Christmas In Puerto Rico ~

Traditions touch us, they connect us, and they expand us...

 The other night Arvid and I drove around town

 and checked out some of the Christmas lights.

 Such a wonderful time of the year. Loved it.

We are really enjoying living in this "sleepy" town.

Quiet, not much traffic and very easy to move around.

Many Puerto Ricans will attend a midnight ☄🎇

 mass known as Misa de Gallo, where they welcome

 Christmas as a commemoration of the birth of Jesus.

Puerto Rico takes pride in having the longest holiday 

season in the world. On the island, la Navidad lasts around 45 days,

 starting right after Thanksgiving Day in November, extending 

through mid-January, and culminating with the Fiestas de 

la Calle San Sebastian, also known as la SanSe.

A parranda or trulla is the boricua version of a 

Christmas Carol. Friends and families gather in front of a

 house  usually after 10:00 p.m. – with instruments like

 panderos, maracas, güiros, cuatros, and guitars to

 sing aguinaldos (traditional Christmas songs)

The idea is to surprise the household, so the 

parranderos round up as quietly as possible and then 

break into song with the intention of waking people up 

with joyful and jubilant music. It is a tradition for

 the household to offer refreshments and then join 

the group to bring the party to the next house. 

Sometimes, parrandas can last until sunrise😍

We grew up with these traditions.  Some of the most 

beautiful memories were right here in Puerto Rico. 

Puerto Ricans usually put up their Christmas

 trees and decorations by Thanksgiving and don’t take

 them down until mid-January, so the island feels 

especially magical during the holiday season. 

With town squares and houses lit up with Santa 

Clauses and snowflakes as well as local designs 

like jibaritos, Puerto Rico turns into a tropical winter 

wonderland where every corner is a photo opportunity.

We enjoyed the evening, and we even made new furry friends.
  Fortunately, I always carry food with me so we made 

a couple of kitties happy.  Also made me happy.

I know that everything essential and great 

originated from the fact that the human being

 had a homeland and was rooted in tradition..

~Nadiya~