Christmas in Cuba

Castro’s regime has resulted in Christmas remaining a solely religious, non-commercialized holiday.

Cuban children don’t go caroling and don’t meet Santa Claus in a shopping mall. Many don’t even receive gifts!

Christmas decorations on the streets, Mariah Carrey and Bing Crosby songs, holiday shopping, and movies are non-existent in Cuba.

So what does make Cubans anticipate Christmas then, you may wonder?

Despite being deeply religious, Cuban Christmas celebrations are in no way dull.

People gather with friends, family, and neighbors, indulge in savory Noche Buena feasts, and dance, dance, dance.

Christmas Superstitions

Superstitions are strong in Cuba, and especially at Christmas time. Anything happening during the Christmas season is believed to affect the entire year, so Cubans don’t take this topic lightly.

Most Cuban Christmas superstitions, however, have nothing to do with the religious side of the holiday. Instead, they typically relate to everyday actions and things, and many have pagan roots.

For instance, a rocking chair swinging by itself is considered a sign of death. Likewise, if a purse is left or dropped on the floor, the owner is believed to be short on money for the upcoming year.

Some superstitions are positive – so, if your palms itch, luck is coming your way.

Cubans thoroughly clean their houses and themselves on Christmas Eve to wash away all the bad and welcome the good. The dirty water left after cleaning is thrown away on the streets.

In some regions of Cuba, people burn a straw or rag doll on Christmas Eve or New Year. Like dirty water thrown on the streets, the doll represents all the negative that happened throughout the year.

Some Cubans write notes with their wishes and throw them into the sea. Cubans believe that if you do so with genuine faith, the wishes will come true.

Another superstition is related to the difficulty of traveling abroad in Cuba. People pack their suitcases or travel bags and walk around the house or streets at midnight to attract journey spirit.

Las Parrandas de Remedios

The small town of Remedios is among the oldest towns in Cuba, but it’s mainly famous for its Christmas festival called Las Parrandas de Remedios. It lasts for ten days, from December 16 to December 26.

The first Las Parrandas de Remedios was held in the 18th century by Father Francisco of the Grand Cathedral of Remedios. Its purpose was promoting Midnight Masses to villagers by singing verses and dancing.

Over time, the practice evolved into massive celebrations attended by people from all over Cuba. However, modern Las Parrandas de Remedios celebrations have little to do with Christmas traditions.

Las Parrandas de Remedios involves conga groups playing traditional music, rumba and salsa dancing parades, colorful floats, and fireworks.

But, perhaps, the only thing that reminds people about the festival’s purpose is ringing church bells at 9pm on December 24.

Midnight Mass

In Catholicism, Midnight Mass is the first liturgy of Christmastide held on Christmas Eve. But, despite its name, a Midnight Mass doesn’t always start at midnight. Today, it may begin at 6 or 8pm to let people get home earlier.

The first Midnight Masses were observed in Jerusalem in the fifth century and only became widespread in the late Middle Ages.

Spaniards brought the practice to Cuba in the 18th century, but it was banned for three decades until its revival in 1998.

The largest Midnight Mass in Cuba is held in the Havana Cathedral and is known as the Rooster’s Mass, or Misa del Gallo. At the end of the Mass, the image of an infant Christ is taken off the altar and carried to the Nativity Scene.

Some Cuban families don’t eat anything until they come home from the Midnight Mass, but more and more people today prefer to have their dinner before the event.

Nativity Scene

Due to the communist government rejecting any western traditions, Christmas in Cuba managed to avoid commercialism and remain a solely religious holiday.

For this reason, the Nativity Scene is the most important Christmas decoration in any Cuban home.

The first-ever Nativity Scene was set up in the 13th century by Saint Francis of Assisi in a cave near Greccio.

However, the custom only arrived in Cuba at the end of the 18th century with Spaniards. In Cuba, Nativity Scenes are commonly called Belen or Pasito.

Nativity Scenes in Cuba tend to be large and elaborate, often featuring much more than Mary, Joseph, and Jesus in a manger.

Cubans can spend months setting up their Nativity Scenes depicting entire villages. Many Cubans craft the Nativity figurines themselves.

Christmas Without Gifts?

Like in some European countries, Christmas in Cuba is celebrated on Christmas Eve rather than Christmas Day.

But while one of the main elements of European Christmas celebrations is the gift exchange, many Cuban families skip it.

The reason for such an odd for us custom lies in Fidel Castro’s 1969-1998 Christmas celebration ban. People avoided purchasing gifts around the Christmas season not to be prosecuted. The regime is gone, but the habits stand firm after over two decades.

Even after the Christmas ban in Cuba was lifted in 1998, the government was still reluctant about Santa Claus.

According to Los Angeles Times, local newspapers warned people that Santa is a threatening symbol of American consumerism and “mental colonization.”

Thankfully, the tradition of exchanging gifts on Christmas slowly returns. Many modern Cuban children believe in Santa Claus and his German evil sidekick Krampus punishing those who don’t behave well.

Furthermore, the current Cuban government supports the revival of gift-giving Christmas tradition not solely with words but with actions, becoming the Papa Noel itself.

In 2011, the Council of State of the Republic of Cuba pardoned over 2,900 prisoners in a humanitarian gesture, following requests of their relatives and religious institutions.

Of course, this was done in accordance with the established legal procedures.

A year later, the government introduced a tax reduction for low-income individuals. Many people residing in other countries would be happy to receive such practical Christmas gifts from their governments.

Cuban Christmas Foods

Cuban Christmas celebrations aren’t focused on gift exchange. Instead, they revolve around social gatherings and delicious food.

In fact, Cuban Christmas Eve feasts are so abundant that Christmas Day is typically spent recovering on the sofa.

Traditional American Christmas dinner is a family celebration. However, Cubans are extremely out-going people who strive to share happiness with as many people as possible.

That’s why they often invite not only their family members but also friends, neighbors, and co-workers to Noche Buena dinner.

Cubans are also famous for their humorous attitude to life. At Christmas time, Cubans call their women gordita, translating as fatty. It isn’t considered in any way offensive, even though it may seem odd to people from other regions.

The gordita joke doesn’t sound all that strange after you get familiar with the Cuban Christmas menu, though. The main dish on the Cuban celebration table is a whole pig slowly roasted on coals.

For juiciness, the pig is first soaked in a classic mojo marinade made with orange, garlic, cumin, and oregano. The pig is roasted until its skin becomes golden and crispy. Such a savory dish can easily feed an entire family.

On the side, Cubans prefer to have black beans, rice, fried plantains, and croquetas – fries mixed with ham or cod. Some opt for mashed yuca, a local alternative to mashed potatoes, or vegetable and bean salads.

Cubans don’t usually eat Christmas pudding or any other sort of fruitcake for dessert. Instead, they make spiced pumpkin flans with caramel or turron – nougat with nuts similar to Italian torrone.

Of course, such an indulgent dinner can’t suffice without Cuba Libre cocktails, live music, and dancing.

Overall, dancing is an important part of Cuban culture – people here use literally any occasion as a reason to move along with the rhythm. It’s also a perfect way to work off all that food.

The Influence of Castro Regime

As you already know, Christmas in Cuba was banned between 1969 and 1998. This has majorly influenced local culture, and the lack of gifts isn’t the only consequence of Fidel Castro’s regime.

The reasons behind Castro’s Christmas ban were both political and economic.

The government wished to boost their sugar cane industry and considered Christmas to be a threat to the harvest season. Furthermore, religious holidays didn’t align with the communist regime.

Apart from imposing fear of prosecution on people, the Christmas ban and anti-western agenda had a positive side, too. They helped the holiday entirely avoid commercialization and preserve its religious significance.

Cubans never really stopped celebrating Christmas. However, they had to do it quietly in the family circle.

They couldn’t decorate houses with lights, go caroling, or safely carry a Christmas tree home. This period is often called The Silent Christmases.