The population of Costa Rica adds up to almost four million people. Most of the population is white; nevertheless there are blacks, African Americans, Indian Americans and Chinese.
There are many people of Hispanic background, which are called ticos.
There is a significant amount of black and Chinese all over the territory, mainly by the Caribbean coast.
In the religious area, most of the people in Costa Rica profess Roman Catholicism. Some others are protestant, evangelical and there is a small community of Jews and Muslims.
Spanish is the official language but English is spoken, which is taught in schools, mainly in the tourist areas, especially in Puerto Limón; also other languages like French, and Italian are spoken. Many African Caribbean people speak a dialect of the English called creol. In areas that are separated, indigenous languages are spoken, mainly the Bribri.
The clothing of the people of Costa Rica is very casual. The men usually wear short sleeve shirts and a necktie for work but sometimes wear sport shirts. Women pay more attention to the clothes and are more concerned with fashion. Western style clothes are very common for women. The young people of Costa Rica prefer to dress themselves in casual clothes much to the American style; they usually wear t-shirts and jeans.
Traditions and Culture
In addition to its good system of education, Costa Rica is very well known for its natural beauty and friendly people; nevertheless, it is not as well known for its culture. The culture of Costa Rica is mainly of European influence. The cultural activity has been developed within the past hundred years because until the last half of the nineteen-century, it was mainly an agriculturist country.
The traditions of Costa Rica were derived from the old and modern culture. People have a unique identity and their hospitality is probably the most generalized tradition in Costa Rica. The Ticos are very homogenous, racially and culturally. They are very preservative, nevertheless are beginning to adopt several characteristics of the North American culture. They are very friendly with the foreigners and the vast majority has a high level of education.
Although there are many families of unmarried mothers, still many things revolve around the traditional family.
Some religious traditions that are very important for the family include the baptism, the first communion, the festivities to celebrate engagements, weddings and funerals. The holidays, as Passover, Good Friday and Christmas are celebrated in a mixture of pagan celebrations and religious traditions.
Passover, Good Friday and Christmas are occasions to rest and to enjoy with family and friends. Some people attend the religious offices and others go to the beach. A very popular religious celebration in this country is the peregrination to the Basilica of the Angels in the city of Cartago, in honor to the Virgin of the Angels.
During this day many people walk to the city from all parts of the country to fulfill a promise to the Virgin or to renew their confidence in her. It is an incredible day because some people walk for weeks to arrive at the city.
In Costa Rica one hopes that men and women behave in a different way and that they respect their roles in society. Although, the role of the woman has changed at the present time, the country still conserves the male dominant attitude of the colonial time, although many women work in important businesses or in the government, they still must maintain traditional and preservative the characteristics.
In Costa Rica, there are traditional customs when the people greet themselves; the women or relatives greet themselves with a delicate kiss in the cheek. Women, which are not known, give themselves light taps in the arms. The men shake their hands and it might be considered offensive if they don't do it. If a girl goes out on a date she might be required to be home by ten pm. The children hang around together in groups and normally the boys have a schedule to spend the time with the girls.
Many single adults in Costa Rica live in house of the parents until they are married.
To entertain themselves, people likes to play or even watch sports. Soccer is the most popular, but basketball, baseball, volleyball, car racing, swimming, mountain biking, running and tennis are popular also. In some parts of the country the sport fishing is quite common and the people who can afford it can enjoy golf and the pole.
The tico enjoys reading specially novels, short stories and poetry; in the same way, the music that is listened to in the country very is varied. Classic music, played by the National Symphonic Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra, as well as Chamber Orchestras, are presented in Theaters and Amphitheatres; popular music is listened to in all the corners of the country and dancing is a favorite activity for people of all ages.
Each city has at least a dance hall. Near the coast many people dance to music played by banjos and drums. They also like to salsa dance. People attend to local carnivals, festivals and bull runs. In addition, the beaches are very popular and are very concurred at all times of the year.
Being a country that appreciates cultural events is expected to see the theater welcomed by the population. There exist in the capital, many shows that are presented daily; the cinema is also enjoyed in a huge number of movie theaters, mainly in the commercial centers.
