Puerto Ricans decorate Christmas trees around Thanksgiving and don’t take them down until January 1. During this time, the island is especially magical and beautiful, adorned with Santa Clauses, snowflakes, and jibaritos (local decorations). This festive atmosphere creates the feeling of a tropical winter wonderland. These are some Christmas traditions in Puerto Rico.
Traditions
One of the oldest traditions in Puerto Rico is the decoration of the home for Christmas. This tradition has its roots in Europe. Europeans celebrated Frey’s birthday in those days with a decorated tree that represented the Tree of the Universe. Later, Christians came to the island and changed the celebration of Frey’s birthday to Jesus’ birthday, bringing Christian values with them.
Children in Puerto Rico also celebrate Three Kings Day on January 6. Children take their shoeboxes outside, and then collect grass to put inside. They then leave them out for the Three Kings. They also leave food and water out for them. This tradition has been observed for more than a century.
Puerto Rico’s holiday celebrations are centered around food, and the food is excellent. Traditional dishes include morcilla (blood sausage), longaniza (Spanish sausage), pernil (slow-roasted pork), pasteles (soups similar to tamales), and flan, a sweet custard.
Puerto Ricans also love Christmas carols. They used to gather outside their neighbors’ homes with their instruments to sing songs. Their goal was to awaken those who were sleeping. The parranda started at 10 o’clock in the morning and continued until dawn. In some cases, this activity lasted until the day after Christmas.
The Spanish influenced the island’s holiday celebrations. The Spanish colonization brought many traditions to the island, which were then adopted by the native population. They are still being practiced today and passed down from generation to generation.
Food
Puerto Rico’s holiday season is full of tradition and color. Many homes are decorated for the holidays. The country’s people are overwhelmingly Catholic, and the celebrations take place long before Christmas Day. There are many celebrations that take place in different cities and towns. Every town hosts an “Encendido Navideno,” or “Christmas Lighting,” which is usually held in front of the Town Hall. Parades and musical performances are also common. During this time, the entire town’s Town Hall is fully decorated.
Mid-December is when most of the festivities kick in. Local churches and communities host Christmas festivals to celebrate their heritage and traditions. Also, Catholic churches begin holding special services leading up to Nochebuena, or Christmas Eve. This celebration usually includes the traditional dishes of rice and pigeon peas. Rice pudding and tembleque are also traditional festive desserts.
A few weeks after Christmas, many families re-decorate their homes. Families hum along to Christmas carols, and the music is festive. Several businesses and homes continue to display their holiday decorations well into January. Despite the recent disasters in Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico is slowly regaining its festive spirit.
Puerto Rico’s Christmas celebrations are not complete without music. Many religious services include sacred carols. There are also traveling groups of parrandas, who play Spanish and salsa carols. These groups are always growing and perform at Christmas celebrations across the island. Many of these parrandas perform traditional holiday songs like “Aguinaldos,” a well-known Christmas song.
If you’re planning to decorate your home for Christmas in Puerto Rico, you’ll want to start early. Fortunately, Puerto Rico’s holiday season is longer than most places. The festive season starts after Thanksgiving Day in November and lasts until mid-January. The festival culminates in the Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastian, or la SanSe. Puerto Ricans will gather in their homes for a parranda during the Christmas holidays. This is a boricua version to a Christmas Carol. The parranda, a festive event, will see people singing Christmas carols until the early hours of the morning.
Drinks
When you are decorating your home for Christmas, consider using drinks from Puerto Rico. Pitorro is a popular holiday drink. It is made from fermented sugar cane and flavored with fruit and spices. It is then cured and aged for several months before it is ready for consumption. It is often served after-dinner.
Puerto Ricans love food and will make sure you have delicious Christmas dishes. Roast pork, pasteles (similar in taste to tamales), and arroz con gandules (rice stuffed full of pigeonpeas) are some of the traditional dishes. A tembleque is a delicious custard dessert.
Puerto Ricans also celebrate Epiphany. The Epiphany Eve (Vispera de Reyes) is a day when traditional Catholics go to church to pray the rosary. Traditionally, they also honor the Three Wisemen, and children often leave fresh grass in shoe boxes under their beds to give to the Wisemen.
If you plan to drink alcohol with your Christmas dinner, be sure to include coquito. This is Puerto Rican’s version eggnog. It is thick, creamy, and sweet with a coconut flavor. Coquito is a great drink to pair with holiday food. It is also easy to make at home.
Puerto Rico celebrates Christmas as a time to reflect on the important things in life. The holidays are accompanied by festivities, music, dancing, and other festive events.
Music
Music is an integral part of the holiday season in Puerto Rico. Religious masses are filled with traditional and sacred carols, and traveling parrandas play Latin and salsa music. You might even hear “aguinaldos” and “villancicos,” which are religious tunes or popular Christmas songs.
Many Puerto Ricans wait until December 31st to decorate their homes. Others wait until January to decorate. That’s why many businesses in Puerto Rico will leave their Christmas decorations up until the first day of the new year. This tradition is also practiced in Mexico.
The holiday season in Puerto Rico starts with Thanksgiving and ends at the end of January. The holidays are very festive in the island and the holiday season is especially magical. The pace of life slows down for children who take a month off school. The island’s many events and festivals also take place during the holiday season. Many churches also offer early morning services, called misas de aguinaldo.
Food is also a major part of the holiday in Puerto Rico. The traditional Christmas dish is lechon asado, a pork roast cooked on a spit. A typical Puerto Rican Christmas meal includes roast pork and rice ‘n beans. For dessert, a traditional custard dessert called tembleque is served. Many Puerto Ricans also attend midnight mass on Christmas Eve.
Puerto Rican Christmas songs, also known as aguinaldos are very popular. Some of them are religious and have a crillo flavor, but most are traditional and popular. No matter if you’re Puerto Rican, or just visiting, there’s Christmas music to suit your holiday spirit.
Decorations
Puerto Rico offers many ways to celebrate Christmas. The island is a Christian nation, and natives take the birth of Jesus seriously. In fact, most houses begin decorating for Christmas after Halloween. In addition to decorations, the towns and cities hold different holiday celebrations. Many cities hold the “Encendido Navideno,” or Christmas lighting ceremony, in front of the Town Hall. There are also parades and music.
Most Puerto Ricans decorate their homes for Christmas long before Thanksgiving. They don’t take them down until January. The Puerto Rican homes are especially magical during this time with Santa Clauses and snowflakes, jibaritos and other local decorations. It is truly magical, and the island feels like a tropical winter wonderland.
As with any holiday celebration, Puerto Ricans like to celebrate Christmas with music. There is a Christmas carol tradition that is similar to Christmas caroling in other countries. People gather in front a house to sing traditional Christmas songs. The group then moves on to the next house. This procession can last until the early hours of the morning.
Puerto Ricans also celebrate Epiphany which is the first day in the new year. The celebration of Epiphany is celebrated on the evening of Epiphany, and on the eve before this day, they go to church and pray the rosary to honor the Three Wise Men. Children are particularly excited about this special day, and often leave fresh grass under their beds in shoeboxes for the King’s camels.
