In Costa Rica for Christmas there are plenty of events and activities happening. Find out the best things to do during the holiday season in Costa Rica, from parades and fairs to sparkling Christmas trees and traditional foods.
Eat a Tamale: Like the rest of Latin America, tamales are an essential part of the Christmas holidays in Costa Rica. Tamales in Costa Rica are made from corn flour and are filled with ingredients such as potatoes, rice, vegetables, garlic and onions, and shredded pork or chicken or beef, wrapped in banana leaves and tied with string into squares, and boiled. Wash it down with eggnog, called rompope in Spanish.
Attend the Festival of Lights: The traditional Christmas parade in San Jose features large brightly lit and wondrously decorated floats, dancers, performers, and marching bands from across the country. Starting at 6:00 p.m. on the second Saturday in December from the La Sabana Park, the parade proceeds down Paseo Colon Boulevard to Second Avenue, to a big finish at the Cultural Plaza.
See the Children’s Hospital Christmas tree in San Jose: Representing hope for the hospitalized children, the Christmas tree at the Children's National Hospital is the most important in Costa Rica. The huge tree on Paseo Colon Boulevard in San Jose is a dazzling landmark during the holidays, decorated with more than 25,000 Christmas lights and topped with a star.
Christmas Eve Ritual: Everywhere in Costa Rica, Catholic residents attend Christmas Eve Midnight Mass. Visitors are always welcome.
Horse Parade, or Tope, on Dec. 26: Well-dressed riders and elegantly groomed horses from all over Costa Rica strut their stuff the day after Christmas in San Jose in the country’s most famous horse parade down Paseo Colon Boulevard. The parade starts usually about 11:00 a.m.
San Jose’s Zapote Festival from Dec. 25 to Jan. 4: Christmas Day launches the huge carnival in San Jose’s neighborhood of Zapote, with the largest rodeo and Costa Rican-style bull riding events of the country, rides and games, musical concerts, entertainment, food and shopping.
Watch the fireworks on New Year’s Eve: Costa Ricans love fireworks and fire crackers, and tonight is a night of partying. Good places to see fireworks are from higher points around the Central Valley like above Alajuela or in Escazu, or out at the beaches.
Fiestas Palmares during the first 2 weeks of January: As soon as the San Jose Zapote fiestas finish, the huge festival in the town of Palmares continues the progressive Costa Rica summer festival season. Located near the city of San Ramon in the Central Valley, these fiestas showcase a large horse parade, bullfights, a rodeo, live music concerts, dancing, rides and games and local foods.
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Article by Shannon Farley
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