How to Decorate Home For Christmas in Puerto Rico

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). The festive mood creates a feeling of a tropical winter wonderland. Here are some of the traditions associated with Christmas 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 leave them out for Three Kings. They also leave water and food 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 longaniza (Spanish sausage), morcilla (blood sausage), pernil, slow-roasted pork, pasteles (soups similar in tamales), and flan (sweet custard).

Puerto Ricans 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 began around 10pm 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

The holiday season in Puerto Rico is full of color and tradition, and many homes are already decorated for the holidays. The country’s people are overwhelmingly Catholic, and the celebrations take place long before Christmas Day. There are several different celebrations taking place in different towns and cities. Each town hosts an ‘Encendido Navideno,’ or ‘Christmas Lighting,’ which usually takes place in front of the Town Hall. Parades and musical performances are common. During this time, the entire town’s Town Hall is fully decorated.

In mid-December, most of the festivities kick into gear. Local churches and communities host Christmas festivals to celebrate their heritage and traditions. Special services are also held by Catholic churches leading up to Nochebuena (Christmas Eve). This celebration usually includes the traditional dishes of rice and pigeon peas. Traditional festive desserts include rice pudding and tembleque.

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.

Music is another important part of the Christmas celebrations in Puerto Rico. Many religious services include sacred carols. Parrandas are also available to travel with and perform salsa and Spanish 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. Puerto Rico’s holiday season lasts longer than other 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, 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 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 Epiphany. 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 flavour. Coquito is a great drink to pair with holiday food. It is also easy to make at home.

Christmas in Puerto Rico is celebrated as a time to remember what is important in life. Holidays are marked by music, dancing, and other festive activities.

Music

Music is an integral part of the holiday season in Puerto Rico. The religious masses are filled with sacred and traditional carols, while traveling parrandas play Latin music and salsa music. You might also hear “aguinaldos”, which are popular Christmas songs or religious tunes.

Many Puerto Ricans wait until the last day of the holiday season to start decorating their homes. Others wait until January to decorate their homes. 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 begins with Thanksgiving and lasts through the end of January. The holiday season in Puerto Rico is very festive and magical. Children take a month off from school and the pace of life slows down. The island’s many events and festivals also take place during the holiday season. Many churches even conduct early morning services called misas de aguinaldo.

Food is also a major part of the holiday in Puerto Rico. Lechon asado is a traditional Christmas dish that consists of a pork roast on a spit. A typical Puerto Rican Christmas meal includes roast pork and rice ‘n beans. A traditional custard dessert called “tembleque” is served for dessert. Many Puerto Ricans also attend midnight mass on Christmas Eve.

Puerto Rican Christmas songs, also called aguinaldos, are very popular. Some songs are religious and have a crillo flavour, but they are all traditional and well-loved. Whether you’re a Puerto Rican or just visiting, you’ll find Christmas music that suits 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. Many houses decorate for Christmas right 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.

Puerto Ricans love to celebrate Christmas with music, as with all holiday celebrations. A Christmas carol tradition is similar to that of other countries. People gather in front a house to sing traditional Christmas songs. The group then moves to the next home. This process can go on until the early hours in the morning.

Puerto Ricans also celebrate Epiphany, which is the first day of the new year. Epiphany is celebrated the evening before. On the eve of Epiphany, people go to church to pray the rosary in honor of 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.