I had the pleasure of dating several young Alajuelan women while I lived in Costa Rica in the 1980's. The father of María Marta, one of the women I dated, recounted to me that during his time unwed men and women all over Costa Rica frequently met via a custom called la retreta.

This custom consisted of pairs of single women circulating clockwise around the outer sidewalk of the square, while pairs of potential male suitors circulated counter-clockwise. As the couples passed they would affectionately greet each other, and if a boy sensed interest on the part of the girl, he would then go to her house to ask her father for permission to visit her. This was called pedir entrada a la casa.