Editing Costa Rica (section)

== Culture ==
{{Main|Culture of Costa Rica}}
[[File:Costa Rica Sarchi ox drawn cart.jpg|thumb|[[Las Carretas, Costa Rican Oxcarts|Las Carretas (oxcarts)]] are a national symbol.]]
Costa Rica was the point where the [[Mesoamerican]] and South American native cultures met. The northwest of the country, the Nicoya peninsula, was the southernmost point of [[Nahuatl]] cultural influence when the Spanish conquerors ([[conquistadores]]) came in the 16th century. The central and southern portions of the country had [[Chibcha]] influences. The Atlantic coast, meanwhile, was populated with African workers during the 17th and 18th centuries.

As a result of the immigration of Spaniards, their 16th-century Spanish culture and its evolution marked everyday life and culture until today, with the Spanish language and the Catholic religion as primary influences.

The Department of Culture, Youth, and Sports is in charge of the promotion and coordination of cultural life. The work of the department is divided into the Direction of Culture, Visual Arts, Scenic Arts, Music, Patrimony, and the System of Libraries. Permanent programs, such as the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica and the Youth Symphony Orchestra, are conjunctions of two areas of work: Culture and Youth.{{Citation needed|date=June 2009}}

Dance-oriented genres, such as ''[[Soca music|soca]]'', ''[[Salsa music|salsa]]'', ''[[Bachata (music)|bachata]]'', ''[[Merengue music|merengue]]'', ''[[cumbia]]'' and Costa Rican swing, are enjoyed increasingly by older rather than younger people. The guitar is popular, especially as an accompaniment to folk dances; however, the marimba was made the national instrument.

In November 2017, ''[[National Geographic]]'' magazine named Costa Rica as the happiest country in the world,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/11/worlds-happiest-places/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019011402/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/11/worlds-happiest-places/|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 October 2017|title=These Are the World's Happiest Places|website=[[National Geographic Society]]|date=16 October 2017}}</ref> and the country routinely ranks high in various happiness metrics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/01/sun-sea-and-stable-democracy-what-s-the-secret-to-costa-rica-s-success/|title=Costa Rica is one of the world's happiest countries. Here's what it does differently|date=31 January 2019 |access-date=30 October 2020|publisher=World Economic Forum|archive-date=4 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201104041601/https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/01/sun-sea-and-stable-democracy-what-s-the-secret-to-costa-rica-s-success/|url-status=live}}</ref> The article included this summary: "Costa Ricans enjoy the pleasure of living daily life to the fullest in a place that mitigates stress and maximizes joy".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.todayincostarica.com/costa-rica-is-the-happiest-places-in-the-world-according-to-national-geographic/|title=Costa Rica is the Happiest Places in the World According to National Geographic..|date=9 November 2017|access-date=7 December 2017|archive-date=7 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207140456/http://www.todayincostarica.com/costa-rica-is-the-happiest-places-in-the-world-according-to-national-geographic/|url-status=live}}</ref> It is not surprising then that one of the most recognizable phrases among "Ticos" is "''Pura Vida''", pure life in a literal translation. It reflects the inhabitant's philosophy of life,<ref name="elementonatural.com">{{Cite web|url=http://www.elementonatural.com/2016/08/12/what-does-pura-vida-mean/|title=What does Pura Vida mean...|date=12 August 2016|access-date=7 December 2017|archive-date=7 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207140930/http://www.elementonatural.com/2016/08/12/what-does-pura-vida-mean/|url-status=live}}</ref> denoting a simple life, free of stress, a positive, relaxed feeling.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bUM8y5L1h8kC&q=costa+rica+meaning+of+pura+vida&pg=PA1|title=The History of Costa Rica|first=Monica A.|last=Rankin|date=29 December 2017|publisher=ABC-CLIO|via=Google Books|isbn=9780313379444|access-date=16 October 2020|archive-date=3 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240203170333/https://books.google.com/books?id=bUM8y5L1h8kC&q=costa+rica+meaning+of+pura+vida&pg=PA1|url-status=live}}</ref> The expression is used in various contexts in conversation.<ref name="speakinglatino.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.speakinglatino.com/pura-vida-the-most-important-phrase-in-costa-rica/|title=PURA VIDA: The Most Important Costa Rica Spanish Expression|date=21 August 2012|website=Speaking Latino|access-date=7 December 2017|archive-date=25 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825031424/https://www.speakinglatino.com/pura-vida-the-most-important-phrase-in-costa-rica/|url-status=live}}</ref> Often, people walking down the streets, or buying food at shops say hello by saying ''Pura Vida''. It can be phrased as a question or as an acknowledgment of one's presence. A recommended response to "How are you?" would be "''Pura Vida''."<ref>{{Cite book|title=Selected Proceedings of the First Workshop on Spanish Sociolinguistics|last=Trester|first=Anna Marie|publisher=Cascadilla Proceedings Project|year=2003|isbn=978-1-57473-400-3|editor-last=Sayahi|editor-first=Lotfi|location=Somerville, MA|pages=61–69|chapter=Bienvenidos a Costa Rica, la tierra de la pura vida: A Study of the Expression "pura vida" in the Spanish of Costa Rica|chapter-url=http://www.lingref.com/cpp/wss/1/paper1008.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.lingref.com/cpp/wss/1/paper1008.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live}}</ref> In that usage, it might be translated as "awesome", indicating that all is very well.<ref name="speakinglatino.com"/> When used as a question, the connotation would be "everything is going well?" or "how are you?".<ref name="elementonatural.com"/>

Costa Rica rates 12th on the 2017 [[Happy Planet Index]] in the World Happiness Report by the UN;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://worldhappiness.report/ed/2017/|title=World Happiness Report 2017 – World Happiness Report|website=worldhappiness.report|date=20 March 2017|access-date=6 August 2017|archive-date=20 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320110735/http://worldhappiness.report/ed/2017/|url-status=live}}</ref> however, the country is said to be the happiest in Latin America. Reasons include the high level of social services, the caring nature of its inhabitants, long life expectancy and relatively low corruption.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/world-happiness-report-happiest-countries-2017-3|title=The 21 happiest countries in the world|first=Erin|last=Brodwin|website=Business Insider|access-date=22 November 2020|archive-date=20 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320095419/https://www.businessinsider.com/world-happiness-report-happiest-countries-2017-3|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/galleries/worlds-happiest-countries/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/galleries/worlds-happiest-countries/ |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Revealed: The world's 10 happiest countries for 2019|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=20 March 2017|via=www.telegraph.co.uk}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

=== Cuisine ===
{{Further|Costa Rican cuisine}}
[[File:Gallo pinto cr.jpg|thumb|Costa Rican breakfast with [[gallo pinto]]]]
Costa Rican cuisine is a blend of [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]], Spanish, African, and many other cuisines origins. Dishes such as the very traditional [[Tamal (dish)|tamale]] and many others made of corn are the most representative of its indigenous inhabitants, and similar to other neighboring Mesoamerican countries. Spaniards brought many new ingredients to the country from other lands, especially spices and domestic animals. Later in the 19th century, the African flavor lent its presence with influence from other Caribbean mixed flavors. This is how Costa Rican cuisine today is very varied, with every new ethnic group who had recently become part of the country's population influencing the country's cuisine.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.southerncostarica.biz/General/cat-others/Costarican-Typical-Food/179/ |title=Costa Rican Typical Food |publisher=Southerncostarica.biz |access-date=2 November 2011 |archive-date=15 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111115142555/http://www.southerncostarica.biz/General/cat-others/Costarican-Typical-Food/179/ |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=February 2011}}

=== Sports ===
{{main|Costa Rica at the Olympics|Football in Costa Rica}}
[[File:Uruguay - Costa Rica FIFA World Cup 2014 (29).jpg|thumb|Costa Rica supporters at the [[2014 FIFA World Cup]] in Brazil]]

Costa Rica entered the [[Summer Olympics]] for the first time in 1936.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mallon |first=Bill |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/301358310 |title=Historical dictionary of the Olympic movement |date=2006 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |others=Ian Buchanan |isbn=978-0-8108-6524-2 |edition=3rd |location=Lanham, Md. |pages=58 |oclc=301358310 |access-date=19 April 2022 |archive-date=3 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240203170256/https://search.worldcat.org/title/301358310 |url-status=live }}</ref> The sisters [[Silvia Poll|Silvia]] and [[Claudia Poll]] have won all four of the country's [[Olympic Medals]] for swimming; one Gold, one Silver, and two Bronze.<ref>{{cite web |title=Costa Rican Medals and Results in the Olympic Games |url=https://www.olympiandatabase.com/index.php?id=28331&L=1 |website=Olympian Data Base |access-date=16 February 2022 |archive-date=17 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217032801/https://www.olympiandatabase.com/index.php?id=28331&L=1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Costa Rican Olympic Medalists – list of medalists from Costa Rica |url=https://www.olympiandatabase.com/index.php?id=28333&L=1 |access-date=2022-04-19 |website=www.olympiandatabase.com |archive-date=17 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217034756/https://www.olympiandatabase.com/index.php?id=28333&L=1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=Tcrn |date=2018-09-21 |title=Sylvia Poll's Record: 30 Years of A Historical Feat |url=https://thecostaricanews.com/sylvia-polls-record-30-years-of-a-historical-feat/ |access-date=2022-04-19 |website=The Costa Rica News |language=en-us |archive-date=18 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518042743/https://thecostaricanews.com/sylvia-polls-record-30-years-of-a-historical-feat/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Association football|Football]] is the most popular sport in Costa Rica. The [[Costa Rica national football team|national team]] has played in five [[FIFA World Cup]] tournaments and reached the quarter-finals for the first time in [[2014 FIFA World Cup|2014]].<ref>{{cite news|title=World Cup: Costa Rica defies the odds in winning Group D|author=Griffiths, F.|url=https://www.thestar.com/sports/soccer/2014/06/24/world_cup_costa_rica_defies_the_odds_in_winning_group_d.html|date=24 June 2014|access-date=29 June 2014|newspaper=[[Toronto Star]]|archive-date=27 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140627132821/http://www.thestar.com/sports/soccer/2014/06/24/world_cup_costa_rica_defies_the_odds_in_winning_group_d.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Navas Carries Costa Rica to World Cup Quarters|work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|author=Martel, B.|date=29 June 2014|access-date=29 June 2014|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/navas-carries-costa-rica-world-cup-quarters-24358976|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140630082929/https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/navas-carries-costa-rica-world-cup-quarters-24358976|archive-date=30 June 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Its best performance in the regional [[CONCACAF Gold Cup]] was runner-up in [[2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup|2002]]. [[Paulo Wanchope]], a forward who played for three clubs in England's [[Premier League]] in the late 1990s and early 2000s, is credited with enhancing foreign recognition of Costa Rican football.<ref>{{cite news|title=World Cup 2014: Paulo Wanchope, the player who put Costa Rica on the map, has warning for England|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/costa-rica/10681889/World-Cup-2014-Paulo-Wanchope-the-player-who-put-Costa-Rica-on-the-map-has-warning-for-England.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/costa-rica/10681889/World-Cup-2014-Paulo-Wanchope-the-player-who-put-Costa-Rica-on-the-map-has-warning-for-England.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=4 June 2019|newspaper=The Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Costa Rica, along with [[Panama]], was granted the hosting rights of 2020 [[FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup]], which was postponed until 2021, due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/womens-football/news/costa-rica-and-panama-to-host-fifa-u-20-women-s-world-cup-2020|title=Costa Rica and Panama to host FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup 2020|access-date=20 December 2019|website=FIFA.com|archive-date=20 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120185402/https://www.fifa.com/womens-football/news/costa-rica-and-panama-to-host-fifa-u-20-women-s-world-cup-2020|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/who-we-are/news/bureau-of-the-fifa-council-decisions-on-fifa-events|title=Bureau of the FIFA Council decisions on FIFA events|access-date=12 May 2020|website=FIFA.com|archive-date=12 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200512172426/https://www.fifa.com/who-we-are/news/bureau-of-the-fifa-council-decisions-on-fifa-events|url-status=live}}</ref> On 17 November 2020, [[FIFA]] announced that the event would be held in Costa Rica in 2022.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/who-we-are/news/update-on-fifa-club-world-cup-2020-and-women-s-youth-tournaments|title=Update on FIFA Club World Cup 2020 and women's youth tournaments|access-date=17 November 2020|website=FIFA.com|archive-date=27 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127094253/https://www.fifa.com/who-we-are/news/update-on-fifa-club-world-cup-2020-and-women-s-youth-tournaments|url-status=live}}</ref>

As of late 2021, [[Costa Rica's women's national volleyball team]] has been the top team in [[Central America]]'s AFECAVOL (Asociación de Federaciones CentroAmericanas de Voleibol) zone.<ref>{{cite news |title=Belize drops game to Nicaragua, drops to 1–4 at Central American Senior Women's Volleyball Championship |url=https://www.breakingbelizenews.com/2021/10/23/belize-drops-game-to-nicaragua-drops-to-1-4-at-central-american-senior-womens-volleyball-championship/ |accessdate=28 December 2021 |work=[[Breaking Belize News]] |date=23 October 2021 |archive-date=4 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404035656/https://www.breakingbelizenews.com/2021/10/23/belize-drops-game-to-nicaragua-drops-to-1-4-at-central-american-senior-womens-volleyball-championship/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Costa Rica featured a women's national team in [[beach volleyball]] that competed at the [[2018–2020 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Continental Cup]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Continental Cup Finals start in Africa |url=https://www.fivb.com/en/about/news/continental-cup-finals-start-in-africa?id=94414 |access-date=7 August 2021 |work=[[FIVB]] |date=22 June 2021 |archive-date=7 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807141038/https://www.fivb.com/en/about/news/continental-cup-finals-start-in-africa?id=94414 |url-status=live }}</ref>