Religious Holidays
| Date | English name | Local name (in Spanish) | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 5 | Eve of Epiphany | Víspera de los Tres Reyes Magos | Puerto Rican children leave a box with grass for the camels of the Three Wise Men and a glass of water for the magos themselves. |
| January 6 | Three Kings Day Epiphanys |
Día de los Tres Reyes Magos | Children find that the camels ate the grass and the Three Kings drank the water left for them the day before. Traditionally the Kings leave presents under the children's beds. |
| the week before Ash Wednesday | Carnival | Carnaval | Like other Catholic cultures (Brazil, Trinidad, Louisiana), the solemn 40 days of Lent are preceded in Puerto Rico by a massive blow-out with elaborate costumes and parades. In the port city of Ponce, in particular, Carnival time means characters in the streets wearing incredible horned-devil masks, called vejigantes. |
| First day of Lent | Ash Wednesday | Miércoles de Ceniza | Devout Roman Catholics abstain from eating meat or poultry on this day. Many attend church services. |
| Sunday before Easter Sunday | Palm Sunday | Domingo de Ramas | |
| Palm Sunday through Easter | Holy Week | Semana Santa | Most schools, colleges, and universities give the complete week as a recess to students. |
| Friday before Easter | Good Friday | Viernes Santo | This is the most solemn day of the whole year on the island. All businesses close. |
| Easter | Easter | Domingo de la Resurrección Domingo de Pascuas |
|
| June 24 | Saint John's Day | Día de San Juan Bautista Fiestas de San Juan |
Since John the Baptist is the patron saint of the Island and the namesake of the capital city (San Juan), his day is widely celebrated by big parties on the beaches on the Eve of St. John's Day (June 23). One tradition is to walk backward into the ocean and fall in 12 times at midnight on the beginning of the 24th. |
| December 24 | Christmas Eve | Nochebuena Día de Nochebuena |
Christmas traditions in Puerto Rico include a large supper with families and friends on Xmas Eve, and the Midnight Mass or misa de gallo. Anytime during las navidades neighbors and friends make a parranda or asalto, going from house to house singing Puerto Rican Christmas carols. Once everything has been eaten and drunk, the erstwhile 'host' joins the trulla and they all go to somebody else's house to eat and drink. |
| December 28 | Day of the Innocents, Festival of the Masks | Día de los Innocentes Día de las Máscaras en Hatillo |
A Christmas season tradition in the town on Hatillo on the north coast. Similar to Mardi Gras "crewes" in Louisiana, teams of friends totally cover cars, trucks, and floats with elaborate frilly decorations, and wearing head-to-toe costumes, they cruise the country roads, playing practical jokes along the way. There is a not-to-be missed half-day long parade, full of loud noise and brilliant colors. The tricksters commemorate Herod's soldiers and the slaughter of the innocents in Bethlehem. |
| Puerto Rico portal |
Read more about this topic: Public Holidays In Puerto Rico
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)