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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 Tico s by people from other countries who find certain Costa Rican Diminutive s funny. In Spanish it's common to create diminutives by suffixing the -it- Morpheme 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 See Also: Music of Costa Rica 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 Bean s (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. 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. See uses below. Uses "Pura vida" is widely used in Costa Rica. People use it to refer to their mood or personality as well as to a situation. -Ese mae es pura vida (that dude is pure life). Meaning that the dude is really cool, friendly and fun to be with. -¿Cómo te fue en el exámen? (How did you do in the exam?) -Pura vida, creo que me saqué un cien (Pure life, I think I got an A+). Meaning I did really well. -¿Cómo estuvo el viaje a la playa? (How was the trip to the beach?) -Pura vida, la pasamos excelente. (Pure life, we had an excellent time) meaning everything went well and had a great time. Less frequently people use it as to say that they agree with something. -Vamos al cine el viernes? (Want to go to the movies on Friday?) -Pura Vida, yo me llego a su casa a las 6 p.m. (Pure life, I'll be at your place at 6 p.m.) Some people don't agree with this and other uses because they think that pura vida is being abused in a way that distorts its true meaning, however you do occasionally hear expressions such as the one above. Which takes us, to the wrong uses of "pura vida." Wrong uses -"La comida estuvo pura vida!" (the food was pure life). The food is not something you usually associate with pura vida. You can say that the people working in a restaurant are pura vida, or that the atmosphere of the restaurant is pura vida, but not the food. However, you occasionally hear some people using pura vida in this and other weird ways. Most things are usually not associated with pura vida because pura vida is a feeling, a way of life. However, you can say that a party was pura vida, meaning that the atmosphere of the party was great, that it was a heck of a party. -"Mi perro es pura vida" (My dog is pure life). Ticos usually don't refer to their animals as being pura vida. There are some that might do it but, this is rare and is thought of by many as another example of pura vida abuse. Never use pura vida with something negative, you'll sound like a complete fool as you are only contradicting yourself and the true meaning of pura vida. For example don't ever say: -"El accidente estuvo pura vida, todos se salvaron" (The accident was pure life, everyone survived). Even though everyone survived (which is great), something like an accident can never be pura vida. There are many other wrong uses for pura vida but, these are some of the most frequent. If any other Ticos can think of some additional examples you are more than welcome to add them to this section. |
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