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EveryParampara

Traditions of San Juan

A walled Caribbean city with a night of San Juan Bautista, plena and the longest Christmas in the world.

San Juan is the capital of Puerto Rico, with forts and cobbled streets dating to the sixteenth century. Puerto Rican traditions blend Taíno, African and Spanish roots. On the night of 23 June, the Noche de San Juan, residents walk backwards into the sea at midnight for luck. Christmas lasts from late November to mid-January.

Plena, bomba and parrandas

Bomba, a drum and dance of African descent, and plena, a rhythm called the newspaper of the people, are played in the streets. Parrandas are surprise Christmas carolling parties in which neighbours go door to door with guitars, cuatros and maracas, waking the house to join the party. The festival of Three Kings, on 6 January, ends the season.

At the table

Mofongo, mashed fried plantain with garlic, and pasteles, banana-masa parcels with pork, are signature dishes. Arroz con gandules, rice with pigeon peas, and lechón asado at Christmas, coquito, a coconut drink, and tembleque pudding are served. Coffee from the mountains is renowned.

Signature traditions of San Juan

BombaThe drum and dance.PlenaThe music.ParrandaThe caroling.

Also part of it, and being written: Mofongo (The dish.), Coquito (The drink.).

A trail idea for San Juan

  1. Old San Juan Walk the blue cobbles.
  2. Castillo San Felipe del Morro See the fort.
  3. Piñones Eat fritters by the sea.
About this page

Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, markets and festival dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

KindSpiritualFestivalRite of passageTable customSeasonalDressPerformanceEtiquetteCraftGameFolkloreHomeCeremony
MealBreakfastLunchDinnerSupperTea-time and snacking customsTea, coffee and drinking ceremoniesSweets given and sharedFeasts and festival mealsFasting and breaking the fast
🇵🇷 San Juan, Puerto Rico and 1 moreBomba A Puerto Rican music and dance tradition where the drummer follows the dancer in a rhythmic dialogue.Performance

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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