Culture of Costa Rica
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[edit] Ethnicity
Costa Rica is situated where the Mesoamerican and South American native cultures met. Therefore the north of the country was the southernmost point of Mayan influence and the central while southern portions of the country had Chibcha, South American influences. When the Spanish conquistadores arrived in the 16th century, most of the colonization and cities were established in the southern-central part of the country. These influences are still seen today, as the north-western part of the country's population (Guanacaste) have a generally darker skinned native-American-like population, while the central and southern parts of the country have lighter skinned, European-like factions.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Atlantic coast of the country was populated with African slaves, during the construction of the railroads to the eastern coast. As a result, the eastern-side of the country (Limon), has a predominantly black African ancestry. During railroad construction, thousands of Chinese families also arrived in Costa Rica, but unlike the African population they spread to most of the country. Even though they are widespread, there are few large concentrations other than San Jose and Limon. All of these influences have developed the extremely varied ethnicity of the country.
[edit] Language
Costa Ricans speak standard American Spanish, but they, like most other Central American countries over the years, have developed distinct patterns in their language .
Costa Ricans usually utilize the respectful "Usted" form when addressing one another, this is somewhat formal and surprises some Spanish-speaking foreigners when they arrive. Also, when they do use the familiar form, they often use the more polite vos rather than tú, which is used in most other Latin American countries.
Despite not having a well-known accent, the manner of speaking tends to be slightly sing-song. It is considered to be very similar to the Colombian accent, and Costaricans and Colombians, recognize that each others speech is relatively similar. One of the unique features of Costarican speech is a distinctive sibilant pronunciation of words beginning with "Tr", like tren ("train"). Costaricans make a longer "tr" sound, which ends up sounding like "trshren". In most Central American countries, the pronunciation is a rough r.
[edit] Ticos and Ticas
Costa Ricans have been long called Ticos by people who find certain Costa Rican diminutives funny.
In Spanish it's common to create diminutives by suffixing the -ito/ita morpheme [gender varies with: "o" or "a"]. This helps soften speech and appear more approachable when interacting with others.
Thus momento (a moment) becomes momentito (a brief moment). In Costa Rica, as in some other regions, when a noun ends in -to or -ta, the -ito/ita morpheme is replaced with -ico/ica; for example, momentico. This practice gives words a diminutive but affectionate quality.
[edit] Religion
Catholicism is recognized as the official religion in Costa Rica and even though many Costa Ricans claim they are Catholic, devotion varies among the population.
A common practice among Latin American countries is the presence of a "Patrona". This represents a variation of the Virgin Mary and is unique for most countries. The "patrona" of Costa Rica is the "Virgen de los Angeles" also known as "La Negrita". The Virgen is one of the most important Catholic symbols because it is country specific and allows common people to identify with religion and feel a sense of direct contact with a saint to whom they can pray to.
There are several religious festivals in the country but the most important is the tradition known as La Romería in which people from all over the country walk every August 2nd from their home to a cathedral dedicated to the Virgin in the city of Cartago.
When they arrive, followers visit a dark colored stone image of the Virgin Mary that appeared in the 16th Century to an Indian native on a hill located in Cartago, the same place where the Cathedral was built.
Despite Catholicism being the official religion, Costa Rica is considered to be quite tolerant of other religions. Some of the religions in Costa Rica include Jehovah's Witness, Judaism, Islam, Hare Krishna and other smaller groups that practice traditions of their ancestry. Protestant forms of Christianity are common in Costa Rica, and make up 14% of Costa Rica's Christian population.
[edit] Education
Education is highly regarded in Costa Rica by most of the population.6% of the countries resources are dedicated to education and it has been proved to have positive results as > 95% of the population is literate.
Primary (1st-6th grade) and secondary (7th-11th or 12th) are free and mandatory for all citizens. However, primary and secondary public education is widely considered to lack the quality and resources seen in private elementary schools, therefore most of the middle-higher class population opt to send their children to private institutions.
At the university level, the country has four major public universities: The University of Costa Rica (UCR), the Instituto Technologico (TEC), The Universidad Nacional (UNA) and the Universidad de Educacion a Distancia (UNED), this last institution is a correspondence institution. Most of the national universities have institutional autonomy and considerable budgets that have allowed them to become some of the major universities in Central America, however most Costa Ricans are unaware of this.
Due to the four main universities not being able to keep up with the demand of the growing population, a great variety of private institutions began to appear in the country. Despite this boom in private investment, private institutions are still fighting for the prestige mainly associated to public universities, and most Costa Ricans when asked will have a more positive opinion of someone who graduated from a public university.
Because of the interest in education, most Costa Ricans firmly believe in education as a way to improve their life.
[edit] Music
Most music and the most representative folklore comes from the north of the country (the part that once had heavy Mayan influence), including the Nicoya Peninsula, and the Atlantic coast (Afro-Caribbean culture). Costa Rican music includes a rhythm known as tambito as well a distinctive musical genre known as punto. Two examples are the punto guanacasteco, which hails from Guanacaste Province, and the punto sancarleño, from San Carlos in Alajuela Province.
Nowadays, rock music is very popular. The Costa Rican rock movement started around the 70's - 80's and bands today enjoy some popularity, especially among young people. Bands such as Gandhi (who defines their music as 'eclectic rock in Spanish') and Evolucion (among others) are quite popular. This movement started in the early 80's with the pioneer work of the band Café con Leche and José Capmany.
[edit] Cuisine
Costa Rican cuisine does not have distinct or original styles to call its own. It is a combination of Spanish, Mexican, American, Caribbean and Southern American influences. This style of cuisine is shared by most of Central America, although local variations have appeared in each of the country.
The closest thing to a national dish is "Gallo Pinto" ("spotted rooster", although the name has no relation to the ingredients). It is mainly a combination of black beans and white rice (usually from the day before), and it is spiced with cilantro, onions, garlic, salt and a local condiment called Salsa Lizano. It is typically eaten at breakfast with eggs, meat, and/or natilla (sour cream). Fried plantains and either corn tortillas or bread, are also common. The dish's origin and nationality are under scrutiny, because it is also widely consumed in Nicaragua, and debates over who the dish really belongs to, occasionally pop-up.
Another typical dish is "Arroz con pollo" ("rice with chicken"). This dish basically consists of bite size chicken chunks mixed with rice and diced vegetables that include carrots, peas, corn and garbanzo beans (chickpeas).
"Olla de Carne" is another typical dish which is mainly prepared on weekends. It is basically a broth soup prepared by boiling water, meat and whole-to large sized vegetable pieces, with spices. Eating the soup usually requires a bowl with the broth, and separate plates for the vegetables and rice. Because preparation of the vegetables is tiresome and the size of the plate obligates using a large pot, it is prepared for family meetings and was usually prepared on Sundays after church.
"Casados" are also a typical dish. A casado is basically a one-plate meal, that at least includes black beans, rice, a meat and one or more side dishes. The meat can vary from chicken or beef, fish, tongue, liver, or hamburger patties. The side dishes can range from pasta salads, vegetable salads, fried eggs, potatoes, spaghetti, or "barbudos" (green beans wrapped in egg batter). Finally most casados include fried plantains. Casados normally vary according to location, tradition and daily mood.
A very common practice when sitting down to eat is to drink a fruit drink of some kind. These are called ("refrescos," "frescos," "naturales," or "batidos"). They are made with either water or milk and come in an endless variety: canteloupe, strawberry, tamarind, mango, papaya, lemon, blackberry (mora), guanabana, fruit punch, horchata, and a local favorite, case. They are generally overly sweet with non-sugar options unavailable.
Finally, there are some important regional differences. The Caribean side of the country, because of its roots, enjoys Gallo pinto but adding Coconut oil. This is called "Rice an' Beans". This region also has "Pati", "Plantain tarts", "Rondon" and "Pan bon". The north-western part of the country, has a strong tendency towards corn products and is famous for large, cheese filled tortillas, corn snacks and other dishes.
[edit] National attitude
Ticos are normally very friendly, helpful, laid-back, unhurried, educated, hygienic, non-violent and environmentally aware people. They worry little about deadlines and arrive late to many appointments. For Ticos, spending quality time with family and friends is paramount and most people prefer jobs that allow them free time.
Two of the most important idiosyncratic elements of the Costa Rican people are choteo (mockery) and the quedar bien (staying on everybody's good side).
Faced with complicated or difficult situations, Ticos tend to be cynical and use irony and mockery to difuse them; this is known as the choteo. There is normally no harm intended; it is a way to laugh at situations that can sometimes hurt the sensitivities of others. Therefore, most Ticos grow up accepting "choteo" as a normal part of life.
Ticos also prefer to avoid conflicts, so they make an effort to stay on people's good side. Therefore Ticos are very resistant to change if it involves causing a problem; this is quedar bien. In order to quedar bien, Ticos prefer to perpetuate unfair status quo, lie to someone's face, or pass the problem to someone else if it involves causing trouble.
[edit] Public behavior
The barriers to social interaction are much lower than in other countries. Ticos are usually friendly, approachable, and they quickly smile. It is not considered odd to strike up a conversation with someone standing next to you at a stop light or sitting next to you on a bus, however, this attitude has been changing as crime levels have increased. Public displays of anger or impatience, are seen as bad manners.
[edit] Costa Ricans' views of Americans
A person from the United States, is normally referred to as Gringo, but without any ill-will as in other Latin American countries. For Costa Ricans, the word Gringo is just an easy way to refer to Americans. Americans are the main tourists coming to Costa Rica. In some groups, they are seen as the cause of rising prices and globalization. Nevertheless, the majority of Costa Ricans consider the United States a friend and an ally; out of all nations south of its border, the U.S. probably enjoys the highest approval ratings in Costa Rica.
Canadians and Europeans are becoming more common in the country and are normally seen as separate than Americans. However they are expected to communicate in English if not Spanish, other languages like French or German are not widely spoken.
Nicaraguans recieve a mixed opinion in Costa Rica. Because many of the Nicaraguans that eventually emigrate to the country are economically lower class citizens, a prejudice towards Nicaraguans exists. Part of this is due to media misrepresentation of Nicaraguans, attributing them responsibility for rising crime rates. However, most Costa Ricans relate daily to Nicaraguans, so few harbor any ill will to them. They are essential for the country's economic prosperity. Most of the misunderstandings between Costa Ricans and Nicaraguans is due to Costa Rican, "choteo" and Nicaraguans not being used to it.
[edit] Pura Vida
The phrase that embodies the Tico lifestyle is Pura Vida, literally translated as Pure Life, meaning roughly "This is living!" or "Cool!" Friends often greet or salute each other with Pura vida mae (or Pure life, dude, which could be rendered as "cool, dude!" or "This is living, dude!") Another translation might be something like "distilled life!" suggesting "I am experiencing the best in life"; and since life is about friendship, relaxation, flirting, happiness and good fun, this means you are having a wonderful time. This all-encompassing statement is used by many Costa Ricans (and expatriates) to refer to the free spirit and love for life of this tropical country. Also refers to the state of something going really well or being very positive. See uses below.
[edit] Uses
"Pura vida" is widely used in Costa Rica. People use it to refer to their mood or personality as well as to a situation.
-Ese mae es pura vida (that dude is pure life). Meaning that the dude is really cool, friendly and fun to be with.
-¿Cómo te fue en el exámen? (How did you do in the exam?) -Pura vida, creo que lo aprobé. (Pure life, I think I passed it).
-¿Cómo estuvo el viaje a la playa? (How was the trip to the beach?) Pura vida, la pasamos excelente. (Pure life, we had an excellent time) meaning everything went well and had a great time.
Less frequently people use it as to say that they agree with something.
-Vamos al cine el viernes? (Want to go to the movies on Friday?) -Pura Vida, yo me llego a su chante a las 6 p.m. (Pure life, I'll be at your place at 6 p.m.)
Note: Never use pura vida with something negative, you'll sound like a complete fool as you are only contradicting yourself and the true meaning of pura vida. For example don't ever say:
-"El accidente estuvo pura vida, todos se salvaron" (The accident was pure life, everyone survived). Even though everyone survived (which is great), something like an accident can never be pura vida.
