During Christmas season, Puerto Rico is the best place to be. Nobody is untouched by the festive mood. Houses are decorated beautifully, people are buying gifts, parties everywhere, choirs singing, plays being performed, processions taking place, carols being sung everywhere including the several radio and tv channels called 'Parandas'. Christmas spirit is in the gifts, in the reunions, dressing up, in the smiles.
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Christmas here stays for more than a month. It starts from 'Thanksgiving' (which is the last thursday of November) until the 'Three Kings Day', 6th of January (which really begins the previous night, remembered as the night when the three kings of the east brought gifts to baby Jesus). Yes, this is longer than many other countries in the world. The schools don't open until the 12th of January. What fun, isn't it?
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Here, the best part of Christmas celebrations is food. There are loads of special dishes that are done in this season like, Lechon (Rosted Pork), Pasteles (dough made of plantains filled with tasty ingredients, which either boiled wrapped in banana leafs or fried), morcilla (a kind of sausage) arroz con gandules (rice done with lentils) , arroz y habichuela (rice and beans) and many other wonderful combinations.
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Another important part of Christmas meals (only for the alcoholics) is Coquito. The main ingredients of Coquito are coconut milk, cinnamon, sweetened condensed milk and rum, some people also add eggs to this wonderfully delicious drink. Now, don't forget alcohol and sugar is not very good for health so drink it in limits :-)
All in all, I think the best Christmas celebrations in the world are here in Puerto Rico. So, when you get a chance, enjoy Christmas in the Boriqua way!!!
