Experience the Best of Puerto Rico This Holiday Season
Puerto Rican culture is full of time-honored traditions that reflect the Island's diverse heritage that fills Boricuas with pride.
No time of year showcases them as beautifully as Christmas, where everything from the food, decor, music, and general vibes ooze that unique sazón. Experience the magic for yourself, from collecting grass to put underneath the bed for Three Kings Day to belting aguinaldos during a parranda.
Learn more about our unique traditions
Parrandas – The Heart of Puerto Rican Celebrations
¡Asalto!—nothing sounds more like the holidays in Puerto Rico than surprising friends, family, and community members with vivacious Christmas caroling. This isn't your typical "Silent Night" or "O Come All Ye Faithful"—these songs, called aguinaldos, are energetic and full of Boricua warmth. You can see parrandas throughout the Island, but you might just have to stay awake a little later to experience one!
Celebrate Three Kings Day (Día de Reyes)
Like other communities worldwide, Puerto Rico celebrates Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day—but with a Boricua spirit, of course! Held on the final day of the 12 days of Christmas on January 6th, it's full of food, family time, and parties. Be sure to collect enough grass to feed the three Magi’s camels to fully immerse yourself in the celebrations!
Octavitas – Extending the Holiday Spirit
The party doesn't stop after Three Kings Day, though—it's time for the Octavitas! The eight days after Three Kings Day are an extension of Christmas, where people keep throwing parties and going on parrandas. While the parties were of a religious nature and used to glorify the Magi and Jesus with songs, it's become less secular and more about reveling in the Island's holiday traditions just a little bit longer.
Fiestas de la Calle de San Sebastián
It's time to finish the longest holiday season in the world with a broche de oro (it translates to a golden brooch, which means to end things on a great note)! Las Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián (the Party of Saint Sebastian Street), also known as La SanSe, is the unofficial end of the Octavitas. This annual three-day festival in Old San Juan is packed with live performances, street food, local artists and artisans, and a heaping spoonful of Boricua warmth!