Every wondered how do Puerto Ricans celebrate Christmas? The Puerto Rican holiday season begins in Novermber at Thanksgiving and keeps going through to the end of January. It is often noted that the Puerto Rican view of the Christmas season is that it’s not so much a sprint as it is a marathon. Indeed, children on the island have a winter break of about a month and the rush of business slows as family and friends gather to celebrate. You will also find many festivals and events that operate during this time. There are several favorite traditions though that are easy to follow…

From events like lively parrandas (Christmas caroling), a very long Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) feast, and the celebration of Three Kings’ Day (Día de Reyes) on January 6th, there are a lot of festivities during this season. What makes it so unique is that it extends beyond the standard holidays and features music, food like lechón asado (roast pork) and coquito (a coconut and rum-based drink), and various church services, such as the one known as “Misa de Aguinaldo”.

Go to Mass – Misa de Aguinaldo

Puerto Rican Christmas traditions start from December 15 to 24 (without including Thanksgiving), churches across Puerto Rico hold a beloved tradition known as misas de aguinaldo. These special dawn masses take place just before sunrise, inviting people to wake up early and gather in the spirit of devotion and celebration. What makes them unique is the joyful atmosphere—far from being solemn, they are filled with lively music, cultural pride, and community warmth.

During the misa, the congregation sings aguinaldos, which are traditional Puerto Rican adaptations of Christmas carols. These songs blend religious themes with the island’s folkloric rhythms, often using instruments such as the cuatro, guitar, maracas, and güiro. The result feels like a musical celebration rather than a quiet ceremony.

Many people attend all nine dawn masses as a spiritual preparation for Christmas Eve, similar to a novena. After the service, it’s common to enjoy a light breakfast with friends and family—coffee, pan sobao, or even traditional treats like tembleque or pasteles if someone brought them to share. The misa de aguinaldo is not just a religious event—it’s a cultural treasure that captures the essence of Puerto Rican Christmas: music, faith, community, and the joy of waking up early to celebrate life together.

Go Caroling in a Parranda

One of the most festive and cherished Puerto Rican christmas traditions is the parranda, a lively musical surprise delivered right to someone’s doorstep. It begins with a small group of people called parranderos, who gather late at night—often after 10 PM—and quietly approach a friend’s house. Then the magic happens: with instruments in hand, they suddenly burst into song, beginning what is known as an asalto navideño—literally, a Christmas assault.

This “assault” is all in good fun. The parranderos sing aguinaldos, traditional Puerto Rican Christmas tunes, to wake the homeowners who must come to the door and welcome them inside. Once allowed in, the musicians squeeze into the house and continue the celebration with more music, laughter, and spontaneous performances.

As the night goes on, the group grows larger. Neighbors and friends join in, following the parranderos to the next house, making the celebration more energetic with every stop. Each home visited offers refreshments—typical treats include savory bites, holiday sweets, and drinks like Coquito, Puerto Rico’s creamy coconut-based version of eggnog.

The parrandas continue throughout the night and often end at daybreak. The final house usually provides something heartier to recover from the long night of singing and celebration—often a warm asopao, a comforting Puerto Rican stew that brings everyone together before heading home. More than just a party, a parranda is a living expression of Puerto Rican culture—music, friendship, generosity, and the joy of celebrating Christmas as a community.

**Celebrate Nochebuena – Puerto Rico Christmas Traditions**

Christmas Eve trumps Christmas Day for most Puerto Ricans. This is when a typical Puerto Rican Christmas dinner is served, consisting of lechón (roast pork), pasteles (patties), and arroz con gandules (rice ‘n beans).

The traditional Christmas dessert is tembleque, which is a kind of custard with coconut, cornstarch, vanilla, and cinnamon. After dinner, many Puerto Ricans attend a midnight mass known as the Misa de Gallo or “Rooster’s Mass.” You might just catch a live reenactment of the nativity scene. Obviously, gifts are a must. Families strive to give the best gift to all their relatives.

A Christmas tree is indispensable for celebrating Christmas. In this home full of Christmas atmosphere, the Christmas tree is undoubtedly a focus of joy.

Many people choose custom ornaments and custom neon signs to decorate the Christmas tree. Those exquisite Custom Ornaments often carry the Christmas atmosphere. You can customize the decorations according to your own needs, such as small Santa Claus pendants related to Christmas, elk decorations that represent the vision and blessing for a bright future warm family portraits, etc.

They are illuminated by flashing colored lights, exuding a different kind of warmth, making the whole house filled with a strong Christmas atmosphere

For many students, Christmas is a cherished time to return home and reconnect with family. However, the holiday season can bring its own challenges, especially for those who need to complete assignments or essays before fully enjoying the festivities. Using an essay writing service can help ease the workload, allowing students to focus on the warmth of home while ensuring their academic responsibilities are met with excellence.

Grapes for Good Luck

Fireworks have become a traditional event for New Year’s Eve and if you have view from a mountain, you will see a steady succession of fireworks once the sun goes down. At the stroke of midnight, local tradition demands that you eat 12 grapes for luck. You’ll also find some people sprinkling sugar outside their house for good luck or throwing a bucket of water out the window to expel all the negatives of the old year and get ready for a fresh start.

Collect Grass for the Camels

On the evening of Jan. 5, children will collect a shoebox full of grass and a large container of water for the Magi’s camels and place the items at the foot of their beds. In the night, the three kings will come into their rooms, take their supplies and leave a present under each child’s bed. In our family celebrations, the gifts given are generally small tokens that would fit into the shoebox.

Celebrate Three Kings Day

This day celebrates the feast of the Epiphany, when the Three kings visited the newly born Christ Child in Bethlehem bearing him gifts. This tradition is repeated and reflected in present day with the belief that on this eve the Three Kings will visit every good child to deliver them gifts.

There is not much known about the original Three Kings other than that they came from the East bearing the three traditional gifts of Frankincense, Myrrh, and Gold. On the night Christ was born, the were drawn by a “mysterious light” which became a star that hung in the western sky. The followed this sign to Bethlehem, where they arrived (a little late) to honor Christ’s birth. In fact, the “12 Days of Christmas,” which is so often believed to end on December 25, actually begins on the 25th and runs through January 6, culminating with the Feast of Epiphany, or “The Adoration of the Magi.” This marks the official end of the Christmas Season in Puerto Rico and there is a large celebration in San Juan, where children can go to La Fortaleza, the governor’s mansion, to receive free gifts.

Drink Coquito or Pitorro

Christmas is not Christmas without Coquito, Puerto Rico’s version of Eggnog, but without the egg-y flavor. If you are looking for a traditional holiday drink and are not a fan of eggnog, consider coquito, a coconut based ‘eggnog’. Coquito is made with egg yolks, rum, coconut milk, coconut cream, sweet condensed milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. The drink is commonly associated with the Christmas holidays, where it is traditionally served along with other holiday food.

Pitorro is Puerto Rico’s version of Moonshine, and not something that you will easily find. If at all, the best time to find this is during the holiday season by hanging out with some locals. Pitorro is moonshine, or in this case fermented sugar cane or Caña, that has had fruits and spices added to it and then has been cured for months in a dark storage area. Christmastime is the traditional time for Pitorro bottles to be taken out and dusted off and compared to everyone elses. In the last year or so, there have been a couple of distillers that have brought Pitorro to the public commercially. They artisan and offer many unique flavors and are available in-store at Caribbean Trading Company.

Liked this article about Puerto Rico Christmas traditions? Join the Crew and Start the Journey! Connect with Us for News, Events, Lifestyle, and all things Caribbean by joining our Newsletter – Click Here to Join or find us on Facebook or Instagram.