Tico Christmas

December is a festive time in Costa Rica as local residents gear up for Christmas celebrations. AS in other parts of the world, Christmas, or as locals call it, "Navidad" is a time for celebration and parties, sharing, and reflecting. Most of the local traditions are based on religious beliefs, and many are similar to celebrations held in other Latin American countries. Customers of Avanti Car Rentals in Costa Rica will have no problem getting into the swing of Navidad during their upcoming visit, and will be sure to enjoy a Tico Christmas.

Enjoy traditional Christmas meals

Food is always an important part of holiday celebrations, and such is definitely the case in Costa Rica. Customers of Avanti Car Rentals in Costa Rica will enjoy familiar treats like eggnog, known locally as "rompope". Many Costa Rican's have also adopted the foreign custom of eating turkey and ham. Traditional treats like tamales (corn flour dough stuffed with potatoes, vegetables, and pork or chicken) are healthy supply, as are pupusa (tortilla with cheese, corn and, well, anything really!), and vigoron (cabbage, tomato, yucca, and fried pork rind).

Common Tico Christmas events

If you're planning on embarking on an Avanti Car Rentals in Costa Rica vacation this holiday season, make sure you keep the following important events in mind:

1. Decorating the Christmas "tree"

The traditional Costa Rican Christmas tree is a big evergreen branch, a small cypress tree, or dried coffee branches. Customers of Avanti Car Rentals in Costa Rica should decorate this "tree" with white paint and brightly colored strips of paper. Lights are also used, along with a variety of small figurines and glass balls. A gold star is placed at the top, which symbolizes the Star of Bethlehem.

2. The arranging of the "portal"

A very important Latin American tradition that takes place at a Tico Christmas is the arranging of the "portal" or nativity scene. Customers of Avanti Car Rentals in Costa Rica can arrange their portal using mosses and grass, colored sawdust, cypress twigs and small figurines. Along with the traditional figures of Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus, Costa Ricas commonly add embellishments like dolls, farm animals, toys, and lights. There are many traditions that go along with the portal. Some say that people who don't own their own home must use a portal that they've received as a gift. This way, the holy family will help provide them with a house of their own. Customers of Avanti Car Rentals in Costa Rica should place their portal under the Christmas tree along with the presents. The figure of the Baby Jesus isn't placed into the portal until midnight on December 24th. The adults are then permitted to open their presents, but the children must wait until morning as the Bay Jesus is believed to bring their gifts during the night.

3. The "tope" parade

The month of December is filled with Christmas celebrations in Costa Rica, none of which is more popular than the tope parade. Originally, this activity involved a bull fight. Today, the festival includes a formal parade of horses down the main streets of San Jose. Other folkloric elements have been introduced into this important event and customers of Avanti Car Rentals in Costa Rica will often see horse-drawn carriages and hand-painted oxcarts in the procession. Bull fights still take place during the festive season. Customers of Avanti Car Rentals in Costa Rica can catch a battle inside the Zapote Arena.

The official close to Christmas celebrations in Costa Rica aren't until January 6th (the date the three wise men arrived to worship the Bay Jesus). This is when customers of Avanti Car Rentals in Costa Rica should disassemble their portal and terminate their festive celebrations.