Costa Rica Christmas With Tamales and the Traditional Leg of Pork

Feliz Navidad mis amigos…

Costa Rica is predominantly a Catholic country and the government and many businesses will come to a screeching halt on the 21st of December to begin the celebration of Christmas.

Although people will claim that everything is back to normal by the 2nd January, the truth is that it’s the week after before anyone is seriously thinking about work…

The ‘green’ or ‘rainy season’ has come to an end, the weather is windy and cool (for Costa Rica) in the Central Valley and families are planning their traditional family dinner to be held on Christmas Eve.

For most holidays, a leg of pork is the choice of meat and will be accompanied by tamales made from corn flour dough and stuffed with potatoes, vegetables, pork or chicken. This mix is then wrapped in the green leaves of the plantain and boiled.

The whole process of making the ‘tamales’ is a very traditional one, many members of the family are expected to help prepare the food and each family will have their own ‘twist’ on the traditional recipe.

On the darkest, coldest nights, temperatures can plummet to a low of around 70 degrees on the coast but many Costa Ricans will already be at the beach or are planning their trip to the beach sometime after Christmas to soak up the sun after the ‘green season.’

One Christmas – a long time ago – when I was to go camping to the beach on Friday with my Costa Rican girlfriend at the time, her two sisters, their husbands and all the children too but as usual, nothing had been planned.

Absolutely nothing!

It took me a couple of years to get the hang of this Costa Rican “Don’t worry! We’ll leave everything until the very last second before we even think about doing anything” way of thinking.

Being a bit of a type ‘A’ personality myself, I want to know exactly where the beach is, how to get there, how long will it take us to get there, exactly what the conditions are, what facilities are available, where I can safely park my car, how clear and safe the water is and should I take my diving gear?

But the fact of the matter is, it doesn’t really matter if I think everything should be planned that way because that’s what I’m accustomed to.

It’s rarely done that way in Costa Rica and if one is to be genuinely happy living here in this beautiful country, you simply must accept that…

Written by Scott Oliver, author of 1: How To Buy Costa Rica Real Estate Without Losing Your Camisa, 2: Costa Rica’s Guide To Making Money Offshore and 3. ¿Cómo Comprar Bienes Raíces en Costa Rica, Sin Perder Su Camisa?

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.