Puerto Ricans decorate Christmas trees around Thanksgiving and don’t take them down until January 1. The island is magically decorated with snowflakes, Santa Clauses, and jibaritos (local ornaments) during this time. This festive atmosphere creates the feeling of a tropical winter wonderland. Here are some of the traditions associated with Christmas in Puerto Rico:
Traditions
The decoration of the home for Christmas is one of the oldest traditions in Puerto Rico. 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 arrived on the island and changed Frey’s birthday celebration to Jesus’ birthday. They brought Christian values with them.
Puerto Rico’s Three Kings Day is also celebrated by children on January 6. Children take their shoeboxes outside, and then collect grass to put inside. They leave them out for Three Kings. They also leave food and water out for them. This tradition has been observed for more than a century.
Food is a central part of the holiday celebrations and in Puerto Rico, the food is delicious. 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 love Christmas carols. In the past, they would gather outside their neighbors’ houses with their instruments to sing songs. Their goal was to wake up those who were asleep. The parranda began around 10pm and continued until dawn. This activity could have continued until the morning of Christmas in some cases.
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 celebrations are held long before Christmas Day because the country’s Catholic population is overwhelming. There are many celebrations that take place in different cities and towns. Each town hosts an ‘Encendido Navideno,’ or ‘Christmas Lighting,’ which usually takes place in front of the Town Hall. Parades and musical performances are also common. The entire Town Hall is decorated during this time.
In mid-December, most of the festivities kick into gear. To celebrate their heritage and traditions, local churches and communities hold Christmas festivals. Also, Catholic churches begin holding special services leading up to Nochebuena, or Christmas Eve. This celebration typically includes traditional dishes such as rice and pigeonpeas. Rice pudding and tembleque are also traditional festive desserts.
Many families redecorate their homes a few weeks after Christmas. The music is festive and families hum along to their favorite Christmas carols. Many homes and businesses continue to display holiday decorations well into January. Despite the recent disasters in Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico is slowly regaining its festive spirit.
Music is another important part of the Christmas celebrations in Puerto Rico. 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 play traditional holiday songs, such as “Aguinaldos,” which is a popular Christmas song.
You’ll want to get started if you plan to decorate your Puerto Rico home for Christmas. 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. During the Christmas holidays, Puerto Ricans will gather at homes in their neighborhoods for a parranda, which is a boricua version of a Christmas Carol. The parranda is a festive event that will have people singing Christmas carols and other holiday songs until dawn.
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 are known for their love of food, and they will fill your table with delicious dishes on Christmas day. Traditional dishes will include roasted pork, arroz con gandules (rice stuffed with pigeon peas), and pasteles (similar to tamales). Dessert is usually a tembleque, which is a delicious custard dessert.
Puerto Ricans also celebrate the Epiphany holiday. Epiphany Eve (Vispera De Reyes) is a day that traditional Catholics go to church in order to pray the rosary. They also honor the Three Wisemen. Children often leave fresh grass under their beds to give to them.
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 delicious drink to serve with holiday food and is easy to prepare at home.
Christmas in Puerto Rico is celebrated as a time to remember what is important in life. The holidays are accompanied by festivities, music, dancing, and other festive events.
Music
In Puerto Rico, music is an important part of the holiday season. 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 the last day of the holiday season to start decorating their homes. Others wait until January to decorate. Many businesses in Puerto Rico will keep their Christmas decorations up until January 1. 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. Children take a month off from school and the pace of life slows down. Many festivals and events are held on the island during the holiday season. Many churches also offer early morning services, called misas de aguinaldo.
Puerto Rico’s holiday is not complete without food. The traditional Christmas dish is lechon asado, a pork roast cooked on a spit. A typical Puerto Rican Christmas meal is roast pork and rice ‘n bean. For dessert, a traditional custard dessert called tembleque is served. Many Puerto Ricans also attend midnight mass every Christmas Eve.
Puerto Rican Christmas songs, also called 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
There are many ways to celebrate Christmas in Puerto Rico. 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. In addition, there are parades and music.
Most Puerto Ricans decorate their homes for Christmas long before Thanksgiving. They don’t take them down until January. During this time, Puerto Rican homes look especially magical, with Santa Clauses, snowflakes, jibaritos, and local designs. The atmosphere is truly magical and makes the island feel 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 of 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 especially excited for this special day and will often leave fresh grass in shoeboxes under their beds for the King’s camels.
Hi there! I’m Kate, the author of The Pretty Party Shoppe. When I’m not busy blogging about everything party, you can find me throwing a shindig or two myself. I believe every event should be uniquely beautiful and reflect the personality and style of the hostess.
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