Caribbean Christmas…

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By Janet Grace

I can trace my lineage back to the Crusades when one of my Dad’s ancestors, Pedro De Alvarado, and others, sailed the seas, and much to the world’s dismay, you know the rest. This article is not about them. It is about the customs the Spaniards brought with them from La Madre Patria, España, to the New World, where the Indigenous Taino’s and African’s got ahold of it and did so much more.

I was born in Manhattan, NY. We lived in a beautifully mixed neighborhood in Harlem where the mixture of cultures framed my love and appreciation for all cultures. I’m mixed with Spanish, Puerto Rican (Taino, African), French/Jewish ancestors, so playing with dreidels while chomping on dark chocolate wrapped in gold tin after ‘flan de coco’ dessert following a tasty Puerto Rican Holiday Meal of ‘pernil (slow roasted pork), pasteles (patties made from green bananas, meat), pastelillos (meat calzones), arroz con guandules’ (rice and pigeon peas), was the norm.

Traditional Caribbean Christmas’ last way longer than 12 days. My favorite meme is the one in which Batman is shown slapping the snot out of Robin who’s bubble says: “It’s January 1st, time to put away the Christmas decorations”. Batman responds: “We’re Puerto Rican. It’s not over until after the 6th.”

Sure enough, Christmas celebrations begin at the national day to give thanks, Thanksgiving, or “Accion De Gracias” translated as “Action of Gratitude” and continue until after the Three Kings come to bring you your gifts.

Christmas season is all about family gatherings, fun, revelry, colorful decorations, music, dancing, drinking and, oh, yes, celebrating the birth of their Lord, Jesus Christ. Gifts aren’t the main attraction. The reasons for the season are.

When Africans were kidnapped and brought to the New World, they already had their Gods, Goddesses that they prayed to. Christian Spaniards forced them to pray to their Gods, Angels, Saints instead. The African’s agreed but secretly hid their own Gods amongst these new names of Divinity. For instance, knowing St. Barbara was similar to their own Lightning God, “Chango”, they used her name but were secretly praying to what they believed in in their hearts .

In Cuba, the feast day of St. Barbara / Chango is December 4th. This is a night for a holiday meal, fireworks, music, dancing in the streets and massive celebrations all leading up to Christmas Eve called Noche Buena (translated as good night, but meaning holy night, like the song). My Godmother still has a private baker design an extravagant (wedding type) cake to place before her altar for the deity. The cake will remain there for three days and then be disposed of.

In these three days, what is left of the cake is the frosting. The rest is dehydrated as if it has been inhaled. I saw it because I was the one who disposed of it one year. I was shocked. I’ve learned that this is what happens when you place actual food in front of a deity or lost loved ones altar. The food becomes petrified, like wood. It does not decompose, IF it’s been accepted.

On the contrary, I had a tiny loaf of blessed bread “St. Anthony’s bread” given to me as a New House Blessing to be placed above my entrance door so that all who enter would be blessed with abundance. It lasted the entire 17 years I owned my house out on Long Island. When I took it down, it wasn’t petrified. Instead, it was as soft as the day it was given to me. IKR?

The 8th of December is The Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The day in which Mary, Jesus’ mom was told by the Archangel Gabriel, that she was with child. On this day, parishioners go to church, light their first advent candle, and will repeat this every week until Christmas. This is similar to Chanukah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, where a candle is lit each night for eight days celebrating the miracle of one day’s worth of oil lasting eight days in their renewed, blessed temple. Some light all eight candles turning one off for each subsequent day.

On December 15th, Catholic churches in the Caribbean hold masses at dawn called “Las Misas de Aguinaldo” (The Singing Masses) with plenty of caroling. The word “aguinaldo” is Spanish for bonus, and also Christmas gift box but in this instance, it’s used for this special tribute.
Coming from a family of musicians, my favorite part of the Christmas Celebrations are the “Parrandas”. Parrandas are an Afro-indigenous secular part of the celebratory season, having nothing to do with holy everything to do with being spirited. (HEATHENS, WOOT!)

Parranderos are the carolers who stop at their friend’s houses compete with Mariachi band, guitars, guiros, violins, horns, percussion, maracas and sing: “Abreme La Puerta” (Open the door for me) asking their friends to host them. Inside, the hosts have food waiting and after a good chow down, everyone, including the hosts, head over to the next persons house and the fun continues. I remember waking up in cousin’s houses that I didn’t remember how we’d arrived. Yes, kids are dragged along, laid out with the other bunch of kiddos; once we were asleep, and the adults kept moving from house to house. Elders babysat.

Speaking of all things delicious, in the Caribbean, the Holiday “Nog” we have is called: “coquito” (little coconut). It WAS made by grating hardened coconuts by hand, squeezing out the juice in a cheese cloth, adding egg yolks, secret this and that, to which the result was a coconut nog mixed with moonshine that would blow you into the next world in two scrumptious shots. Remember this! I’ll get back to it.

Christmas Eve is the Big Kahuna of the whole affair. For Caribbean Cultures, this is another night of Thanks Giving that will end with Midnight Mass or “La Misa del Gallo”, (Rooster’s Mass).

Christmas Day begins with Church, AGAIN. Heaven forbid we peeked at Santa’s gifts before getting ready for church. The gifts were to be opened after we said: Happy Birthday, to Christ The Lord.

On December 31st, Caribbean culture calls New Years Eve, “Año Viejo”, or Old Year and they’re back with the Mariachi band living it up, one last time. This must’ve been my mother’s most stressful day. Laundry done, ironed, put away. The house was immaculate. The wood floors were polished. You cannot let the New Year find you with a messy house. You wear your very best and make sure you’re bringing happiness, joy and excitement into the New Year.

At 2330hrs, 30mins before the New Year, my mother would place cinnamon sticks, frankincense and myrrh grains, a drop of perfume and white sugar into a pan and heat it up until the aroma of church incense would waft out of the kitchen deliciously. She would go throughout the entire house, cabinets, closets trailing that delicious aroma throughout the place blessing every room and ensuring that any negativity would be driven out before the New Year arrived. Some people sprinkle sugar outside their doors so That the New Year would favor them. These are Indigenous customs that have stood the test of time.

A few minutes before midnight, kids are given coins or new dollar bills to hold, so that the New Year finds you in abundance and brings more of that. My mother also threw coins out the window for those less fortunate while praying that God would provide for them. As soon as that ball drops, everyone eats 12 grapes for good luck.

On January 5th, children place grass clippings (Easter grass if you’re in the City) in a shoe box and place them under the bed for The Three King’s camels to eat. The next day, the grass is gone and each Wise Man has left a gift for the children.

Remember that “Coquito” I told your about? Having grated my hands while grating coconuts for this delicious drink I never got to taste, I grew up to check out any other ways to make this without sacrificing my knuckles.

Here’s the recipe. It’s easy to make and I promise you won’t regret it.

My Contribution to 2020 HOLIDAYS.

Ingredients: This will make a big pitcher. You can freeze it. Not full bottle, it needs to expand. You can Store it in the fridge. You can make it without liquor for the kids to enjoy as well.
1 can 《CRÈME》 OF COCONUT
1 can Coconut 《MILK 》
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 can Evaporated Milk
1 tsp cinnamon *
1tsp nutmeg *
Alcohol: Original:
6 oz. Any brand White Rum
6 oz. Any brand of 《V.S.BRANDY》
Not to be confused with expensive
《V.S.O.P.》 which is aged longer n costs more.

2020 Versions: I mean, really!

1. You can add 1 can pineapple juice to make piña coladas, blend,
2. Instead of rum n brandy, add tequilla, no other liquor.
3. Use Vodka or Gin plus VS. Brandy, or stick w just vodka.
Yes, these are “bastards” of the original, but you can create whatevr you want. It’s just coconut, sugar n more sugared milk, lol.
For children: easy. No liquor.

Personally, I swapped the coconut milk for evaporated milk and don’t even add the evaporated milk any more. Its creamier.
* Unless u don’t like either of them or have an allergy to nutmeg.

Blend and enjoy. Don’t forget, they may be tasty but they’re shots nonetheless. This for when you’re staying home to get hammered. No operating heavy machinery, lol.

If you’ve enjoyed this article or care to share your thoughts, please do comment and thank you. I will respond.

Peace n Blessed be. )O(

JG 😀