Ethnicity
In the 19th century, the caribbean region of Language
Costa Ricans speak standard 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 less polite vos rather than tú, which is used in most other Latin American countries. One of the unique features of Costa Rican speech is a distinctive sibilant pronunciation of words beginning with "Tr", like tren ("train"). Costa Ricans make a longer "tr" sound, which ends up sounding like "trshren". In most Central American countries, the pronunciation is a rough r.[citation needed] Ticos and Ticas
Costa Ricans have long called themselves Ticos, in reference to the use of diminutives particular to Costa Rican speech. 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 Religion
Catholicism is recognized as the official religion in 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 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 2 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, Education
Education is highly regarded in 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 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. Music
Main article: Music of Costa Rica 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 Nowadays, funk music is very popular. The Costa Rican funk movement started around the 70's - 80's and bands today enjoy some popularity, especially among young people. Bands such as Gandhi and Vagrant Downfall (who defines their music as 'funky stuff 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. Cuisine
Costa Rican cuisine does not have distinct or original styles to call its own. It is a combination of Spanish, Mexican, American, 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 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.[citation needed] 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, cas. Finally, there are some important regional differences. The National attitude
Ticos are normally very friendly, helpful, laid-back, unhurried, educated, hygienic and environmentally aware people. They worry less about deadlines than most Westerners and can be expected to arrive late to most engagements, though in sometimes this is not the case. This acceptance of tardiness is affectionately referred to as "Tico Time". For Ticos, spending quality time with family and friends is paramount and most people prefer jobs that allow them free time. This cultural aversion of conflict is also expressed through the slang phrase "tuanis", which parallels the English phrase "to cry uncle". Literally meaning "too nice", responding to a potentially dangerous situation by resorting to the phrase "tuanis" can be interpreted as simultaneously an act of cowardice or surrender. In younger age groups "tuanis" means "cool" or "fine". Costa Ricans' views of foreigners
A person from the Aside from the Iraq War, other All tourists should be wary that a well-respected and time-weathered stereotype of malodorous Gringos and Europeans has its trappings in reality. Hygiene is a vital part of social integration and manners in Canadians and Europeans are becoming more common in the country and are sometimes but not often regarded as separate than Americans. However, most Westerners are largely treated as equals. Nicaraguans, making up between 10 to 15 percent of Costa Rica's 4.43 million inhabitants, face more discrimination than most other groups, largely belonging to the lower class and sometimes living in the country illegally. Stereotypes of Nicaraguans are pervasive. Some Costa Ricans fear Nicaraguans and attribute unexplainable phenomena, unsolved crimes and general maladies to Nicaraguans. Part of the distrust of Nicaraguans is due to the illusion that they commit more crimes and that they can be attributed them responsibility for rising crime rates. However, most Costa Ricans are strongly integrated with Nicaraguan individuals and communities, and their language and ethnic differences are negligible, ergo few harbor any serious ill will towards them. Many Nicaraguans enter the country seasonally for coffee harvests, or work year round as maids, farmers, mechanics and other low-income jobs. Afro-Costa Ricans are similarly frowned upon by select individuals. Pura Vida
Pura Vida, literally translated means "Pure Life" but means contextually something approximate to "Purified life", "This is living!", "Going great", or "Cool!" It can be used as a greeting, as a word of farewell, to express satisfaction, and in some instances to politely express indifference when describing something. The phrase has become widely known in the |
