Christmas in Puerto Rico

Some Puerto Rican Christmas traditions are universal to the Caribbean, but many are unique to the island or particular villages.

Puerto Ricans honor the holiday’s religious aspects by decorating their homes with nativity scenes and attending church, but their celebrations are in no way solemn and quiet.

Anyone seeking new experiences for Christmas should add Puerto Rico to their must-visit list. The holiday atmosphere on the tropical island is one-of-a-kind, making everyone feel the festive cheer.

Gift Exchange

Christmas in Puerto Rico isn’t complete without a gift exchange. People usually exchange gifts only with their immediate family and closest friends. Kids receive gifts twice – on Christmas Eve and Epiphany.

Santa Claus in Puerto Rico is merely a symbol than an actual gift-giver beloved by kids. Locals use Santa figurines in decoration and send Christmas cards with his image, but kids know he’s fictional.

Instead, they anticipate gifts from Los Reyes Magos, the Three Wise Men, also known as the Three Kings or Magi.

The Magi bring small gifts like treats, crayons, or toys; if kids want something more significant, they must behave well to prove to their parents that they deserve it.

The Magi are usually depicted riding camels, but in Puerto Rico, they ride horses. Children put small boxes with hay for these horses under their beds, like some kids in the U.S. leave out carrots for Santa’s reindeer.

Parrandas

Puerto Ricans are a musically-blessed nation with many talented performers, so it’s no wonder they have an entire festival dedicated to Christmas music called Parrandas. Parrandas last from the end of November until late January.

Unlike many festivals, Parrandas aren’t organized events. They are spontaneous caroling sprees where locals walk around the town, playing traditional instruments such as maracas, tambourines, and guiros, and singing Aguinaldos, Puerto Rican Christmas songs.

Parrandas differ from British caroling because they involve adult people rather than children, and the performers don’t sing at doorsteps. They go right into houses in so-called alto Navideno, a Christmas assault.

They sing a special carol which greets the homeowners and asks them to let the musicians in. Then, everyone squeezes into the house, performs for the homeowners, receives treats and drinks, and heads to the next house.

This Puerto Rican equivalent of caroling occurs late in the evening, usually around 10 p.m. There’s no specific day on which performers walk the streets, so locals should always be ready for an unexpected visit.

Midnight Mass

On Christmas Eve, Puerto Ricans head to local churches to celebrate the birth of Jesus by singing Christmas hymns and praying. Often, hymns are sung to the sound of traditional instruments.

The mass ends around midnight when everyone wishes each other Merry Christmas and heads outside to launch fireworks. Then, people go home to celebrate with the family.

The Midnight Mass in Puerto Rico is known as Misa de Aguinaldos. Christmas church services are held every day from December 15 to December 25, but Christmas Eve mass is the most attended.

The Feast of The Holy Innocents

On December 28, Puerto Ricans celebrate the Feast of the Holy Innocents, commemorating the baby boys killed in Bethlehem by King Herod’s order. Although the origin of the holiday is gruesome, this day is the Puerto Rican equivalent of April Fool’s Day.

People constantly try to prank each other, so one shouldn’t believe anything they are told and must remain alert.

The town of Hatillo hosts an annual carnival where men dressed as King Herod’s soldiers “kidnap” children, and locals must give them candy to get the children back.

Three Kings Day

On January 6, Puerto Ricans celebrate Epiphany or the Three Kings Day, a holiday commemorating the Three Wise Men or the Magi appearing in the nativity story.

We don’t know for sure who Magi were – perhaps, they were scientists because they managed to find a way from the East to Bethlehem by a star. The Three Wise Men brought Jesus gifts: gold, myrrh, and frankincense.

But people worldwide celebrate Epiphany not because of Magi’s gifts. When King Herod learned about Jesus, he ordered his men to kill all baby boys in Bethlehem to prevent Jesus from taking over his reign.

The Magi found out about Herod’s plan and warned Mary and Joseph, who then fled to Egypt and saved Jesus from death.

Nowadays, Puerto Rican kids clean their shoes on Epiphany Eve and place them on the windowsill before hurrying to bed in anticipation of the arrival of the Magi with gifts.

The entire family celebrates by eating Los Tres Reyes (The Three Kings) cake made with rum, candied fruit, and orange zest. They hide a tiny baby Jesus figurine or bean inside the cake, and whoever finds it is believed to have a lucky year.

In the southern village of Juana Diaz, men, women, and children dress up as Magi to attend the annual parade of Kings. The tradition has been going on since 1884, and the village even has a museum dedicated to the Magi.

Octavitas

The Christmas season in Puerto Rico may be the longest in the world, commencing right after Thanksgiving as locals begin decorating their houses and ending on January 14, eight days after Epiphany.

This tradition is known as Octavitas, derived from the word Latin for eight, “octa.” It originated from a medieval Catholic practice of celebrating religious holidays for eight days.

January 14 on its own isn’t a religious holiday, so Octavitas is just an extension of Epiphany celebrations. Initially, people would spend these days commemorating Virgin Mary, the Magi, and Jesus with songs and prayer.

Although many centuries have passed, the celebrations haven’t changed much. While the entire Catholic world goes back to normal on January 7, Puerto Ricans remain in party mode and spend their days gathering with friends to sing, dance, and drink.

The Octavitas period ends with one of the most vibrant festivities of the year, a festival las Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián or simple la SanSe.

It lasts for several days, during which the town’s streets are completely taken over by impromptu dancing, live music, and laughing people. During the daytime, local artists and artisans sell arts and crafts at the town’s central square.

When the sun goes down, festival participants can witness concerts by locally famous musicians and dancers. On the last day, a large procession of people dressed up in creative costumes takes place.

Christmas Decorations in Puerto Rico

Christmas decorations in Puerto Rico are always colorful and extravagant. Caribbean people love vibrant celebrations and boost the festive cheer with a myriad of twinkling fairy lights.

During the first week of December, municipalities organize the Christmas Lights event when streets, squares, buildings, and trees are illuminated in vibrant colors. Afterward, some places take the lights down, but most decorations stay up until mid-January.

Puerto Ricans also adorn their homes with lights. Locals traditionally decorate Christmas trees in early December, but instead of pine trees and spruces, which aren’t common in the region, they use Caribbean pines or artificial trees.

Palm tree branches, poinsettias, and other greenery are common in Puerto Rican homes, giving Christmas on the island a tropical flair.

Many Puerto Ricans set up nativity scenes in their homes, depicting Mary, Joseph, Jesus in a manger, shepherds, and farm animals in a stable or cave.

Local kids like to craft decorations from wood, plasticine, paper, and other materials at school or with parents. Flamboyant paper garlands are very popular.

Christmas Food

Puerto Rican Christmas food involves a lot of meat and rice. Arroz con gandules, rice with pork belly fat and peas served with roast turkey or Christmas ham, is an all-time festive classic. Roast pork with a crispy crust is very popular.

Gazpacho with salt cod, tomatoes, onion, and avocado is a must-try for every tourist visiting Puerto Rico for the winter holidays. Another delicious Puerto Rican Christmas dish is pasteles de masa, often compared to tamales.

Like tamales, pasteles de masa are steamed in banana leaves, but they are made with pork, olives, and chickpeas wrapped in plantain, taro root, and pumpkin puree envelopes.

Morcilla, a Spanish blood sausage with an intense flavor, is an essential component of Caribbean cuisine. The meat is mixed with garlic, onion, salt, paprika powder, and chili pepper before it is flash-boiled and cured.

For dessert, Puerto Ricans prefer something lighter than Christmas pudding – for example, tembleque, lightweight, creamy coconut pudding sprinkled with cacao. Another Puerto Rican Christmas dessert is caramel crème flan.

Coquito is the highlight of the Puerto Rican Christmas season. This Caribbean take on eggnog is made with coconut and rum, giving it a distinctly sweet flavor, and served chilled. Kids also love coquito, sans rum, of course.

When Parrandas groups perform at Puerto Rican homes, they are almost guaranteed to get a glass of coquito. Some locals prefer drinking wine or tropical cocktails.