Christmas in Costa Rica

Costa Ricans have some great traditions as a culture, almost always in some ways does it involve family. Most of the holidays in the country focus on spending time with loved ones & eating!

Christmas is no exception, one the great reasons for spending it here in this beautiful country!

With many years of being here and witnessing the amazing closeness families share this time of year with great food and fun stories, no exceptio

n to the Christmas tradition are these three delicious holiday food items:

The number one, BBQ during the month of December the neighborhoods smell delicious every night, most families are gathered around the BBQ outside eating sausages, meat & salads. The grill is kept warm and a constant sharing of stories, jokes and togetherness that is so important in today’s day and age with families.

Next on the list are Chicharrones or Pork Cracklings, these tasty treats are commonly cooked (fried) right around Christmas eve, usually make from pork however you can chicharron anything, fish, meat, chicken…Served with a slice of lemon and usually a cold beer!

The last is one of my favorite Christmas traditions here in Costa Rica, the Tamale, originally a recipe provided by the indigenous culture here, made with corn flower, vegetables, meat and wrapped in a banana leaf, this is a meal in itself!

The creation of the tamale is a process, with the whole family takin

g part, the women of the house does the bulk of work making the paste from the corn flour, then each vegetable is added as a decoration for the paste, add a piece of pork or chicken and wrap.

The cooking of the tamale is usually done by the men in house, over an open fire for 2 hours.

But the end result is a delicious meal!

Christmas time in this beautiful country provides families with the chance to celebrated togetherness and definitely an aspect of the culture work observing!

For more information please contact us at: verolizvacations@gmail.com

Pura Vida!

Independence Day in Costa Rica- Freedom, family & fun

The 15^th of September 1821 was an important date not only in the history of Costa Rica, but also for most of the countries in Central America.

It was the day they became free from Spain. Back then Spain ruled Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua & Costa Rica, the central government was then located in Guatemala, on the 14^th of September 1821 Guatemala received the news that Spain would grant independence to these

counties. The news was relayed through Central America and Costa Rica only found out a month later since the information was transmitted by foot crossing Central America.

Nowadays on the 14^th of September is observed a day of passing of the torch, a symbol use

d during the relay of information in 1821, now it is a tradition that the torch is relayed across the country usually carried by students or important members of the local communities.

The 15^th of September is when the party starts.

It is observed as a holiday, visitors to the country will notice most shops are closed and the communities across the country celebrate with parades, typical dancing and lots of food!

It’s an amazing experience to see the school

children participating in marching bands, the girls are elegantly dressed in typical Costarrican dresses, the boys are dressed as typical farm workers complete with hat and old fashioned

sandals and dances of back then are repeated and taught in the months coming up to the important date. You will see children from age 3 to 21 practicing the routine of their ancestors.

It’s a time for families to get together, the mornings are spent at parades and activities in the community and the afternoon are spent with family.

The magic of this day is the importance that is instilled in the children to remember where they came from and why the celebrations are so important. A holiday that everyone observes and it brings out the best of the culture found here in Costa Rica.

Turrialba Cheese Fair 2010

Starting July 10th to 12th is one of the biggest food fairs to take place in Turrialba and it has to do with cheese!

The town that is famous all over Costa Rica for this delicious product will be hosting a fair completely dedicated to cheese and the local producers in the area.

Now in its nineth consecutive year, people flock from San José, the caribbean coast & other areas of the country to be able to purchase, taste and appreciate the hard work put into making delicious fresh Turrialba cheese.

The organizers of this nationally famous fair are ASOPROFOLAC (Asociación para la Promoción y el Fortalecimiento de la Actividad Láctea in spanish) an association made up of local farmers from the area of Santa Cruz of Turrialba.

But this fair also has something for those tummies that can't handle all this cheese.

There are activities that take place throughout 2 weekends that promote the culture of the area with traditional dance groups, art groups and children's activites.

The main attraction of this fair takes place the last Sunday of its run, its the unveiling of the largest piece of Turrialba cheese in Costa Rica.

We invite you to come along & join us for a family fun filled day and see what Turrialba has to offer and of course don't miss out on that special Turrialba Cheese!

For more infomation please visit the official page: http://www.feriadelqueso.co.cr