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Costa Rica is a country located in Central America. It's capital, San Jose, happens to be a very popular tourist attraction. This beautiful country, sprawling with rainforests, is a democratic, independent, and free land for its citizens. Costa Rica is home to almost 5.154 million people who cherish and protect the country! This country is a very common attraction due to their warm weather, protective spaces, many national treasures, and a very happy population :)

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Not only does Costa Rica act as a home to their joyous population, but it is also home to a large variety of species! The warm, wet climates of Costa Rica make their vast rainforests a great habitat for beautiful, tropical animals. As researchers looked further into the ecosystem of Costa Rica, they have discovered over 500,000 different species! These come in a world of vibrant colors all the way down to the camouflage animals that aren't worth passing up.

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Majority of the population in Costa Rica participates in the catholic religion and practices. Nearly 76.3% to be exact! However, 13.7% of Costa Ricans identify as Evangelical Christians with an additional small percentage of the population following other religions.

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As I continue on with the religious views in Costa Rica, I would like to enlighten you on Thanksgiving! Originally, Thanksgiving was not celebrated in Costa Rica nor was it traditional. However, Costa Rica started to become a home for many incoming religions which broadened the horizons of traditions and holidays. Many Americans made their way into this beautiful country and introduced Thanksgiving to the citizens. To welcome the diversity in their community, Costa Rica has now began to celebrate this holiday on the 20th of October every year. Now Costa Rica has spiced up the holiday with some of their own treats and traditions!

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Similarly to Thanksgiving, Costa Rica celebrates Christmas due to their wide population of Christians and Catholics. The way that Costa Ricans choose to celebrate this holiday is not very different compared to how typical Americans choose to celebrate. In this community, it is common to hear about people attending church, receiving and giving gifts, along with other traditional events. Unlike Thanksgiving, Costa Rica celebrates Christmas on the same day that we do. They have most gatherings and family get togethers on December 24th and spend Christmas day partying, dancing, and more. They have their own traditions that add a little spin on the holiday for their joyous country but we will get into that later!

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Over the years, New years has had many developing traditions, ideas, celebrations, and more. Nevertheless, Costa Ricans have always had a special meaning for New Years in their hearts. We all have struggles and ups and down during the years but we take New Years as a chance to start a new opportunity. Similarly to us, Costa Ricans use New Years the same way but with their own special traditions and people. They celebrate this day to leave the old year behind, along with its struggles, and welcome the new year with plenty of hope and open arms. New Years was not always celebrated in the " traditional" way in Costa Rica but since when does Costa Rica like to " follow norms"?

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Costa Ricans may follow a variety of the typical traditions, yet they wont continue without adding a little flavor of their own to the table. On Thanksgiving day in Costa Rica, October 20th, they gather around the table to celebrate family, unity, and gratitude towards one another. As we take a dive into the food you will most likely come across on a Costa Rican dinner table, you may notice a few differences. A common flavor in the Costa Rican culture is fresh fruit which is often incorporated on Thanksgiving. Turkey is served with a blend of local herbs and spices, however, some people choose chicken as a lower priced option. On an American dinner table, you are almost destined to see stuffing or mashed potatoes but not in Costa Rica. They use Gallo Pinto ( rice and beans) as a substitute dish. Another unique choice in Costa Rica is found on their dessert menu. On Thanksgiving it is common to see traditional pies alongside tres leches cake and arroz con leche, also known as rice pudding. It may not be familiar but it sure sounds delicious!

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Christmas is a very important holiday in Costa Rica and it is the time of year when they can hold their most important events and traditions. One of these traditions is the Festiva de la Luz or better known as the Festival of Lights. During this event they take the time to intricately decorate the cities with lights and welcome the community to walk through and admire the beauty. Not only do they cherish their events but they also cherish their unique cuisine on this holiday. Their most popular and well-known Christmas dishes are tamales, rompope, queque Navideno, roast pork, and salsa lizano. Costa Ricans take their tamales VERY seriously by coming together on a day they like to call Tamaleada. These days are often led by the grandmother of the family or another elderly figure. Costa Ricans cherish their tamales because they claim that the Aztecs ate many different types. However, they saved their stuffed tamales for special ceremonies. Christmas is a very important holiday to Costa Ricans and it's very interesting to see the unique and special ways that they celebrate!

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Over the years, the Costa Rican community has not changed many things about the way they celebrate New Years. Like many of their other holidays, family is an enormous part of celebrations, dinners, and more. Throughout America you hear about men and women, young and old, partying and going out on the night of New years. Costa Rica is not involved with these " norms" and quite literally they do the opposite. Bars usually close around midnight and family is gathered around the table for a late dinner by 10pm. These dinners consist heavily of plates on plates, pilled high with a variety of barbecued meats. Once the dinner is complete and everyone is served, they flip on the radio and prepare to hear the countdown to the new year! As they reach their final moments, its full of love, laughter, and fun and once the clock strikes twelve it is a world of hugs, kisses, and celebration for beautiful families.

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Costa Rica is full of unique and inspiring ways of life. However, we are all accustomed to our own traditions, foods, holidays, and celebrations. As I read through articles upon articles about Costa Rica, I found that I had a lot in common with this beautiful country. Similarly, I celebrate the same holidays, but they may not fall on the same day such as Thanksgiving. The meals that my family serves also often come from a Greek origin such as Dolmades, horiatiki, spanakopita, and much more. We do not have a wide variety of unique traditions and we follow many of the traditional American ways of celebration. Lights, parties, gifts, ect. Nevertheless, I love learning about new countries and getting to visualize life from different perspectives.

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As I've covered Costa Rica in the last few weeks, I also feel as if I have discovered a new world of life. This vibrant, joyous community is full of citizens who are more than lucky to call this country home. We have traveled through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years filling each aspect with detail, color, and insight. The diverse cuisine and holidays that are filled with Costa Rican flavors, adding their very own spin to every home. The virtues, morals, and values that Costa Ricans have engraved in their hearts show their true love for their families and the world around them. The more we continue to learn about countries around the world we can allow ourselves to broaden our horizons and welcome light into places that need it most.