Celebrating Mother’s Day in Costa Rica

When Mother’s Day comes around, treat mom to a vacation and set course to sun drenched Costa Rica. After a year of cooking, cleaning and running after the kids, mom deserves to lie on the beach or sit by the hotel swimming pool, read a book, work on her tan, or just relax.

Costa Ricans celebrate Mother’s Day on August 15th. Children of Costa Rican families might travel home to be with mom on her special day; they might cook mom a special meal; give her a card, flowers or a gift, or take her out on the town.

Costa Ricans love mothers, all mothers. Mother’s Day being a national holiday in Costa Rica, banks, schools and small businesses close for the day so employees can spend time with mom, and those who have to work receive holiday pay.

In shops you might see T-shirts and other items emblazed with “Yo (big red heart) a Mama”, and it’s not unusual for local moms, and tourist moms, to be greeted with “Feliz dia de la madre!”

This love and respect for moms stems undoubtedly from Costa Rica being a Catholic country. On August 15th the country also celebrates the Feast of the Assumption, known as the day that the Virgin Mary ascended to heaven.

The Virgin Mary being the most important mother in all of Catholic history, Costa Ricans take their cue from religion and have honored their mothers on this day throughout the years.

Not that flowers and gifts were always part of Mother’s Day. For Costa Rican grandmothers the day was just like any other day, but as North Americans adopted the day to honor mom and commercialized it, Costa Ricans embraced this new way wholeheartedly to pay tribute to the moms in their lives.

Our beachfront hotel in Playa Langosta is the perfect setting to celebrate mom on your next Costa Rica vacation.