Christmas in Puerto Rico and Fireworks too

I’m not exaggerating when I say the Season starts the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday) and does not end until the day after Three Kings Day on January 6th.  I have a small post I did about Black Friday too.. it’s as crazy here as it is on the mainland.  Here’s a link to it.

The reason for the long celebration stems from the fact that as a predominantly Spanish speaking Catholic state, the main event was/is Three Kings Day.  It has been celebrated in Puerto Rico since the beginning of Spanish rule.  Children would leave food for camels (dried grass) in a box, under their beds at night and then wake to find little gifts the next morning. Christmas Day was a day dedicated to the family, much like Thanksgiving is in the US.  Move forward to the late 20th Century and you see the locals adding in Santa, gift giving and all the other trappings of US Christian customs as well.

Believe it or not, I saw a cut commercial tree, heading home on the top of a car, the day before Thanksgiving this year.

Oh- Thanksgiving is slowly being adopted by Puerto Ricans too.

We paid a ridiculous premium for a can of Borden’s Eggnog ($4) and cranberry jelly is still hard to find.  Cornbread stuffing mix?  Forget about it!  We paid over a buck a pound for our frozen turkey (at Walmart) this year and it was nothing special.

Part of what fuels this season is the Christmas Bonus mandated by Puerto Rican labor law.  I won’t get into specifics, but for those that work, it covers all your costs at Christmas and then some.  The ‘mandatory’ bonus is unique to Puerto Rico, I had never heard of such a thing until I came here.  It is possible for an employer to ‘op-out’, but not many businesses do that. PR’s Labor Law blows my mind, but I’ll save that for another day.

Off to the Plaza in Coamo

We made our way to the plaza about 30 minutes after the sun set… 6:30PM I think.  The plaza featured several arrangements of lights.. one was of 3 guys standing around a pig on a spit while playing music.  Another featured the infamous 3 Kings.  We were there ahead of Christmas Mass so I was able to duck in and take a few shots of the church.  It was the first time I was at the plaza when the church was open.

The church is absolutely stunning

It looks like something right out of an 18th Century history book.  Well, minus a few over head fans.  A perfect example of Spanish Mission style architecture.. very well preserved.

On our way out I caught a bride staging photos in front of the Alcaldia (city hall).  Once I got her permission, I snapped this shot before they headed off in a big white limo.

I wish her well.

After the plaza, we headed over to Buenos Aires Street where me First Mate used to live.  It’s only a block off the plaza, but it is made up of mostly residential homes.  It had been blocked off for a big Christmas Block Party for the locals.  There was a live band, food vendors and ‘other’ entertainment as well.  Smack in the middle is the local neighborhood bar.  We were there early… the party really doesn’t get started until after 9PM.

Local parties like this are being staged in towns all over PR.

Something else Puerto Ricans are crazy about- Christmas lights. Tons of ’em!  I plan to spend more time next year, shooting just the lights.  San Juan is suppose to be most impressive this time of year.

The Fireworks of Christmas

By Puerto Rican law, licensed vendors are allowed to sell fireworks 2 times a year-  Around the 4th of July and during the Christmas holidays.  I have never seen them for sale, on or near the 4th of July, but they are very popular at Christmas.  Unfortunately for me, PR is a ‘Safe and Sane’ state, meaning they only sell sparklers and fountains.

The kiddy stuff.

No firecrackers,
No Roman Candles, No Sky Rockets, No Multi-Shot Cakes, No Aerial Shells or Helicopters.

When I discovered this little fact, I almost canceled my first trip to Puerto Rico.

I did not want to live in a place where the ‘powers that be’ thought they needed to protect me from myself.  Sure, we need rules about the safe use of fireworks, I’m a safety fanatic when it comes to things that can set you on fire or blow off a finger.  I still got all mine.  Back in Alaska, I worked closely with both vendors of fireworks and those that shot commercial shows.

So what do you do when in Puerto Rico? Do like the Romans…

Since I operate from a budget, I could not try ‘one of everything’ for sale. What’s more, I did recognize a few things I had tried before.  Fortunately, I happen to like fountains and have used them in photos in the past.

After some testing, this is what I like-  Most bang for the buck goes to the little ‘Super Coqui’ at $2.50 per.  It lasts a long time and goes through several effects. The 2nd best fountain I tried was the ‘El Yunque Fuente’ at $7 per.  It has a very outrageous finish.  I scored both of these from Walgreens.

The one thing I found disapointing was the red box ‘Wolf Pack Thunder Strings’ being passed off as firecrackers.  They are loud, but they are certainly NOT firecrackers.  It is as close to firecrackers as you are going to get, but they are little more than ‘crackling balls’ on a strip.  They will badly stain concrete or tile and please, do not toss them near dry grass as they seem to be quite flammable.  Part of this hazard is due to the fact that they can jump several feet into the air before going off.  It’s pretty at night, but only safe at a distance.  Real firecrackers would be much safer than these things.

One last point- M-80’s and Cherry Bombs have been banned for many years now and for good reason.  Stuff that goes ‘boom’, should be left to folks with experience.

I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Stay safe and have fun, Roberto

PS- a much larger version of the church alter shot may be seen on my Facebook Page.. Click here.