Costa Rican Customs and Culture

While one is talking about culture and customs of a particular time-space, you should be aware that you are venturing into a terrain of great. It is a vast domain, about which one needs to be aware and no single article can cover the great scope of any culture and the same holds true while writing about the customs, rituals and culture of Costa Rica. It should be remembered that every culture is dynamic, complex, always in a flux and often full of surprises. Costa Rica is no different.

The country’s population is roughly around 3.5 million and the Costa Ricans often refer to themselves as “Ticos”. The Costa Ricans feel proud about the varied history that backs them up. Costa Rica is where Mesoamericans and South American native cultures had met long ago. Nicoya peninsula, which is the northwest of the country, had been influenced by Nahuatl culture, when invaded by Spanish conquerors. The central and southern parts of the country exhibit Chibcha influence, while the indigenous population of Costa Rica has contributed negligibly in the making of modern-day Costa Rica, since most of them had died because of disease and mistreatment meted out to them by Spaniards. Most Costa Ricans of African origin sprang from Jamaican slave trading. A lot of Italian and Chinese populations of the-now-Costa Rica also refer to this period, when huge labor forces were employed for rail-road constructions, connecting the Central Plateau region with the Caribbean coast.

In terms of race, Costa Rica is considered among the most homogenous of the region. Costa Ricans hate to be considered racists, but they at times also enjoy speaking about the "whiteness" that uniquely characterizes them. Almost 98% of the Costa Rican are mestizos, and are tonally different from black and indigenous people and a visitor will be conveniently able to tell between other Latin American countries and a Costa Rican. Though racism was never a problem among Costa Ricans, as is in Northern America, it should not be very surprising to find “Ticos” look down upon a relatively dark-skinned person. However, racial disagreement is extremely rare and is at the level of prejudice. It exists, but in a manner that is careful and indirect.

Costa Rica exhibits homogeneity in terms of social classification. Almost the entire population can be categorized as the middle-class, and even in regions, where extreme poverty is seen to exist, it is not so much of a problem as it is in other Latin American countries. Besides these two dominant classes, namely the poor and the middle classes, there is also an upper class. This class exhibits extreme elitism, and is composed of a mixture of traditionally rich families and nouveau riche.

Costa Rica’s economy and industry have grown incredibly in the past years, but the culture retains a degree of conservatism as upheld by most “Ticos”. The positive aspects of being a Tico is friendliness and the hospitality that most Tico people exhibit. Costa Ricans, in addition, are extremely social, and they derive extreme pleasure from gatherings and celebrations of any kind.

Coming to religious customs and practices in Costa Rican culture, it should be mentioned that almost ninety percent of the country’s population is Catholic. The only official Costa Rican language is Spanish, determined by two dominant accents, namely the standard Spanish and the Nicoyan.

Costa Rican music is widely celebrated around the world, especially the calypso.

Several visitors have lovingly associated themselves with Costa Rica and its culture. The main feature of the Costa Rican is moderation and the ideals of Tico identity primarily encourage peace and compromise over violence.