Costa Rica Culture and Traditions

The popular web site Top 10 Costa Rica,    www.top10costarica.com published daily,  is filled with interesting information  news articles as well  as articles on the culture and traditions  of Costa Rica.   This article on Costa Rica traditions  is an example of one of the many great topics they cover.  I highly recommend them for a good read.

Costa Rica Horse Parade or “Tope”

This photo is an annual “Tope” or horse parade seen in small towns all over Costa Rica.  Horses are a big hobby among  all levels of society in Costa Rica.  Many of the horses have the blood line of the famous  Spanish Andalusian, know for its beauty and gracefulness.

Costa Ricans are caught between old cultural forces and new cultural forces, especially the young people. As a whole they respect conservative values and family ties. They don’t leave home until they are either finished with college or get married.  Important family traditions are baptism, first communion,  age sixteen birthday party for the girls, engagement parties, weddings, and funerals.

Men and women are expected to act differently from one another and respect their individual roles.  Although many women are professionals and hold post in government and private businesses, they retain traits which are traditional and conservative.

The traditional religious celebration is Easter (they take off the entire week and businesses are closed Thursday through Sunday.  Many Costa Ricans take to the beaches.  Christmas week  is very traditional religious holiday.   Each home has a “portal” or Baby Jesus in the manger with Mary, Joseph, and the wise men.  This is a very special time for  families to be together. Another important traditional religious holiday is  August 2nd. This is the pilgrimage to the Virgin of the Angel in the Basilica in Cartago.  People walk for many miles-often for an entire week to get to the Basilica where they then crawl on their knees and pray for  important things such as  cures for certain illness.

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