Culture of Costa Rica

The locals refer to themselves as tico or tica (female). "Tico" comes from the locally popular usage of "tico" diminutive suffixes (eg. 'momentico' instead of 'momentito'). The tico ideal is that of a very friendly, helpful, laid back, unhurried, educated and environmentally aware people, with little worry for deadlines or the "normal" stresses of United States life. Visitors from the United States are often referred to as gringos, which is virtually always congenial in nature. The phrase "Pura Vida" (literally pure life) is a motto ubiquitous in Costa Rica. It encapsulates the pervading ideology of living in peace in a calm, unflustered manner, appreciating a life surrounded by nature and family and friends.

Some folk might use maje or mae (sort of "man", actually maje means "dumb") to refer to each other although this might be slightly insulting to other folk.

Costa Rican traditions and culture tend to retain a strong degree of Spanish influence. Their spoken accent is rather closer to certain areas of Colombia than its Central American counterparts. Costa Rica boasts a varied history. Costa Rica was the point where the Mesoamerican and South American native cultures met. The northwest of the country, Nicoya, was the southernmost point of Nahuatl cultural influence when the Spanish conquerors (conquistadores) came in the 16th century. The center and southern portions of the country had Chibcha influences. However, the indigenous people have influenced modern Costa Rican culture to a relatively small degree, as most of the Indians died from disease and mistreatment by the Spaniards. The Atlantic coast, meanwhile, was populated with African slaves in the 17th and 18th centuries, although most Caribbean Costa Ricans of African ascent descend from Jamaican workers brought in during the 19th century to work in the construction of railways connecting the urban populations of the Central Plateau to the port of Limon on the Caribbean coast. During the 19th century Chinese and Italian immigrants came to the country to work on the construction of the railroad system as well.

Language
Costa Ricans speak standard American Spanish, but they usually utilize the respectful "Usted" form of addressing one another. When they do use a familiar form, they often use vos rather than tú. The manner of speaking tends to be slightly sing-song. There is a Costa Rican accent, and its unique feature is a distinctive sibilant pronunciation of words beginning with "Tr", like tren ("train"), which would be pronounced something like "tshrain". As in some other Central American countries, many people pronounce initial r, medial rr, and r at the end of a syllable as well like the s in English "measure" (rather than trilled).

Ticos and Ticas
Costa Ricans have been long called Ticos by people from other countries who find certain Costa Rican diminutives funny. In Spanish it's common to create diminutives by suffixing the -it- morpheme [plus gender morpheme: "a" or "o"]; thus momento (a moment) becomes momentito (a brief moment). In Costa Rica, as in some other regions, when a noun ends in -to or -ta, the -it- morpheme is replaced with -ic-; for example, momentico. This practice gives words a diminutive but affectionate quality.

Religions
Catholicism is recognized as the official religion in Costa Rica; many Ticos will claim they are Catholic, but very few actually follow the religion's doctrine wholeheartedly. The "Virgen de los Angeles" known as "La Negrita" is the most important symbol of the catholic religion. There's a tradition known as La Romería in which people from all over the country use to walk every August 2nd from their home places to the cathedral of Cartago. They visit La Negrita, a dark colored stone image of Saint Mary that apparently appeared on the 16th Century to an Indian native on a hill located in Cartago, same place where the Cathedral was built. There are also small groups who practice a mixture of Catholicism, occultism, and traditions of their African/Indian ancestry.

Education
Education is highly valued in Costa Rica. The elementary, middle-school and high-school levels are free and mandatory for all citizens. There are four major public universities (including the University of Costa Rica). There is also a great variety of private education.

Music
Most music and the most representative folklore comes from the north of the country (the part that once had heavy Mayan influence), including the Nicoya Peninsula, and the Atlantic coast (Afro-Caribbean culture). Costa Rican music includes a rhythm known as tambito as well a distinctive musical genre known as punto. Two examples are the punto guanacasteco, which hails from Guanacaste Province, and the punto sancarleño, from San Carlos in Alajuela Province.

Nowadays, rock music is very popular. The Costa Rican rock movement started around the 70's - 80's and bands enjoys today some popularity, specially among young people. Bands such as Gandhi (who defines their music as 'eclectic rock in Spanish') and Evolucion (among others) are quite popular. This movement started in the early 80's with the pioneer work of the band Café con Leche and José Capmany.

Cookery
Costa Rican cooking does not have a distinct or particular style or many dishes to call its own.

The closest thing to a national dish is "arroz con pollo" ("rice with chicken"), diced chicken in rice with garbanzo beans (chickpeas) and cilantro.

"Olla de Carne" is a soup with many different vegetables and meats.

"Gallo Pinto" ("spotted rooster"), a combination of black beans, white rice (both usually from a meal the day before), cilantro, onions, garlic, salt and a special sauce, it is typically eaten with eggs, meat, and/or natilla, the Costa Rican version of sour cream, as well as very ripe fried plantains and either corn tortillas or French bread, is often eaten for breakfast.

Lunch is considered the main meal of the day. It frequently consists of a plate lunch called a "casado," so named because its main components, black beans and rice, sit side-by-side as if married. The main dishes served with a casado vary, from chicken or beef in sauce, to potato patties, to fish.

Fruit drinks are common ("refrescos," "frescos," "naturales," or "batidos") with meals. Made with either water or milk, they come in an endless variety: canteloupe, strawberry, tamarind, mango, papaya, lime, blackberry, guanabana, fruit punch, horchata, cas.

Costa Rica has a strong influence of the Caribbean. Dishes such as "Pati" and "Rondon" have become part of the culture.

Emotional Ambiance
Although it might seem odd to some Americans or Europeans, emotional ambiance is understood to be a valid and important concern. In all situations, the ideal is to keep things flowing in a friendly and relaxed manner without undue self-inflicted stress or worry. The Tico ideal is a very friendly, helpful, laid-back, unhurried, educated, hygenic, non-violent and environmentally aware people, with little worry about deadlines or the "normal" stresses of United States life. The Ticos don't sweat the small stuff, don't rush, and spend quality time with family and friends.

Some of the most important idiosyncratic elements of the Costa Rican people are the choteo and the quedar bien. Most Ticos tend to be cynical about their government and the future of the country, so they use lots of irony when talking; this is known as the choteo. Most are politically and socially passive and avoid confrontations; this practice is the quedar bien. In order to stay within quedar bien, they would rather lie to someone's face than confront them and cause problems. (Unwarranted generalization based on a cultural stereotype.)

Public behavior
The barriers to social interaction are much lower than in the United States. Usually everyone is very abordable (approachable), and it is not considered odd to strike up a conversation with someone standing next to you at a stop light or sitting next to you on a bus. Public displays of anger or impatience, or a pointless refusal to be helpful and friendly, are seen as maleducado, (ill-bred or literally ill-educated) or "concho" (hard as a conch shell).

Costa Ricans' views of foreigners
Visitors from the United States, Canada and Europe are often referred to as "gringos," which, unlike in some other Central American countries, is virtually always congenial in nature. Americans and Europeans are sometimes seen as cold and rude.

As more and more Americans discover Costa Rica, they are seen as the cause of rising prices and the unwanted Americanization of the country. Nevertheless, many Costa Ricans consider the United States a friend and an ally; out of all nations south of its border, the U.S. probably enjoys the highest approval ratings in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica has in the past been the destination of many grass-roots refugees from neighboring war-torn countries like El Salvador and Nicaragua; most of the immigrants higher up the socio-economic ladder moved on to wealthier economies like Canada, the United States, or Europe. These grass-roots foreigners are sometimes thought to display behavior which in Costa Rica could be considered uncouth, such as a certain loudness or rudeness. Crime is often blamed on immigrant Nicaraguenses.

Pura Vida!
The phrase that embodies the Tico lifestyle is Pura Vida, literally translated as Pure Life, meaning roughly "This is living!" or "Cool!" Friends often greet or salute each other with Pura vida mae (or Pure life, dude, which could be rendered as "This is living, dude!") Another translation might be something like "distilled life!" suggesting "I am experiencing the best in life"; and since life is about friendship, relaxation, flirting, happiness and good fun, this means you are having a wonderful time. This all-encompassing statement is used by many Costa Ricans (and expatriates) to refer to the free spirit and love for life of this tropical country. Also refers to the state of something going really well or being very positive.