Cultural Sidebar #10 - Christmas in Costa Rica: La Nochebuena y La Navidad

Wishing everyone back home a happy and safe holiday season. This year's festivities have been a bit different for me (and quite a bit warmer). Although I’ve experienced Christmas abroad before when my family lived in Australia, we were all together for the holidays. This was the first time in my life I’ve spent Christmas without them. Fortunately, 2024’s technology means they’re just a zoom call away, but it was still a little strange spending the holidays without my biological family. However, as someone interested in a career in international relations and/or foreign service, spending holidays alone may become my new reality someday, so I’m grateful to have had this experience. As Peace Corps Volunteers, we are not permitted to leave the country until a full three months after arriving in our communities. Given that we officially swore in on September 27, the earliest we could return stateside for the holidays was December 27th. Some of my peers will head home that day but given that I wouldn’t arrive in time for Christmas anyway, I’ve elected to use those vacation days on a quick solo trip to Colombia next month.

Costa Rica is a deeply Catholic country, meaning that Navidad, or Christmas, is a big deal here. There are some foods and drinks that are particularly prevalent during Costa Rica’s holiday season. Whereas American families decorate cookies, Tico families make tamales together. In place of Turkey, Costa Ricans often prepare pork leg as a Christmas staple. Finally, a drink called Rompope (spiked Egg Nog) is incredibly popular too. My host mom actually made around 200 bottles of rompope for the community.

In my experience here, Christmas Eve, or Nochebuena, is the main event of the season. Santa arrives quite a bit earlier in Costa Rica: presents are opened late night on Christmas Eve rather than on Christmas morning like in the States. Many ticos stay up well past midnight on Nochebuena and partake in fiestas. Meanwhile, Christmas Day itself is primarily spent resting, recovering, and spending time with family. I was surprised to see many businesses were open by late afternoon or evening on Christmas Day. My community held Catholic Mass services on both Nochebuena and Navidad. As weird as it was to spend Christmas away from home, I’m grateful to have experienced a Costa Rican Christmas. ¡Feliz Navidad y Feliz Año Nuevo!



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