The island where Christmas lasts for 6 weeks

The food, the people, the energy...what more could you ask for?

Many of you know me from my time in Puerto Rico with World Central Kitchen when Hurricane María struck the island in 2017. But the truth is I’ve been visiting the island long before that. 

I first stepped foot on this beautiful island decades ago…and man, did I fall in love.

To me, Puerto Rico is a halfway point between my Spanish heritage and my American immigrant identity…it is a place that I feel like I belong. There of course is a heavy Spanish influence on the island from the era of colonization, from the large towers of El Castillo el San Felipe del Morro, or El Morro, to hearing the Spanish language everywhere you go.

But, the Spanish of course weren’t the first ones on the island, and when they arrived they enslaved the indigenous Taíno people, as well as forcibly enslaving people from Africa to work on the island in mining, building, and sugar production. This history is difficult to wrestle with, but it’s important to acknowledge and remember how history impacts the present.

Today, Puerto Rican culture is a blend of the indigenous Taínos, the African people who were forcibly brought there, and the Spanish colonizers who stayed, as well as the American influence that came about after the Spanish-American War at the end of the 19th century. It’s a complex tapestry that’s full of both inhumanity and beauty, and is the reason that Puerto Rico has such a rich, dynamic, vibrant culture…the songs, food, music, and art on this island are an incredible composite of all of those influences. The younger generations of Puerto Ricans, in a reference to the name the indigenous Taíno people gave the island before the Spanish arrived, call themselves Boricua, after the island’s original name of Borinquen.

If you’ve never been to Puerto Rico, let me tell you you’re missing out! It’s an absolutely beautiful island, surrounded by the most pristine blue clear water that you will ever see in your life. There are sandy beaches but also amazing forests and mountains…anything you want to do, you can find it on the island. The weather is sunny and tropical, and when it gets too hot there’s plenty of shade to keep you cool. But as much as I love the climate and nature of this island, there is nothing more beautiful than the community of this island. The people of Puerto Rico are so welcoming, and so true to each other—I have seen some of the most selfless, generous people of my life. Puerto Rico is America at its best, humanity at its best.

Oh, and that part about being America at its best? That means for those of us who love to travel from the United States that you don’t actually need a passport to visit! Though it’s not a state, Puerto Rico is officially part of America, an unincorporated territory, a relative that’s never been fully embraced by the United States. While the status of the island is debated by Puerto Ricans, it’s clear that this long America-but-not-America position has led to major issues—like after Hurricane María, when the island’s residents weren’t able to get the help they needed. 

So today I wanted to tell you why you should book tickets for Puerto Rico for this holiday season…no passport required. Puerto Rico is of course an amazing place to visit year round but one of my favorite times to visit is during the holidays. Trust me, Puerto Ricans know how to do Christmas like no one else! 

Do you want my recommendations for where to eat and drink in Puerto Rico over the holidays? Check out my new project The Chef’s List…I share my favorite spots for everything from rice to rum! And Longer Tables subscribers still have 10% for the rest of the week!

As soon as Thanksgiving’s over the festivities begin and they don’t stop until mid-January. To mark the beginning of the holiday season, each town in Puerto Rico has an Encendido Navideño (Christmas Lighting) where the community will gather in front of the town hall and watch as the main public buildings light up in Christmas lights and Puerto Rican flags. 

From there it’s a full 45 days worth of Christmas celebrations! Families and friends will come together late at night and go Christmas caroling, which are known as parrandas—a group of friends and musicians will knock on your door late at night and keep knocking until you wake up and open the door…and then the party gets started! . 

Puerto Ricans will throw numerous festivals and parties in the streets. They’ll dance and drink amazing drinks…and of course they eat amazing foods, like alcapurrias, fried patties made from root vegetables and stuffed with different things like meat or crab—these are the essence of Puerto Rico! 

For Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, also known as Nochebuena, families will gather together and celebrate the evening with a big meal then will go to midnight mass (misa de gallo) and afterwards, return to their homes and open up presents and celebrate more until the early morning.

But get this, Christmas day isn’t the only time for presents! 10 days later on January 5th, the day before Three Kings Day (El Día de los Reyes Magos), children will go outside their homes and collect grass and put under their beds for the kings’ camels. In return, the children wake up with more presents. But that’s not all, following this special day, from January 7th to the 14th, Puerto Ricans celebrate La Octavitas, which is essentially eight days of gifting. They throw some more festivals during this time and eventually end the season with the San Sebastián Street Festival, or as Puerto Ricans call it, La SanSe. The island goes big during Christmas so of course they have to end the season on a high note (you’ll hear more about it below!)

And of course I can't forget about the food. Arroz con gandules, or rice with bits of pork and pigeon peas is a staple for big celebrations, like the holiday season, but also for weddings and baby showers. This is truly a dish representative of Puerto Rico. The Spanish came with the rice and pork, while the tiny, nutty pigeon peas came from West Africa. Taínos took these ingredients and used local peppers and herbs from the island to create a large pot full of some of the most flavorful rice you’ll ever taste in your life.

Pasteles are a dish you will find throughout Latin America, but you might know them as tamales or hallacas, depending on where you are from. You might have had tamales wrapped in corn husks in Mexican restaurants, but in Puerto Rico they’re wrapped in banana leaves. They were originally made by the Taíno people with root vegetables like yautía or cassava as the “masa,” or dough—today it’s often a blend of grated plantain, green banana, root vegetables, pumpkins, or potatoes. And then they’re filled with all sorts of things…meat, chicken, peppers, olives, nuts, fruits…and then wrapped in the banana leaf and steamed. They are most typical around the holidays, when families get together to make dozens (or hundreds!) of them at a time. 

And then there’s the pernil (roasted pork), a dish served for special occasions. Puerto Ricans take a beautiful piece of pork leg or shoulder and slowly roast it until the pork skin gets all brown and crispy but the meat inside is so tender and juicy. Oh my god people, you don’t know pork until you’ve been to Puerto Rico! They have a whole highway dedicated to restaurants that specialize in lechón (slow roasted pigs…so pernil but for the entire pig) This is known as La Ruta de Lechón. This highway is located about 30 miles outside San Juan. I’ve listed my favorite places below.

Want to check out my favorite places for pernil and lechón? Take a look over at The Chef’s List!

And lastly is the legendary coquito. This is a creamy coconut drink flavored with cinnamon, condensed milk, and rum (but it tastes just as delicious without). During this holiday season, people will make large batches of coquito, bottle them up, and gift them to friends, family, neighbors…during the holiday season everyone gets a bottle of coquito! You go to sing the parrandas, you get a bottle of coquito. You go to your friend’s house for dinner, you get a bottle of coquito. Everybody gets a bottle, and gives one! How great is that?! 

Of course you can visit Puerto Rico any time of the year, but after reading all of this, why wouldn’t you go for the holidays?! Yes I know the holidays seem like they’re a million years away, but they’re not people—they’re coming up fast so I’m giving you a little over a month to book your travel and plan your route…! 

Over at The Chef’s List, you can find all of my recommendations for San Juan and a bit further afield when you go to Puerto Rico. There’s plenty of things to do in the capital of this island, especially during the holidays.

If you know anything about me then you know that I’m passionate about Puerto Rico and its people. I believe that we should continue to support the people of Puerto Rico and one of the best ways you can do that is by visiting the island. So why wait? Visit now!!!