Puerto Rico is known for the length of its Christmas celebrations — why stop at 12 days of Christmas when you can have 45? Puerto Rican Christmas begins directly after Thanksgiving Day and continues through Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) and Día de Reyes (Three Kings Day or Epiphany) to the Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián, also known as la SanSe. This is a four-day celebration along the Calle San Sebastián in San Juan, running Thursday through Sunday the third week of January.
If you won’t be in San Juan this year, or even in Puerto Rico, you can still join in the celebrations in the states, especially if you live in a town with an established Puerto Rican community.
Noche Buena
Christmas Eve is traditionally a family holiday in Puerto Rico, but Puerto Rican communities in the states often celebrate with Navidad Boricua events leading up to the 24th. Sometimes bars and Puerto Rican cultural centers hold parties. One favorite type of event is parrandas, when groups travel from house to house late in the evening, singing and playing Christmas music. Householders invite the visitors in for food and drink, and may then join the group as they travel on to their next destination.
While parrandas on the Island are supposed to be a surprise — that’s part of the fun — in the states they are more likely to be planned in advance. They may take place in churches or community centers. Churches are also likely to hold midnight mass on Noche Buena.
Stateside towns with larger Puerto Rican communities are most likely to have public events around Christmas Eve. Some of the cities to visit for these observances:
- New York City
- Chicago
- Orlando / Kissimmee
- Philadelphia
- Newark
- Hartford / Springfield / Holyoke (Massachusetts)
Día de Reyes
Three Kings Day, on January 6, remembers the three magi or wise men who visited the infant Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. This is the day when children receive gifts from the Three Kings. It’s customary to leave grass for the kings’ horses. If you live in a cold climate, you can do as participants in places like Delaware and Chicago do and leave lettuce from the grocery store instead.
Museums are the most likely to hold these celebrations for the public in the states. You’ll find special programs for families in New York City, New York; Chicago, Illinois; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Milford, Delaware; and West Palm Beach, Florida. But there are other locations, from Sea World in Orlando to Castillo de San Marcos National Monument in St. Augustine, holding events on this day. Churches and community centers often have special programs, too.
Check your local news sources for events in your neighborhood.
Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián
These celebration began in the 1950s as a religious observance for St. Sebastian, the patron saint of San Juan. St. Sebastian, a Gaul who served in the Roman army, was an early Christian martyr who has come to symbolize bravery and endurance. In addition to being the patron saint of San Juan, he is also the patron saint of soldiers and athletes.
The modern Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián are a raucous and joyful street festival with music, dancing, arts and crafts, local food, parades, and performances. Hundreds of thousands of people come to San Juan for the celebration, but you can find Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián in the states as well. Orlando is known for their SanSe, which is a celebration of Puerto Rican culture. It takes place during January but often after the end of Christmas festivities. You’ll still see the famous cabezudos, giant paper mache heads worn as costumes in parades, along with music and dance, special food, and local crafts.
New York City and Chicago also often hold special concerts, street festivals, and parades for SanSe.
Whether you’re celebrating your Puerto Rican heritage, developing a greater understanding of this part of the United States, or just looking for something new for the holidays, enjoying Puerto Rican Christmas celebrations will enrich your holiday festivities.
