I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas

FOTOS: DE ©2011 RONALD C. FLORES


I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas
Christmas may come “but once a year,” as the characters in the classic cartoon by the same name famously sang, and when it comes to Puerto Rico, it also only comes once—but here it stays and stays! The season unofficially begins—as on the U.S. mainland—after Thanksgiving in late November, but it doesn’t end with Santa’s delivery of gifts on Christmas or with the tolling of the bells on New Year’s Eve.
Indeed, Santa is a recent arrival and he wasn’t always well-known on the island. Traditionally, it was the Magi—of “We Three Kings of Orient” fame—who brought good children gifts on the eve of the Epiphany, January 6. This tradition is still observed by many island families, and lucky Puerto Rican children now receive gifts on both Christmas and Three Kings Day!
In any case, the holiday season doesn’t end January 6, but continues eight more days, the octava, and for some celebrants for an additional eight days (or nights), the octavita. That gives visitors a chance to participate in festivities from November through the end of January—a truly long and delightful party time.
You’ll find some elements familiar and others unique. The balmy tropical weather, for example, makes Santa’s sled superfluous and no one dreams of a white Christmas—unless it is the whitecaps on the surf in the island’s warm blue water. The holiday menu is also very special. Forget about turkey or ham and embrace some of the island’s seasonal specialties, among them lechón a la vara, pasteles, morcilla, arroz con gandules, ron cañita, and coquito. Attend any party or visit any restaurant and your taste buds will tell you what they are!
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Sueñe con una verde Navidad

La Navidad llega una vez al año, cantan los personajes de un clásico episodio de dibujos animados estadounidenses. En Puerto Rico también llega una vez al año, ¡pero aquí la temporada navideña dura muchísimo más! Al igual que en los Estados Unidos continentales, la temporada comienza extraoficialmente después del Día de Acción de Gracias a finales de noviembre, pero no se acaba el día que Santa entrega sus regalos o con el tañer de las campanas en la Despedida de Año.
De hecho, Santa Claus es una figura relativamente reciente y no siempre fue un personaje conocido en la Isla. Tradicionalmente, eran los Reyes Magos de Oriente quienes les traían regalos a los niños buenos en la noche previa a la Epifanía, el 6 de enero. Esta tradición aún persiste entre muchas familias puertorriqueñas y los afortunados niños de nuestra Isla ahora reciben regalos tanto en Navidad como en el Día de Reyes.
Aún así, la temporada navideña no concluye el 6 de enero, sino que continúa por ocho días adicionales, la octava, y para algunos celebrantes se extiende ocho días (o noches) más, la octavita. Esto le brinda a los visitantes la oportunidad de participar en festividades navideñas desde noviembre hasta finales de enero, contando con una extensa y divertida temporada para disfrutar.
Usted notará que algunos elementos le resultarán familiares y otros ciertamente únicos. El cálido clima tropical, por ejemplo, hace que Santa no necesite un trineo y aquí nadie sueña con una blanca Navidad a menos que se refieran a la espuma de las olas en nuestro tibio mar azul. El menú navideño también es muy especial. ¡Olvídese del pavo y el jamón! Disfrute los típicos platos navideños que incluyen el lechón a la vara, los pasteles, la morcilla, el arroz con gandules, el ron cañita y el coquito. Vaya a cualquier fiesta o visite cualquier restaurante, ¡y dele gusto a sus papilas!

Christmas in Puerto Rico

Christmas in Puerto Rico
By Ronald C. Flores

The holiday season in Puerto Rico—especially for continental Americans—can be a sack of surprises. The celebrations, which begin early in December and end late in January, are an amalgam of the best of island traditions and criollo versions of mainland customs.

When I first came to live on the island nearly 50 years ago, Santa was practically a stranger. Most children received their gifts not on Chri
stmas morning but on Three Kings Day, Jan. 6. The Three Kings—the Magi—arrived during the dark of night and delivered gifts to children who diligently left boxes of grass for the camels.

I was used to Christmas Eve being a time to decorate the tree and wrap gifts after the children were asleep—and for getting a head start on the feast to be served to relatives and friends on Christmas Day. In Puerto Rico, Christmas Eve (Nochebuena) was the main event. Christmas Day was to rest up from the late night celebrations.

Instead of a crèche under an evergreen tree, many homes had hand carved wooden santos arranged in a Belén, a recreation of the manger scene. Today refrigerated container loads of Christmas trees arrive for the holidays, and buildings are festooned with lights.
Christmas carols (villancicos) were rarely heard outside of church, but trullas, asaltos or parrandas were so common that we never went to bed without making sure the refrigerator and pantry were stocked for late night visitors.

The tradition was fo
r the parranderos to wait until you were asleep and then appear at your door to wake you with traditional songs. When the lights came on the happy visitors entered, sang and partied, then invited the hosts to join them to the next house on their list.

Many people head
ed for the town of Hatillo on Dec. 28 for the Día de los Inocentes, or the Festival of the Masks, a parade and party that had its origin in King Herod’s slaughter of the innocents but is now a town carnival and mask competition.

Before I lived here, I was accustomed to the holiday season ending a
bruptly on New Year’s Day. In Puerto Rico, it is just getting started. City people head for the country on Reyes (Jan. 6) to feast with families and friends. Each King has a day, then, on Jan. 9 the Octava (eight days of celebrations) begins. The Octavitas, eight additional celebration days follow—extending the season to the end of the month. Most of these traditions are still very much alive and in many cases they have merged with mainland customs. Santa Claus arrives around Thanksgiving and takes up residence in major shopping malls for the duration, for example.
Many children now receive gifts both from Santa on Christmas Day and from
the Three Kings on Jan. 6. New Year’s Eve is as noisy a party night as it is throughout the Western world. Hotels and resorts host grand affairs and a televised bash attended by thousands takes place at the Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan. In smaller gatherings people may crowd around a radio to hear the traditional Brindis de Bohemio poem or you may see them eating 12 grapes in the 12 seconds leading up to the New Year, which is said to bring good luck.
Probably the thing that has changed the least during this half-century is the men
u. The Christmas season would just not be the same without pasteles, arroz con gandules, chicharrones, lechón, morcilla, arroz con dulce, majarete, coquito and pitorro.
A pastel is a sort of tamale, made from banana and yautía batter stuffed with morsels of pork or chicken, wrapped in a banana leaf and boiled to perfection. Arroz con granules is a richly flavored rice pilaf made with pigeon peas. Chicharrones are chunks of pork seasoned with garlic and oregano and fried golden brown. Lechón is a spit roasted pig and morcilla is a sausage made with pork blood, rice and, often, hot peppers.

Arroz con dulce is a sweet rice dessert made with
freshly grated coconut and raisins. Majarete is custard made with coconut milk, rice flour and cinnamon. There are many recipes for coquito, but for me the best are made from rum, coconut cream, cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Some people add eggs and it becomes a criollo eggnog called ponche.

Pitorro or ron caña is rum that begins life in illegal stills. It is often made into a sweet and potent liquor by adding candy, fruit and meat. If you can find it from a reliable source, it can be an unforgettable experience—or if you have too much (the alcohol content varies and its proof is often unknown) can be too easily forgotten. A legal version is available in stores.
Just as in other parts of the world, holiday traditions vary from town to town and family to family, but one thing never changes: the joy the season brings. What are your holiday traditions in Puerto Rico? How do you celebrate? We'd like to hear from you
!