Costa Rican Culture: How to Make a Typical Mask or “Mascarada”

Costa Rica doesn’t officially celebrate Halloween (although bars and restaurants countrywide would wholeheartedly disagree with that statement). Instead, the Costa Rican Ministry of Culture created a national mandate declaring October 31st the “Dia Nacional de la Mascarada,” or the traditional day dedicated to traditional masks and mask makers. “Mascaras” are beautiful handmade masks that have…

Attack of the CRABS! 9 Things You Didn’t Know About Costa Rica’s Land Crabs

For about two or three days each year in early July, crabs are everywhere. Thousands of red and purple carapaces and gigantic claws swarm Tamarindo’s shorelines in a mass exodus. They click and clack around the beaches, roads and even parking lots. The Tamarindo estuary overflows with them. And these aren’t just any ordinary crabs…