The Longest Holiday Season In the World!
Arts and Craft Fair in “El Cuartel de Ballajá” in Old San Juan during “Las Fiestas de la Sense”.
In Latinoamérica when the holiday season arrives there's no shortage of joy, amazing food and of course adult beverages to go around the festivities. For those that have spent time in Puerto Rico from late November through January you've discovered that the island is home to the longest holiday season in the world!
From the start of Thanksgiving week many Puerto Ricans as U.S. citizens also observe "El día de Acción de Gracias" on the island. They add their own flair in the kitchen with many traditional side dishes such as arroz con gandules, tostones, and guineitos en escabeche make it to the dining table along with the main course.
The same week of thanksgiving...Christmas decorations start to make an appearance in every household, the tunes in the radio shift to holiday cheer and towns, neighborhoods, family and friends start the process of planning almost 8 weeks, yes, 8 weeks of "jolgorio navideño" until the third week of January!!!
In Nochebuena, "Christmas Eve" there's the traditional dinner with family where the lechón, pasteles, arroz con gandules, cuajitos, morcilla with the holiday staples of Coquito "Eggnog" and Pitorro "Moonshine" are always part of the celebration.
Los Boricuas are well known to master the art of celebrating everything and during the holiday season the tradition to spread the joy of the season with everyone continues with the famous Parranda! The Parranda tradition is to bring friends and neighbors together and sing along live music Puerto Rican holiday carols visiting houses usually after midnight. If you are the host you must be prepared to offer delicious food and drinks to your guests!
"A comer pastel y a comer lechón
Arroz con gandules y a beber ron
Que venga morcilla venga de todo"
... El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico
Just after welcoming the new year one of the most important days of the island holiday marathon arrives. January 6th is the observance of the Three Kings Day also known as Epiphany Day. During the night before "Víspera de Reyes", children along the island are encourage by their parents to collect fresh grass from their patios, put them in a shoe box and offer fresh water on the side for the visiting camels. This is a must if you want Bartolomeu, Melchior and Balthazar to leave gifts after their long journey!
Right after the 6th, the countdown of the "Octavitas" starts, eight days in which "Las fiestas Navideñas" continue and then transitions to the famous "Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián" that starts the third week of January in the heart of Old San Juan.
Las Fiestas de la Sanse as locals call it, is the biggest ongoing festival on the island. Many world famous Puerto Rican artists have performed live such as Ricky Martin, Sonora Ponceña, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, Marc Anthony, La India, Calle 13 and Cultura Profética to name a few. You guessed it, there’s pleneros, vejigantes everywhere, food, arts and crafts, folklore, and many Medallas, Pitorro and Coquito to go around.
La Sanse represents the culmination of the holiday marathon of the longest holiday season in the world. If you love the holiday season as much as we do, you must spend a holiday season in “La Isla del Encanto”.
¡Nos vemos en la isla!