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 A Puerto Rican Christmas
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TraditionsOne popular tradition is parrandas. Parrandas is Christmas caroling Puerto Rican style. Friends gather late in the evening to go from one house to the next singing traditional songs. The parranderos must surprise the unsuspecting friend and wake them with their music. The home owner has already given plenty of "hints" that he is prepared to receive a parranda. The parranderos gather outside the front door and at a signal the musicians play and the rest sing. At each house they stop for a while and party, then they go to the next house. Often the members of the house join the parranda and it grows in numbers during the evening.Aguinaldos is what Puerto Ricans call their Christmas songs. Some of the songs are very religious and these are called villancicos. Some have a criollo flavor and they are called décimas navideñas. The rest are either traditional aguinaldos or popular Christmas songs. Misa de Aguinaldo is a Catholic Mass that is almost completely a song service. Aguinaldos are sung and the musical instruments used are the traditional cuatro (Puerto Rican guitar), guitars, güiros, and maracas. Misas de Aguinaldo are held for nine consecutive days ending on the day before Christmas Eve. The mass is held at dawn (usually at 6am).
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CelebrationsThe Puertoricans have the most packed holiday season. Nowhere else is Christmas celebrated like it is in Puerto Rico. Here is the a list of what goes on, on each of the many Navidad days.
Nochebuena -is Christmas Eve (December 24th). In Puerto Rico, the big holiday celebration is held on Nochebuena. Family and friends get together for a festivities and traditional foods of lechón asado and pasteles. The parties can last till morning.Navidad -is Christmas Day (December 25th). Most modern Puerto Rican families celebrate with Santa on this day. Homes are decorated much like in the mainland but include palm trees and their branches. Families set up "nacimientos" or "pesebres". The Three Wise Men or Los Reyes are prominent in the pesebres.Día de los Inocentes -is on December 28th. This feast used to be celebrated like a carnival, where men dressed as the "evil soldiers of Herod" went house to house, "kidnapping" the first-born boy from every family. To recover their children, the families offered the soldiers gifts. This tradition continues today in a small town called Hatillo. The town joins in a parade and later participates in a public party at the town square. This carnival originated in the Canary Isles, and was brought to Puerto Rico by immigrants. The celebration in the rest of the island is more like April Fool's Day where people trick each other.Despedida de Año -is New Year's Eve (December 31st). It is celebrated in Borinquen with firecrackers and parties that last until morning. When the clock begins to chime for midnight some people eat one grape at every chime, for good luck. Then at midnight everyone hugs, and people go outside and honk the car horns and there are fireworks everywhere. A few minutes later most Boricuas listen to "El Brindis del Bohemio", a traditional poem for that occasion.el Día de Reyes -is the day of the Saints (the Three Kings) (January 6th). Víspera de Reyes is the eve of el Día de Reyes when Catholics meet to pray the rosary and to honor the three Wise Men (saints in the Catholic faith). The children get ready to receive gifts from the three Wise Men by collecting freshly cut grass to put in a shoe box for the Wise Men's camels to eat. Then on el Día de Reyes the children wake early to see what Baltazar, Melchor, and Gaspar left them in the shoe boxes. Family and friends gather to celebrate. Its much like Christmas. The last day of celebration is the 8th.Octavas and Octavitas -is on January 9th and last for eight days. Originally these were more religious in nature and were used to glorify the Reyes and the Christ child. Coplas were dedicated to the magi. Octavitas began right after the Octavas and were eight more days of continued adoration. These were a prelude to la Cuaresma (lent). |
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FoodTraditional Puerto Rican Christmas foods such as pasteles, lechón asado, arroz con dulce, tembleque, and coquito give Puerto Ricans a separate identity from the rest of the world. Part of the holiday festivities includes cooking a pig on a spit. Most Puerto Ricans will feel their Christmas was a little incomplete if they did not get to participate or enjoy an old fashioned lechón asao. Cooking the pig is a big event. The pig is purchased and prepared a couple of days ahead. On the "big day" the pig is mounted on a stick and put to cook as early at 4 in the morning. At least two people must be on "watch" with the pig to turn it and make sure all goes well. Friends and relatives begin arriving later in the morning. While the pig roasts there is lots of holiday music. Older women will be in the kitchen cooking side dishes that will accompany the lechón. Children will be playing tag and getting in trouble. Guests bring traditional holiday desserts.
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Important Navidad Dates
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Definitions
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SongsHere are a list of Christmas songs that can be downloaded from here if you'd like to here any of them.
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