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Photo of the Month: Thanksgiving and a
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The Thanksgiving Concert Party First off,
let's take care of past events. In November 2006, on the Sunday
after Thanksgiving, friends and neighbors were invited to a full
Thanksgiving dinner with an all Chopin concert following.
Many commented on the comfortable environment they felt here, and
stayed late into the night, laughing and relaxing under the stars in the
garden. The weather really cooperated and was not too windy or
rainy. It was a special afternoon to give thanks for all the
blessings of this past year.
One of my Tico friends is a baritone who sings in the National Symphonic Chorus, and he invited me to attend a series of concerts where the chorus sang with the orchestra. Under the direction of guest conductor Ramiro A. Ramírez, the group gave a beautiful performance of Verdi's Te Deum, selections from Bach's Christmas Oratorio and Handel's Messiah. It was new for me to hear Christmas Carols written by Costa Rican composers Sanz-Meza and Portilla-Guzman. Also on the program was the Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky, which surprisingly enough, I realized I had never heard lit performed live. The series rotated among different cathedrals and basilicas in the Central Valley. The picture above is from the stained glass window of Coronado's church where I heard the concert.
Maybe a loud boom, or crack in the night is cause for alarm in
the surrounding countries, but in Costa Rica it is the sound of
celebration. People definitely love their fireworks here for
Christmas and New Year's Eve. When visiting here you might
occasionally hear a loud cannon firing, or what's known locally
as bombetas. It puzzles many
visitors, but it is simply telling all who hear that the town is having a
"festival and come on over." Here in Costa Rica the person in
charge of the bombeta is kept a secret in the town.
Nobody knows why. Occasionally you will see people wearing papiere-maché, Mardi Gras-like puppets in the street. These are called payasos, mascaradas, gigantes (giants), gigantones (huge giants) or cabezudos (big headed). The Costa Rican town of Escazu was once famous for the payasos. I saw two of these dancing one lazy afternoon in the Heredia's Central Park with a trumpet and a drum. The swinging arms are meant to hit innocent bystanders. Sometimes alcohol is given to the dancers here just to liven things up. These are very ancient customs. You see them in Spain and In Europe they go back to 1246 with Pope Urban IV, who issued a temporary order to allow them in the Corpus Christi parades, based on the principle of good and evil. In the Americas, there is record of them in Mexico circa 1630. For some pictures of these go to this link at the Celtiberia.net Webpage. Costa
Rican Birds: The Great Kiskadee
Another sound you will hear at Casa Holanda, which might drive you insane after a month of hearing them. Are fairly large, yellow-breasted birds call the Great Kiskadee. They are common throughout the tropical Americas and their call sounds exactly like their name. Kiskadee! Kiskadee! KISKADEE! Throughout the French Caribbean they are name "Quest-que dis." ("What'dya say?") For a period in the day, they call back and forth to each other, and sometimes they sound angry or like they're going crazy. Another answer they give is like telling the other to shut-up. They are fun to listen to and very common. Pictured above on the left is the male and the one picture on the right is the female. This little fellow likes to perch on my laundry line and swoop down to pluck the Panamanian hot peppers from the garden. From the
Kitchen: Gallo Pinto Recipe
Germans may have their kraut, France its champagne, Italy its pasta, Spain its tapas, but Costa Rica's national dish is definitely Gallo Pinto. A delicious, healthy dish made of rice, black beans, a blend of vegetables and herbs held together with Lizano sauce. This tasty dish can be served at any of the three meals, but most likely you will find it at breakfast with two fried eggs, fresh fruit, and of course, rich, savory, Costa Rican coffee. Here's my recipe. Casa Holanda's Gallo Pinto 1 White rice 1 stalk celery 1 clove of
garlic, minced 1 tsp salt Using a food processor or by hand, chop vegetables fairly fine. Separately finely chop the herbs and set aside. Add vegetables to rice and 2 cups water in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil and let simmer until tender but not overdone. Heat a large iron skillet to medium low. Combine the cooked black beans, brown sugar, coffee, oil, and garlic (and hot peppers) in the skillet. Let skillet mixture simmer for 5 min. covered. When rice/vegetables are ready, add to the black beans mixture in the skillet and mix. Add salt, black pepper, sauces to taste. Stir. Lastly add herbs. Stir, cover and let simmer on low for about 15 min. Serve with fried eggs and a dab of sour cream. Chao! James "Casa Holanda" You have been
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*All photos in this newsletter are original and property of
Casa Holanda.
*+Photo used with permission by owner. Copyright 2007 James N Holland, Composer, Pianist,
Singer