BETTER HOMES NEWSLETTER

Ticos Fiestas

Ticos know how to put on a party - big time. If you are lucky enough to share a holiday or fiesta with the local people, it will add a whole new dimension to your vacation. We had a marvelous time at a Mother's Day celebration in the small park opposite the metal school building in San Jose. We were surrounded by friendly smiling families. Ladies danced in colorful native costumes, food vendors sold myriad tempting treats, and the children rode ponies and competed in games (when they weren't being chased by the fantastic payasos, gigantic papier-mache clown heads). It offered us the chance to be part of the local culture. We had a great time. Some festival dates vary each year.

JANUARY January 1 - New Year's Day. First two weeks - Fiesta de Palmares in Palmares, a quiet village 56 km/35 miles west of San Jose. Carnival rides, bullfighting, music and folk dancing. Week of Jan. 15th - Fiestas de Alajuelitas. Oxcart parade to an iron cross overlooking town, honoring the Black Christ of Esquipulas. Also, Fiestas de Santa Cruz in Guanacaste, with marimba music, folk dancing and more.

FEBRUARY First week - San Isidro de General Fair has livestock shows, industrial fairs, bull teasing and an agricultural and flower exhibition. Last week - Sun Festival is an annual gathering for a fire ceremony to celebrate the Maya New Year on Feb. 25th. Look for info in San Jose. Same week is the Puntarenas Carnival, offering a week of fun in the sun in a working town that knows how to party.

MARCH 2nd Sunday - Dia del Boyero (Oxcart Driver's Day), San Antonio de Escazii. A parade of colorful oxcarts, along with competitions and animal blessings. 2nd week - International Arts Festival throughout towns in the Central Valley. One of the best of its kind. Most cultural events take place in San Jose (check dates at www.festivalcostarica.org). March 16-26 - Fruit Festival, Orotina. Fruits and vegetables from all across the country are exhibited and sold. Rides, food, lectures and concerts. Mid-month - Pilgrimage. A religious procession beginning in Cartago and ending in Ujarras at the ruins of the first church in Costa Rica. March 19th - Saint Joseph's Day. St. Joe's namesake neighborhoods celebrate with special masses and fairs. People from San Jose picnic at Poas Volcano. March or April - Holy Week. Religious processions depict crucifixion. Holy Week is especially popular in San Jose, Cartago and Heredia. Easter Sunday features a joyous procession of Resurrection. Popular, but many city dwellers head for the beach for a long weekend.

APRIL April 11th - Juan Santamaria Day commemorates Costa Rica's national hero of battle with William Walker (see page 228). Celebrations all week, with parades, bands and dances. Especially big in Alajuela. Last week in April - University Week. Concerts, exhibitions and parades at the University of Costa Rica in San Pedro. Last week of April through first week of May, Artisan's Fair. San Jose hosts a popular craft fair.

MAY May 1st - Labor Day. The President gives his annual State of the Nation address and Congress elects new leaders. There are many marches. City of Puerto Limon celebrates with picnics, dances and cricket matches. May 15th - San Isidro Labrador's Day. Namesake towns honor the Patron Saint of farmers and farm animals. There are parades and fairs, and a priest blesses crops and animals. May 17th - Carrera de San Juan is a big cross-country race challenging runners over a tough 22.5-km/14-mile course. May 29th - Corpus Christi Day. Religious celebration and national holiday.

JUNE Third Sunday - Father's Day. Dad's special day. Ask him for more money. June 29th - St. Peter and St. Paul Day. Popular religious celebrations for namesake towns.

JULY Saturday closest to July 16th -Virgin of the Sea. In salute to Puntarenas' Patron Saint, Virgin of Mt. Carmel, there is a regatta of decorated fishing boats and yachts in the Gulf of Nicoya. Parades, sports events, firework displays and religious masses are held. July 25th - Guanacaste Day. Celebrates Guanacaste's 1824 decision to become a province of Costa Rica (instead of Nicaragua). Liberia holds fiestas, parades, folk dances, bullfight and concerts.

AUGUST August 1 & 2nd - Virgin of Los Angeles Day. Honors Costa Rica's Patron Saint, La Negrita, with a nationwide pilgrimage to Cartago. Worshippers crawl on their knees in a procession. Also that day is Our Lady of Angels in Pardos, near Cartago, where figures topped by huge papier-mache heads, called payasos, re-enact a battle between the Moors and the Spanish. August 15th - Mother's Day, a national holiday. Mothers are treated to special meals, candy and flowers. Call home. August 30th - San Ramons Day. Neighboring towns parade 30 saints through the streets to the San Ramon church.

SEPTEMBER September 15th - Independence Day. All of Central America celebrates their mutual Independence Day. In Costa Rica, student runners carry a "Freedom Torch" from Guatemala to Cartago, timed to arrive at precisely 6 pm on the 14th, when everyone in the country stops and sings the national anthem. Parades on the 15th.

OCTOBER Early to mid-October - Carnaval in Puerto Limon. Mardi Gras-style parades, floats and dancing in the streets. This town knows how to party. October 12th - Dia de la del Pilar. The San Jose district of Tres Rios celebrates its Patron Saint. October 12th - Fiesta del Maiz. Corn is the focus in Upala with parades and costumes made entirely of corn husks, grains and silks.

NOVEMBER November 2nd - All Soul's Day. Day of the Dead, which begins on the 1st, is observed by family visits to graveyards to leave flowers for departed loved ones. End of November - Oxcart Parade down the Paseo de Colon, San Jose. Begun in 1997 to honor the oxcart heritage. Entries come from all over the country.

DECEMBER All month - The Lights Festival in San Jose features homes and businesses decorated with lights. Parades, concerts and nightly firework displays. Week of the 8th - Fiesta de los Negritos. Indian rituals combine with Catholic concepts to honor the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception. Costumes, drums, flute music and dance in the indigenous village of Boruca. Week of 12th - Fiesta de la Yeguitta (Little Mare) in Nicoya. Virgin of Guadalupe is honored with ancient Indian rituals and special foods, processions, fireworks and concerts. Mid-December - Posada season begins. Carolers go from house to house (many collecting for religious donations) and Tico friends, co-workers and families get together in homes and restaurants for long joyful meals. Mid-December to end of month - Festejos Populares (Popular Festivals). South San Jose fairgrounds at Zapote put on the country's largest and most unusual year-end bash with rides, food, bull teasing, music and fireworks. As many as 200 people cram into the bullring and a bull is released into the crowd. Reminiscent of the "Running of the Bulls" in Pamplona, Spain, except there is no place to run. If Hemingway were still alive, he'd be dying to go. December 25th - Christinas Day. Traditional dinner includes tamales, corn meal pastry stuffed with meat and wrapped and cooked in corn husks or banana leaves. Christmas Eve mass is the Mass of the Rooster, Misa del Gallo. December 26th - Tope, the daddy of all horse parades, downtown San Jose. December 27th - Carnival. A huge parade with floats and music takes place in downtown San Jose. December 31st - January 2nd - Fiesta de los Diablitos. Indians of the southern Boruca region near Golfito enact a fight/dance between Indians, diablitos, and Spaniards. Indians dress in burlap sacks with elaborately painted masks; the Spaniards are two athletic young men in a bull costume. Village flute and drum music.

A tico Christmas

A tico Christmas

By Michael L. Smith

As in other parts of the world, Christmas in Costa Rica is a time for celebration and parties, sharing and reflecting. The month of December is electric with thoughts of the season, and busy with preparations for festivities, family get togethers and vacations. In late November decorations begin to appear in downtown shops, and by the second week of December everybody has lights strung, cypress wreaths hung and Christmas trees decorated. And you can be sure that here, too, stockings are carefully in place awaiting the arrival of the Baby Jesus.

The traditional Christmas tree in Costa Rica is a big evergreen branch, a small cypress tree, or dried coffee branches. The "tree" is decorated with white paint and brightly colored strips of paper. Lights and small colored balls, a variety of small figures and lace are also used to adorn the greenery. A gold star is placed on top as a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem.

A very popular Latin American tradition--the portal--is a nativity scene constructed of mosses and grass, colored sawdust, cypress twigs, black paper, silver glitter and figurines representing the birth of Jesus in the manger. Along with the traditional figures of Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, shepards, the three wise men and the ox and mule, Costa Ricans commonly add extra embellishments like dolls, little farm animals, tiny toys, fruits and berries, and lights.

To keep reading visit  http://www.cocori.com/library/crinfo/xmasincr.htm

Charity Golf Tournament

The Guanacaste Classic Central America’s biggest amateur golf tournament will take place next week on July 22 and 23 at the Reserva Conchal and Hacienda Pinilla. However, this significant event on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, known as The Guanacaste Classic, is not an ordinary weekend golf outing with some buddies.

Any one can play golf in Costa Rica, but the real challenge and excitement is to play Costa Ricastyle golf. The Guanacaste classic gives everyone this genuine opportunity by celebrating the cultural and historic Annexation of Guanacaste while playing golf.

The tournament clearly goes beyond basic golf. In fact, it will be all things Guanacaste. The event, in this third year, will provide traditional Guanacaste music, folklore and dance. Even the trophies, handed out to the winners, represent Guanacaste culture. They are constructed with local, Guanacaste material and try to emulate classical Guanacaste pottery.

Those looking for more conventional tournaments prizes won’t have much of a problem even with the tournament’s heavy emphasis on Guanacaste. Winners of golf and raffles will be able to claim hotel stays, airline tickets, golf, massages and dinners.

The Guanacaste classic further enhances its cultural theme of Guanacaste and golf by adding another dimension: the event will try to raise money for Costa Rican charity named Challenge Golf. Started by Jose Quesada, Challenge Golf provides handicapped people, particularly children and young adults, with the opportunity to play golf. This year, one participant from Challenge Golf will be competing in the tournament.

It is expected that the event will include over 200 participants and at least 60 business sponsors headlined by Flor de Caña. People from Guanacaste, San Jose, Puerto Rico, Canada, United States and Colombia are taking part in the tournament. There is a $250 entrance fee to participate in one of the many categories of play ranging from beginner to pro.

copyright of Beach Times Publishig

Liberia's July Fiestas

Liberia’s Guanacaste Annexation Day

The sabanero  (Costa Rica cowboy) tradition is extremely important to local Guanacastecos, and that is never more apparent than during the 10 day celebration surrounding Dia de la Anexion de Guanacaste (Guanacaste Annexation Day) in the province capital, Liberia.

This year, the Liberia Cattle Fair and Exposition will be held from July 21-31 in accordance with the celebration of the annexation of the Nicoya peninsula and the rest of Guanacaste into Costa Rica in 1824.

Each miring at 5 a.m., the quiet town will come alive as the inhabitants of Liberia are roused from their sleep by an informal parade of cars with loudspeakers playing music and whoever else decides to join in the noisemaking. The idea sure everyone is awake to prepare for the day’s activities. Events will include horse and dog shows, rodeos, traditional and folkloric dancing and concerts.

They will be held at the Camera de Ganaderos in Liberia fairgrounds on the highway to the airport.

Costa Rica Food

Costa Rican food is a fusion cuisine. It combines elements of culinary traditions from Africa, Italy, France, China, and Spain, flavored by traditional grains (rice, corn, and beans), roots (cassava, taro roots, sweet potatoes), spices (coriander, garlic, annatto, saffron, parsley, oregano, thyme, nutmeg, salt, and pepper), oils (olive oil, vegetable oil, and lard), sauces (Lizano, Soy, and Worcestershire), fresh fruit, and vegetables. The food is mild to slightly seasoned.

The most common dishes that reflect the rural culture and are served in typical food restaurants are Gallo Pinto (Spotted Rooster) and Casados (Married.) Gallo Pinto consists of rice and beans seasoned with coriander, onions and Worcestershire sauce usually served for breakfast with scramble or fried eggs and a cup of Agua Dulce (pure sugar cane diluted in hot water) or coffee. Casado consists of white rice, black or red beans served with pork, steak, or chicken, a small portion of cabbage/lettuce & tomato salad, and fried plantains. All is served in one dish for lunch or dinner with a refreshment or coffee.

Traditional food goes beyond Gallo Pinto and Casados. You can delight yourself with more main dishes, drinks, tapas, and desserts. Popular main dishes are Arroz Guacho (sticky rice,) higado en salsa (beef liver salsa,) Escaveche (chicken escaveche,) pozole, ceviche, Arroz con Pollo (chicken rice), Papas con Chorizo (Chorizo sausage with potatoes,) Frito (Pork Stew) Olla de Carne, Barbudos (String bean omelet,) and Mondongo (Beef Stomach Soup.)

Common refreshments are Horchata (Ground Rice & Cinnamon Drink), Pinolillo (Corn Cocoa Drink,) or Resbaladera (Rice & Barley Drink.)

Common bocas are Platanos Maduros (Fried Ripe Plantains), Platanos asados (Baked Ripe Plantains), Pejibayes (Peach Palm), Picadillo de Chayote con Elote (Minced Vegetable Pear with Corn), Picadillo de Papaya Verde (Minced Green Papaya), and Picadillo de Vainicas (Minced String Beans with Beef.)

Common desserts are queque seco (Orange Pound Cake), Torta Chilena, Miel de Chiverre (Sweet White Spaghetti Squash), Tres Leches, Arroz con leche (rice pudding,) Dulce de Leche, and Suspiros (Maringues.)