Festivities

Christmas is the most festive time of the year. The Catholic tradition, still followed in some areas, includes Misas de Aguinaldo. These are Catholic services held daily, for nine days before Christmas eve, at 6:00 A.M. or earlier. A midnight church service, called Misa del Gallo, is held on Christmas Eve. Celebrations go on to include New Year's Day, in much the same manner as those celebrations in the United States of America and throughout most of the world. Three King's Day, on January 6th, is a Full Day Holiday in Puerto Rico and generally marks the end of the Christmas season. Octavitas are minor parties held during the next few days as a reluctant farewell to Christmas. (Wait, there's more) . . . Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián continue the celebration for a few days more, giving Puerto Rico the longest Christmas season in the world.

Traditions inland provide for door-to-door Christmas caroling called aguinaldos or parrandas. Special Christmas foods include pasteles, arroz con gandures, and lechón asado. A special eggnog-type drink called coquito is usually offered to all visitors. For the recipes, go here

Easter Sunday (Domingo de Pascua) is celebrated. Parties pop up everywhere on the eve (Sábado de Gloria) as an end to a Holy Week which is still observed with religious fervor in many homes. The Catholic tradition of abstinence from meat in Good Friday (Viernes Santo) is still prevalent. Many restaurants offer a varied seafood menu all throughout Holy Week.

Most of the towns and cities throughout the island celebrate their patron saint's day with festivities than span through two weekends. The festivities, known as fiestas patronales generally include fireworks, artistic shows, coney island type entertainment machines and gambling kiosks that feature horse-race type roulettes and similar entertainment.

A number of regional festivities known as festivales have sprung up, many in recent years. They are usually week-long festivities featuring some special food item or a special characteristic of each region. Most festivales feature artistic shows, coney island type entertainment machines and gambling kiosks that feature horse-race type roulettes and similar entertainment. Typical food items of the region are generally available. Some of the festivales also feature artisan shows that attract artisans from all over the island to present and offer their creations for sale.

One festivity worth special note is Festival de las Flores, a flower festival held annually around the last week in June in Aibonito. Aibonito is a small town high in the mountains of the center of the island, about one hour's drive from San Juan. It is sometimes referred to as la nevera de Puerto Rico or Puerto Rico's icebox because temperatures there are usually lower than at most other places. Temperatures may drop to 55 degrees Faremheit late in a winter evening. Festival de las Flores usually attracts many people from all over the island, who come to admire the flowers and flower arrangements and to enjoy artistic shows, buy some potted plants, and enjoy a day of leisure in a cool and pleasant environment.

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