Welcoming the New Year is a fun occasion to do with friends and family. In addition, there is no better destination to do this than in Costa Rica traditionally. There are various ways to celebrate the coming of the new year to suit everyone’s taste. You will surely have a great time welcoming 2020 from this exotic location as you are going to discover below:
Fireworks
Expect a beautiful fireworks display at midnight. Costa Ricans enjoy fireworks any day of the season and new year’s eve is an opportune moment to enjoy the show. The whole country lights up with colorful explosions. You will just have to keep your flammable items away and hug your pet to shield it from the loud blasts. Everyone is deeply engrossed in hoping for the best in the New Year.
New Year’s Barbecue
For meat lovers, Costa Rica is the place to be on New Year’s Eve. Look forward to the traditional meal for the occasion filled with piled barbequed meats. This is usually cooked slowly over a fire using coffee wood. Look forward to eating up your portion of New Year’s luck in your stomach. This will give optimism to take you throughout the year.
Eat 12 good luck Grapes
By this time, supermarkets and fruit stalls throughout the country are filled with grapes with some imported. In Costa Rica, there is a New Year tradition involving eating 12 grapes to bring good luck throughout the new year. Each grape represents a month of the year. This Spanish tradition is shared by many countries in Latin America. Ensure to book accommodation at the Los Suenos Marriott In Costa Rica from where to make 12 wishes while eating the grapes.
Choice of underwear
Another wonderful New Year tradition in Costa Rica is wearing yellow underwear. This is believed to attract good fortune throughout the upcoming year. Wearing green underwear is believed to attract money. Those looking forward to attracting soul mates in the new year should wear red underwear. Alternatively, you can just hang the underwear in those colors in a ribbon on the front door to attract whatever you wish in the new year.
Toss Some Water
Water lovers are not left out when looking forward to a traditional New Year celebration in Costa Rica. The tradition here is to throw a pan of water over the shoulder. This symbolizes washing away all difficult moments in the outgoing year to leave them behind. It marks a moment to begin the upcoming year afresh. If water is not your thing, you can just toss some salt over your shoulder for the same effect. The act puts the old year with all its bad memories behind and prepares you to face the new year with all its promises.
Walking around with a suitcase
To Costa Ricans, walking around your neighborhood carrying a suitcase at the stroke of midnight comes with endless travel and adventure opportunities in the New Year. This seems a bit silly but it doesn’t hurt to try it out anyway especially if you are a travel enthusiast. Perhaps it might foretell getting another opportunity to visit the country and enjoy its wonderful travel destinations.
Wish lanterns
Although this is not so ubiquitous as the New Year barbeque and fireworks, it is widely popular in various areas of Costa Rica. People light up beautiful flying fireballs before setting them free at midnight on New Year Eve. To participate, it is a great idea to choose biodegradable lanterns to limit the impact on the local biodiversity and wildlife. Non-biodegradable lanterns might ensnare baby dolphins and sea turtles on falling over the ocean.
Why choose to enjoy New Year even in Costa Rica
December is the end of the rainy season in Costa Rica leaving behind lush green vegetation. The afternoons are now dry making days seem longer. You will enjoy endless moments out in the sun. with coldness taking over the northern hemisphere, cool breezes descend southward forcing everyone to get out their warm sweaters, scarfs, and gloves. Those coming from the southern and northern parts of the world feel comfortable just like spring days.
A lot usually happens for the end of year celebrations in Costa Rica apart from indulging in traditions highlighted above. Some of these include:
- Beach parties
- Beach club fireworks displays
- Endless drinking with open bars
- Partying all night long in various bars, clubs, and dive bars
Bottom line
Celebrating New Year’s Eve in Costa Rica is a wonderful experience to indulge in various local traditions. This gives a new twist to the celebrations. After booking your accommodation in the luxurious Los Suenos Marriott, you will have endless moments to enjoy saying good-bye to 2019 full of life, with laughter, and plenty of other fun activities.
