By Alex Leff
Tico Times Staff | aleff@ticotimes.net

One would never have guessed that the float to steal the show at San José's Saturday night Christmas parade would be Chinese.

But indeed, the Chinese entourage took center stage when it ploughed through the Costa Rican Festival of Lights. Many spectators' jaws dropped while the glowing red and gold dragon float and human-controlled serpentine creatures slithered by, almost like a Chinese New Year's celebration. The troop won the top prizes for “brightest” and “most original” float, with 9.3 points out of 10.

On the Chinese float were the words Viva la Amistad China-Costa Rica, or “Long Live Chinese-Costa Rican Friendship,” reminding native festival-goers of their government's historic crossover in June, which ended diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of bridge-building with the China (TT, June 8).

However, San José's 11 th Festival of Lights once again showed that the Ticos, too, can put on an impressive Christmas street party, with 15 floats and almost as many marching bands crawling along Paseo Colón and Avenida Segunda at blaring decibels, but slug-like tempos.

Equally impressive was the Costa Ricans' stamina. Many families showed up in the morning to hold a spot close to the roped-off street parade. The parade finally started at 6:20 p.m. in a spat of rain and amid some 1,500 police, Red Cross and other security workers. The tail end was still trucking along at midnight.

Highlights included the bands' skillful drumming with twirling sticks, and horn sections that blasted songs ranging from traditional Christmas fare to U.S. band Black Eyed Peas' hip-hop craze “Don't Phunk with My Heart.” Also in gringo fashion, several cheerleading squads strutted top-notch acrobatics, and floats by Coca Cola and MasterCard led the league of corporate sponsors on display.

Judges gave the float driven by Canadian bank Scotiabank the top score of 8.9 points for its children's entertainment factor.

Deserving of another prize, perhaps, were those charged with the thankless task of cleaning up the mounds of rain-soaked trash left in the street by revelers.