50th Birthday Party

No, I am not 50 years old, and neither is Sherry. It was the 50th birthday party of our academic director here at CINCEL. His name is Luis Solano. Here in Costa Rica, 50th birthdays are HUGE. There was a big celebration. The teachers catered in food, had a big birthday cake, brought in a string band, and we all joined together to celebrate Luis' birth. It was really a nice time, and he was completely surprised.

There are a couple of traditions that took place. A couple of weeks before, Sherry asked one of our teachers what a traditional gift was for someone turning 50. Here is the tradition. Years ago, a 100 colones bill (the money in Costa Rica) was the color of a roof tile. You can see that color on the edge of the piece of tile painted with a picture of Don Quixote on it. Because of the color of the tile and the 100 colon bill, the bill became known as Teja, which is tile in Spanish. The tradition is that for a 100th birthday someone would paint a tile and give it to you. The gift is called a Teja. For the 50th birthday, it is a tradition to receive a Media Teja, or half tile, painted. So, Sherry had a teacher bring a tile to school, and she broke it in half, painted it, and gave it to Luis for his birthday. He really liked it, and he was pleased that Sherry thought to ask what the tradition was.

One other interesting tradition is the piñata. Now, the reason why I am sharing this is amazing. Many birthdays in Costa Rica include a time for breaking the piñata. Luis, who just turned 50, had never had a piñata for his birthday. So, what do the teachers do? Of course, they buy a piñata, blindfold Luis, and have him hit it until it breaks. It was a lot of fun to watch. He was having a lot of fun, and for the first time in his life, he had his very own piñata.


Remember to take some time, laugh, have fun, and make a memory with your family and friends,

Charley