Christmas Day, celebrated on December 25th, is one of the most important holidays in Costa Rica. The holiday is widely celebrated throughout the country as the majority of the Costa Rican population identifies as Catholic. It's a time for family gathering, spiritual reflection, and appreciation of the birth of Jesus Christ. Local houses, public spaces, and streets are beautifully decorated with Christmas lights and nativity scenes, adding a vibrant and festive atmosphere to the surroundings.
A crucial part of the holiday celebration in Costa Rica is the Misa de Gallo or the Rooster's Mass, a midnight church service on Christmas Eve. Families attend this mass together, marking the end of the Advent season and initiating the Christmas celebration. After the mass, families return home for the traditional Christmas meal which features tamales, a staple during this holiday season, wrapped in banana leaves and often served with Salsa Lizano, a typical Costa Rican condiment.
Another significant tradition in Costa Rica during the Christmas season is the 'Portal', a representation of the nativity scene. Families spend days, sometimes weeks, creating elaborate nativity setups that often expand beyond the Holy Family to include a wide range of characters and settings. Some include entire landscapes with rivers and farms. No matter how they celebrate, Costa Ricans always aim to spend Christmas surrounded by family and loved ones, emphasising the values of love, peace, and gratitude.