Culture of Costa Rica

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Costa Rica

A Diquis stone sphere in the courtyard of the National Museum of Costa Rica.

Oxcart wheels, decorated in traditional style, found particularly in Sarchí

Costa Rican culture has been heavily influenced by Spanish culture ever since the Spanish
colonization of the Americas including the territory which today forms Costa Rica. Parts of the
country have other strong cultural influences, including the Caribbean province of Limón and
the Cordillera de Talamanca which are influenced by Jamaican immigrants and indigenous native
people, respectively.[citation needed]

Contents

 1Ethnic groups
 2Language
o 2.1Pura vida
 3Religion
 4Education
 5Art
o 5.1Painting and sculpture
o 5.2Music
o 5.3Dance
o 5.4Writing
 6Cuisine
 7See also
 8References
Ethnic groups[edit]

Chavela Vargas Mixed-Costa Rican Born - Singer

Harry Shum, Jr Asian-Costa Rican - Glee Actor/Dancer

Joel Campbell Afro-Costa Rican Football Player

Claudia Poll, Nicaragua-born White-Costa Rican, Gold-Medalist Olympic Swimmer

Ibo Bonilla, Criollo-Costa Rican, architect, sculptor, mathematician and educator

Costa Rican kids.

As of 2012 most Costa Ricans are of primarily Spanish or Spanish/Mixed ancestry with minorities of
German, Italian, French, Dutch, British, Swedish and Greek ancestry.
Whites, Castizo and Mestizo together comprise 83% of the population.[1][2]
European migrants in Costa Rica to get across the isthmus of Central America as well to reach the
USA West Coast (California) in the late 19th century and until the 1910s (before the Panama
Canal opened). Other European ethnic groups known to live in Costa Rica include Russians, Danes,
Belgians, Portuguese, Croats, Poles, Turks, Armenians and Georgians.
Many of the first Spanish colonists in Costa Rica may have been Jewish converts to Christianity who
were expelled from Spain in 1492 and fled to colonial backwaters to avoid the Inquisition.[3] The first
sizable group of self-identified Jews immigrated from Poland, beginning in 1929. From the 1930s to
the early 1950s, journalistic and official anti-Semitic campaigns fueled harassment of Jews;
however, by the 1950s and 1960s, the immigrants won greater acceptance. Most of the 3,500 Costa
Rican Jews today are not highly observant, but they remain largely endogamous.[4]
Costa Rica has four small minority groups: Mulattos, Blacks, Amerindians and Asians. About 8% of
the population is of African descent or Mulatto (mix of European and black) who are called Afro-
Costa Ricans, English-speaking descendants of 19th century black Jamaican immigrant workers.
In 1873, the Atlantic Railroad imported 653 Chinese indentured laborers, hoping to duplicate the
success of rail projects that used Chinese labor in Peru, Cuba, and the United States. Asians
represent less than 0.5% of the Costa Rican population, mostly from China, Taiwan and Japan.
There are also over 104,000 Native American or indigenous inhabitants, representing 2.4% of the
population. Most of them live in secluded reservations, distributed among eight ethnic
groups: Quitirrisí (in the Central Valley), Matambú or Chorotega (Guanacaste), Maleku (northern
Alajuela), Bribri (southern Atlantic), Cabécar (Cordillera de Talamanca), Guaymí (southern Costa
Rica, along the Panamá border), Boruca (southern Costarable portion of the Costa Rican population
is made up of Nicaraguans.[5] There is also a number of Colombian refugees. Moreover, Costa Rica
took in lots of refugees from a range of other Latin American countries fleeing civil wars and
dictatorships during the 1970s and 80s – notably from El Salvador, Chile, Argentina, Cuba and
recently from Venezuela.
Currently immigrants represent 9% of the Costa Rican population, the largest in Central America and
the Caribbean. By 2014 the three largest Immigrant Diasporas in Costa Rica are people
from: Nicaragua, Colombia and United States.

Language[edit]
The official language of Costa Rica is Spanish.[6] However, there are also many local indigenous
languages, such as Bribrí.[7][8] English is the first foreign language and the second most taught
language in Costa Rica, followed by French, German, Italian and Chinese.[9][citation needed] A creole
language called Mekatelyu is also spoken in Limón.[10]
Pura vida[edit]

The phrase "Pura Vida" on a woman's shoulder

Pura vida, a characteristic Costa Rican phrase, literally means pure life, with connotations that
suggest translations such as "full of life", "this is living!", "going great", or "real living".[11][12][13] The
phrase can be used both as a greeting or a farewell, as an answer expressing that things are going
well, as a way of giving thanks, or showing appreciation.[14] In modern-day usage, the saying goes
beyond its simple translation: it's a way of life. It is a perspective to life that evokes a spirit that is
carefree, laid back and optimistic.
According to Víctor Manuel Sánchez Corrales of the University of Costa Rica, the origin of the
phrase is Mexican. It is thought to have come from a Mexican film called ¡Pura vida! (1956). The
protagonist, played by Antonio Espino, used the expression "pura vida" extensively in situations
where it would not normally be used. Costa Ricans adopted the phrase, using it in a similar way. It
was formally recognised and incorporated into dictionaries in the mid-1990s [15] and has since
become Costa Rica's unofficial but ubiquitous motto.[16]

Religion[edit]
Main article: Religion in Costa Rica
A 2007 survey conducted by the University of Costa Rica, found that 70.5% of the population identify
themselves as Roman Catholics (with 44.9% practicing, 25.6 percent nonpracticing), 13.8%
are Evangelical Protestants, 11.3% report that they do not have a religion, and 4.3% declare that
they belong to another religion.[17]
There are several other religious festivals in the country; Costa Rica has various religious
denominations: Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, Baha'i Faith, Scientology,
Rastafari, Taoism, Jehovah's Witness, and Neopaganism.[citation needed]

Education[edit]
Main article: Education in Costa Rica
Education is highly cared about in Costa Rica by most of the population. About 6% of the country's
gross domestic product is dedicated to education,[18] which has produced positive results as 96% of
the population is literate. Primary (1st-6th grade) and secondary (7th-11th or 12th) are mandatory for
all citizens. Public schools are free, and those who can afford it may opt to send their children to
private schools.
The country has six major public universities: the University of Costa Rica (UCR), the Instituto
Tecnológico de Costa Rica (ITCR), the Universidad Nacional (UNA), the Universidad Técnica
Nacional, the Universidad Para La Paz, and the Universidad Estatal Distancia (UNED).[19]

Art[edit]

Costa Rican Women in Traditional Dress

Painting and sculpture[edit]
At the beginning of the 19th century, some wealthy Costa Ricans paid visiting foreign painters,
usually European, to paint their portraits.[20] It was not until some of these painters, such as Bigot,
Henry Etheridge, or Santiago Paramo settled in the country that Costa Rican artists learned modern
techniques for drawing, oil painting, and sculpture.[20] These teachers directly influenced Tico artists
Jose Maria Figueroa, Faustino Montes de Oca, and Felipe Valentini.
Towards the end of the 19th century Costa Ricans produced artists with stronger national identities.
A short list of these artists would include Ezequiel Jimenez, Wenceslao de la Guardia, and Enrique
Echandi. Current renowned Costa Rican painters include Gonzalo Morales Sáurez, Rafa Fernandez,
and Fernando Carballo, and sculptors such as Ibo Bonilla, Max Jimenez, Jorge Jimenez Deredia,
Domingo Ramos, Mario Parra, Olger Villegas, Nestor Zeledon, and William Villanueva Bermudez.
Music[edit]
Main article: Music of Costa Rica
Most of the music and folklore comes from the north of the country, including the Nicoya
Peninsula (Mayan culture) and the Atlantic coast (Afro-Caribbean culture). Costa Rican music is
marked by a rhythm known as tambito, as well as a distinctive musical genre known as punto. Two
examples are the punto guanacasteco from Guanacaste Province, and the sancarleño from San
Carlos in Alajuela Province.
Dance[edit]
Dance remains an important cultural tradition in Costa Rica. Most Costa Ricans learn several
traditional dances from a young age. The vast majority of Costa Rican traditional dances were born
in the province, Guanacaste. National holidays are often celebrated by spirited displays of dancing in
the streets.[21]
Many consider the Punto guanacasteco to be the national dance, which showcases three different
stages of courtship. Occasionally, all dancers will pause mid-dance so that one person can shout out
a bomba. A bomba is a rhymed verse which can be memorized or improvised and is usually racy or
witty.[21]
Writing[edit]
The readers of Costa Rican Literature are very rare beyond the Central American border, but their
works are deserving of further acknowledgement. Costa Rican Literature is arguably carried by
women, who played a large role in every literary movement in the century. Most Notably, Carmen
Lyra whose overall subject matter and perspective made her a revolutionary figure.[22] Other well
known authors include Jose Leon Sanchez, Aquileo J. Echeverría (Concherías), Manuel González
Zeledón (La propia), Joaquin Gutierrez (Cocori, Puerto Limón, Manglar), Carlos Luis Fallas (Marcos
Ramírez, Mamita Yunai), Carlos Salazar Herrera (Cuentos de angustias y paisajes), Isaac Felipe
Azofeifa, Fabián Dobles, Jorge Debravo, Alberto Cañas Escalante, Yolanda Oreamuno and Eunice
Odio.

Cuisine[edit]
Main article: Costa Rican cuisine
Gallo Pinto

Costa Rican cuisine is a combination of Spanish, South American, Caribbean, and American
influences. This style of cuisine is shared by most of Central America, although local variations have
appeared in each of the countries.
One national dish is gallo pinto ("spotted rooster"), although the name has no relation to the
ingredients. It is a combination of black beans and white rice, spiced with cilantro, onions, garlic, salt,
and a local condiment called Salsa Lizano. It is typically eaten at breakfast with eggs, and
sometimes natilla (sour cream). Fried plantains and either corn tortillas or bread are also
common. Gallo pinto is a common and typical dish in both Costa Rica and Nicaragua.
Other typical dishes are arroz con pollo, olla de carne, tamales, and casado. Arroz con pollo (rice
with chicken) consists of bite size chicken chunks mixed with rice and diced vegetables that include
carrots, peas, corn, and garbanzo beans. Olla de carne is mainly prepared on weekends.[citation needed] It
is a broth of corn prepared by boiling water, meat, and whole-to large sized vegetable pieces with
spices. The soup is eaten in a bowl with the broth and separate plates for the vegetables and rice.
A casado is a one-plate meal that includes black beans, rice, meat, fried plantains, and one or more
side dishes. The meat can vary from chicken, beef, or fish. Some examples of side dishes are pasta
salad, vegetable salad, fried eggs, potatoes, spaghetti, or barbudos (green beans wrapped in egg
batter).[citation needed]
There are some regional differences. For example, the Caribbean side of the country, because of its
roots, has gallo pinto with coconut milk, while the north-western part of the country has a strong
tendency towards corn products and for large, cheese filled tortillas, corn snacks, and other dishes.