Misa De Aguinaldo (Nine consecutive nights before Christmas Eve) - A catholic Mass that is accompanied with music and carols. It is held for nine consecutive days and ends on the day before Christmas Eve.
Misa De Gallo (December 24 at midnight) – This mass is held at the midnight of Christmas Eve.
Nochebuena (Christmas Eve- 24th December) - A special dinner is organized by many families to celebrate the birthday of Jesus. The main dish is accompanied by Spanish rice with pigeon peas, local vegetables like cooked green bananas, fried plantains or cooked yam. Another dish called "pasteles", which is made of mashed green bananas, filled with meat and other vegetables, wrapped in the leaves of the banana tree (the leaves are only for wrapping) is an integral part of the dinner .The dinner also includes baked chicken or turkey, and roasted pork or ham.
Navidad (25th December) – It features the distribution of gifts by Santa Claus and the decoration of the pine tree as well as the houses with lights and other decorative items. Another feature of this event is the creation of “nacimientos" (cribs or crèches). Figures made out of wood, plastic or porcelain are placed in these crèches or cribs. Some of the cribs consists of the figures of Jesus, Joseph, and Mary while the others include the figures of three Wise Men, shepherds, animals, buildings, etc. In the churches large cribs are built as altars for people.
Learn about the other events of Christmas in Puerto Rico from
Christmas Carnivals.
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