree was a sign of modernity. The placement of a Christmas tree appears for the first time in Costa Rican literature in Joaquín García Monge’s novel “Las hijas del campo.”
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The tradition of placing the Christmas tree began to spread after 1950. In Costa Rica, one of the most ingrained traditions is the lighting of the Christmas tree at the National Children’s Hospital as a way to bring hope to sick children hospitalized there. The placement of the Christmas tree is an almost widespread custom in parks, squares, public places, shopping centers, and businesses during the Christmas season. However, the tradition of setting up the nativity scene at home did not disappear, and in many families, it is customary to place the Christmas tree with the nativity scene at its base.
Christmas Characters in Costa Rica
El Niño Dios (The Baby Jesus) and the Holy Family
The Holy Family, led by the Baby Jesus (affectionately called “El niñito”), are the main protagonists of the Christmas celebration in Costa Rica. In Costa Rica, during Christmas Eve and Christmas, it is common to exchange gifts, and according to Christmas tradition, it is the Baby Jesus who is responsible for delivering these gifts. A 2015 survey revealed that 39% of Costa Ricans usually tell their children that it is the Baby Jesus who brings the gifts, while 27% attribute it to Santa Claus, and 32% tell them it’s the parents or relatives.
Colacho (Santa Claus)
“Colacho” is the colloquial name Costa Ricans use to refer to Santa Claus (Father Christmas). The word derives from “Nicolacho,” a nickname used in Costa Rica for those named Nicolás, in this specific case, referring to Saint Nicholas of Bari. The Costa Rican Catholic Church celebrates the day of this saint on December 6th within the Christian liturgy, but its association with Christmas traditions comes from globalization, especially with the arrival of Coca-Cola in Costa Rica in the 1950s.
Therefore, the appearance of the character corresponds to the Anglo-Saxon Santa Claus stereotype: white beard, red and white suit, red hat, black boots and belt, traveling in a sleigh with a large bag of gifts, pulled by reindeer, to which children write letters asking for presents. For some families, Colacho is the one who delivers Christmas gifts on the night of December 24th, sneaking into houses through doors, windows, or magically, as houses in Costa Rica rarely have chimneys.
Houses and businesses are usually decorated with Christmas-themed elements, including Colacho figures as well as the hats and Christmas boots of the characters, where candies or gifts are placed. In Costa Rica, more nationalist or religious sectors prefer other characters as Christmas icons, such as the Baby Jesus or the Three Wise Men, instead of Colacho because they see him as a character foreign to Costa Rican tradition, less spiritual, and more associated with the prevailing commercialism of the season. However, besides the name, some traditional elements of the country have been added to the Costa Rican Santa Claus. For example, in some year-end parades like the National Tope, he is seen riding a horse.
Los Reyes Magos (The Three Wise Men)
Just like in other regions, the Three Wise Men in Costa Rican tradition are three (Melchor, Gaspar, and Baltazar). These characters appear in parades and other local celebrations during the day, usually riding on horseback. In Costa Rica, as in other parts of the world where the Catholic religion predominates, Epiphany, or Three Kings’ Day, is commemorated on January 6th each year. Unlike other countries where Christmas gifts are given on this date, in Costa Rica, it happens on December 24th or 25th. In this celebration, Catholic families gather to pray in front of the Christmas nativity scene and then enjoy foods typical of the occasion, such as sweet bread, sponge cake, eggnog, and, in some cases, King’s cake. The kings’ parades in the canton of Esparza, Puntarenas province, are notable. Esparza, founded with the name Espíritu Santo in 1577, was one of the first Spanish settlements in Costa Rica.
Christmas Celebrations in Costa Rica
Misa de Gallo (Midnight Mass)
Similar to other Latin American countries with a Catholic tradition, in Costa Rica, the Midnight Mass is celebrated on the night of December 24th in various churches throughout the country.
Posadas
In some towns in Costa Rica, it is common during the Christmas season to hold traditional “posadas,” where families gather to visit their neighbors or attend churches and sing carols related to Christmas. This recreates the search of Joseph and Mary in Bethlehem for a place to rest just before the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.
Year-End Celebrations
In the city of San José, various traditional mass festivities take place, starting in the first week of December with the lighting of the facade of the Children’s Museum and the Christmas tree at the Children’s Hospital. These festivities continue in the second week of December with “el avenidazo,” a series of concerts, cultural activities, and culinary events along Avenida Central, and the Festival of Light, a traditional parade of bands and floats.
Later, on December 25th, the San José Festivities begin, held in the Zapote district, east of the San Jose metropolitan area, featuring popular bullfights along with small food stands, drinks, music, and a multitude of amusement rides. Additionally, on December 26th, the San José Horse Parade takes place, featuring various concerts, and on December 27th, the San José Carnival occurs, a parade of musical groups, dance ensembles, street bands, and floats.
Following the culmination of the San José Festivities, in the second week of January, the Palmares Festivities begin in the town of Palmares, located in the province of Alajuela. These celebrations are the most populous in the country, featuring horse parades, processions, dozens of concerts by national and international artists, and large bullfights.
Rezo del Niño (Child’s Prayer)
The Child’s Prayer is a mandatory celebration before taking down the nativity scene in Costa Rica. It takes place from December 25th (including January 6th, which is Three Kings’ Day) until February 2nd, the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. During this prayer, families gather to recite the Rosary, and relatives, friends, and neighbors are invited to share meals. It is a tradition deeply rooted in the faith of the Catholic population of the country, present in Costa Rica since the colonial era. Its best-known antecedents are festivities called “alabados,” where prayers were made and music was played, dating back to the 15th century.
In rural regions, the Child’s Prayer is a grand celebration with traditional meals, fireworks, a choir, musicians, and a person officiating as the prayer leader. Christmas carols, songs, verses, and prayers are sung, typically performed in front of the Christmas nativity scene. Another tradition during this time is dressing the image of the Baby Jesus in garments made for the occasion, as on February 2nd, the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple is also celebrated.
