Christmas is longer (and warmer) in Puerto Rico: What you can expect in a holiday getaway
CIALES, Puerto Rico – If you need a little Christmas right this very minute, consider visiting Puerto Rico.
Sure, it may not have the snow and indigenous evergreens many people associate with the winter holidays, but what it lacks in the markers of a temperate climate, it more than makes up for in holiday spirit.
“We have the longest holiday season in the world. By the time Thanksgiving rolls around for us it’s already Christmas,” Xiomara Rodriguez, communications director for Discover Puerto Rico, told USA TODAY. The early coming of the Christmas season was on full display when USA TODAY visited the island in early November. Many houses were already decorated for the holiday by early November.
Puerto Rico is primarily Catholic, so of course, Christmas is a focus of the holiday season, but the island also observes Three Kings Day, or Epiphany, on Jan. 6, and the weeklong San Sebastian street festival in mid-January to mark the end of the holiday season.
Winter is a great time to get to know the island, it not only provides an escape from the cold and gray, but also a holiday atmosphere that makes it even easier to have a true local experience.
Going on a chinchorreo
Throughout the year, Puerto Ricans participate in chinchorreos – essentially day-long bar hopping trips at roadside food stands for refreshments throughout the journey.
“That is something that has been instilled in our culture for quite some time,” Rodriguez said. “It’s really food tastings. You have a little bit of something on one and maybe a drink, and then you go to another one and maybe have a fritter and a cocktail there.”
She added that there’s usually music and dancing at every stop – and suggested making sure you have a designated driver. Individual stops along a chinchorreo route are called chinchorros.
While chinchorreo isn’t a holiday-specific activity, Rodriguez said many of the kiosks add special menu items like coquito (Puerto Rico’s take on eggnog) or pasteles (a traditional meat-filled turnover wrapped in plantain leaves) during the holidays.
Gerardo Mena, who is in charge of operations and marketing at Casa Vieja, a popular chinchorro in the municipality of Ciales, said visitors should definitely put a chinchorreo day on their itinerary.
“If you come to Puerto Rico, the best advice I can give you is try to rent a car or a driver and do chinchorreo around the mountains,” he said. “It’s really going to give you a good all-around sense of what we are as Puerto Ricans and what we have.”
Different chinchorros have their own specialties. For Casa Vieja, it’s pastel al caldero, a kind of stew version of pasteles without the outer pastry, which they serve year-round.
“We serve what we serve in big parties for our family,” Mena said. “We’re trying to bring what it’s like to be in a family atmosphere to the business.”
Discover Puerto Rico has a listing of almost 200 chinchorro stops, which you can filter by region on its website to help plan your own route.
Rodriguez said many municipalities on the island also publish their own chinchorro maps and guides.
Mena said chinchorreos are a big draw for tourists to visit the island’s central region.
“Chinchorreos give life to people in the mountains. The more chinchorreo grows, the more people are going to be able to open businesses,” he said. “You give life to routes, to families, families can dare to open new businesses with new concepts in the mountains, and we can futher diversify chinchorreo and the mountains.”
Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián
A week-long street festival in Old San Juan closes out Puerto Rico’s extended holiday season, with music and dancing throughout the neighborhood. A parade on Calle San Sebastián is the centerpiece, and local artisans set up booths to sell their wares.
There is no charge to enter, but the crowds can get so large that car access is limited to Old San Juan. Public transportation is bolstered to the area but definitely be prepared for lines and waits.
Cruising Altitude: Avoid long lines and high ticket prices by flying on the holidays.
No passport? No problem
Because Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, American citizens don’t need a passport to visit, making the trip even easier.
Many airlines offer direct flights from major cities, especially those on the East Coast and the Midwest.
Rodriguez said the holiday season is a great time to visit and get to know the local culture.
“I just think it’s a very special season for people to come visit,” she said. “We love celebrating and music and food and being in a festive atmosphere so you get to see a lot more of that displayed, walking around.”
Editor’s note: The reporter on this story received access to this trip from Discover Puerto Rico. USA TODAY maintains editorial control.
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Check out Puerto Rico's extended winter holiday festivities
