For Ticos, the party starts with the Posadas, traditional family and friends gatherings prior to Christmas Eve, featuring lots of music (and I mean LOTS!) as well as delicious traditional food, a Tico<\/em> cornucopia very much like a preview to the actual Christmas dinner celebration. Home-made decorations, string lights, colorful ribbons and decorative paper garnish the Costa Rican Christmas Trees, usually a cypress tree or some dried coffee plant branches, nevertheless the center of attention in Tico tradition is, without a doubt, the Nativity Scene. The Portal<\/em>, features a detailed portrayal of Jesus’ birth, with figurines of Virgin Mary, Joseph, the Three Wise Men, the shepherds, the sheep, the mule and the oxen lined up over real mosses and other types of grass or twigs and is thoroughly decorated with other colorful elements, such as flowers and ribbons. Laying out the Portal is an elaborate task that traditionally calls for the participation of the whole family, particularly the children, and in some Costa Rican homes its setup can take up entire living rooms!<\/p>\n On the 24th, the big day has arrived! After several days of preparations, most of which take place in the kitchen (YUM!), Costa Rican families get together for the Christmas feast. Many still observe the traditional Misa de Gallo<\/em> (Midnight Mass) prior to indulging in the endless parade of absolutely delicious Tico Christmas foods, such as queque navide\u00f1o (similar to a pound cake made with rum-soaked dried fruit) and the traditional tamales (packed rectangles made of a corn mix with either pork, chicken or beef and cooked inside plantain leaves -an absolute delicacy). Eggnog cannot be out of the picture, or the rum punch for the extra kick! After dinner, family members exchange gifts and the young ones place Baby Jesus over the manger scene to symbolize his birth. They also leave their shoes out for el Ni\u00f1o Jesus<\/em> to bring them many treats and gifts – Santa Claus is still a recent character in the Costa Rican Christmas scene, yet it is catching up quickly – and they wake up very early on Christmas morning to get their hands on them!<\/p>\n From your Costa Rica Activities Specialists, we wish you a happyTICO<\/em> Christmas and PURA VIDA<\/em> for next year!! Happy Holidays!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Costa Rica’s Christmas Eve How the Costa Ricans (Ticos) celebrate Christmas Eve in Costa Rica La Navidad is eagerly anticipated by children and grownups alike; the first await the many gifts that El Ni\u00f1o Jesus (Baby Jesus) will bring on Christmas Eve, while the second count the days to receiving their aguinaldo, the mandatory year-end […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2078,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[347],"tags":[4028,4030,4032,4034,4036,3494,4038],"class_list":{"0":"post-2076","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-costa-rica","8":"tag-costa-rica-christmas","9":"tag-costa-ricas-christmas-eve","10":"tag-costa-rican-christmas","11":"tag-happy-holidays","12":"tag-posadas","13":"tag-pura-vida","14":"tag-tico-christmas"},"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.therealdealtours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Christmas-Season-in-Costa-Rica2-300x200.jpg\")
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