Christmas Around the World, Part 4 – Cuba

We have reached the last stop in our annual trip around the world to explore Christmas traditions from different countries! This week we arrive in Cuba, where the Christmas season reverberates with the sounds of celebration.

In 1820, a priest named Father Francisco Vigil de Quiñones gathered the children of Remedio, a town in Cuba, gave them pieces of kitchenware, and sent them out into the streets to make some noise. He wanted to make sure the adults of the town made it to midnight mass in the week leading up to Christmas, and what better way than by ensuring it was impossible to sleep through it! Over time, this clamorous announcement that Christmas was on its way became an annual tradition, and eventually grew into a massive event called Las Parrandas de Remedio. Las Parrandas has music, dancing, fireworks, and even a parade competition between neighborhoods that begins with the ringing of the church bells at 9pm on Christmas Eve! You can read more – and see some pictures – here.

Christmas became unnaturally silent between 1969 and 1997, when Fidel Castro’s regime outlawed religious celebrations (read more about it on the Cuba Journal blog). Those who wanted to express their Christmas joy had to do so quietly. When the ban was lifted, celebrations like Las Parrandas came back in full force. These days over a dozen communities participate in Las Parrandas, so every year, between December 16 and 26, Cuba gets loud!

In Sunday School, we talk about the pure joy that is Christmas – how the journey to Bethlehem, the reflection and preparation, culminates in celebration. There’s something about the raucous, exuberant way they celebrate in Cuba that truly captures the spirit of the season, so why not give it a go with your family this year? Create some homemade noisemakers (perhaps like these), mix up some Crema de Vie (Cuban Egg Nog) for the adults, and make some noise!

Share your family’s Christmas joy with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. !Feliz Navidad!