Holidays and customs
Puerto Rico shares many public holidays with the United States and also enjoys its own traditions primarily revolving around the Roman Catholic calender.
Puerto Rican's celebrateThanksgiving by feasting on turkey seasoned with adobo mojado and stuffed with mofongo (a mixture of pork or beef with almonds, raisins, olives, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes and garlic) The celebration of Christmas officially starts the day after and continues until the third week of January with the Saint Sebastian Street Festival in Old San Juan. Key celebration dates are Navidad or Christmas where a large supper is held with family and friends. The meal may feature pernil (baked pork shoulder seasoned in adobo mojado) or lechón asado (spit-roasted pork), pasteles (plantain or yucca tamales), and arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas). Popular holiday drinks include coquito, an eggnog-like rum and coconut milk-based beverage and pina coladas. Sweets for the Christmas may include arroz con dulce (a sweet rice pudding) or barriguitas de vieja (deep-fried sweet pumpkin fritters), tembleque (coconut pudding), flan (egg custard), bizcocho de ron (rum cake) The evening culminates with the formation of a Christmas parranda or roving surprise party with drinking and caroling. Three Kings Day or the Epiphany occurs on January 6th and is the celebration of the Three Wise Men's visit to see the Infant Jesus. Children enjoy the holiday by placing boxes of hay under their bed for the camels to eat and they are richly rewarded with presents the following morning.
The next wave of celebrations start the week before the advent of Lent with Puerto Rico's Carnavale. The week long festival involves much eating, drinking and elaborate parades featuring revelers wearing incredible horned-devil masks, called vejigantes. The partying ends on Ash Wednesday and devout Roman Catholics abstain from eating meat or poultry. Six weeks later is Good Friday, a solemn holiday followed by a joyous Easter celebration.
A summer holiday, St John's Day or Día de San Juan Bautista Fiestas de San Juan on June 23rd celebrates the patron saint of the island with feasting and large parties on the beach.
Puerto Rican's celebrateThanksgiving by feasting on turkey seasoned with adobo mojado and stuffed with mofongo (a mixture of pork or beef with almonds, raisins, olives, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes and garlic) The celebration of Christmas officially starts the day after and continues until the third week of January with the Saint Sebastian Street Festival in Old San Juan. Key celebration dates are Navidad or Christmas where a large supper is held with family and friends. The meal may feature pernil (baked pork shoulder seasoned in adobo mojado) or lechón asado (spit-roasted pork), pasteles (plantain or yucca tamales), and arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas). Popular holiday drinks include coquito, an eggnog-like rum and coconut milk-based beverage and pina coladas. Sweets for the Christmas may include arroz con dulce (a sweet rice pudding) or barriguitas de vieja (deep-fried sweet pumpkin fritters), tembleque (coconut pudding), flan (egg custard), bizcocho de ron (rum cake) The evening culminates with the formation of a Christmas parranda or roving surprise party with drinking and caroling. Three Kings Day or the Epiphany occurs on January 6th and is the celebration of the Three Wise Men's visit to see the Infant Jesus. Children enjoy the holiday by placing boxes of hay under their bed for the camels to eat and they are richly rewarded with presents the following morning.
The next wave of celebrations start the week before the advent of Lent with Puerto Rico's Carnavale. The week long festival involves much eating, drinking and elaborate parades featuring revelers wearing incredible horned-devil masks, called vejigantes. The partying ends on Ash Wednesday and devout Roman Catholics abstain from eating meat or poultry. Six weeks later is Good Friday, a solemn holiday followed by a joyous Easter celebration.
A summer holiday, St John's Day or Día de San Juan Bautista Fiestas de San Juan on June 23rd celebrates the patron saint of the island with feasting and large parties on the beach.