Two & a half hours by plane southeast of Miami, is Puerto Rico, The Island of Enchantment. It has 3.6 millions habitats. It measures 110 miles long by 35 miles wide. You can go around the Island in less than a day. The temperature is 80 degrees Fahrenheit, tropical humid, and the water at the beach is 75.
Puerto Rico had the indigenous (puertorrican Indians) until Spain (Columbus) discover Puerto Rico in 1493. And since 1898 has been under United States sovereignty. The currency is U.S. dollars. Puertorricans are U.S. citizens (Americans don't need a passport to come to P.R.) because Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States. The language is Spanish and English.
Puerto Rico is in the Caribbean Sea & Atlantic Ocean. ( See map) Mona, Culebra & Vieques are little Virgin Islands that belong to Puerto Rico were you find the most beautiful clear beaches.
Janice was born in Hospital del Maestro in San Juan, Puerto Rico, raised in Caguas & moved to San Juan when she was 18. In this map you can see some of the more famous towns of Puerto Rico, I have to mention some that are not here: Fajardo between Luquillo & Humacao were El Conquistador hotel is, with his private small Island, Palominito; Guanica between Mayaguez & Ponce were La Parguera is; Camuy between Arecibo & Aguadilla were the caves are; Coamo between Ponce & Caguas were Los Banos de Coamo (the natural hot spring is); Dorado between Bayamon & Arecibo were (with one of the most beautiful pools in the world) the Cerromar Beach Hotel is; Rincon between Aguadilla & Mayaguez the surfer's favorite; Cabo Rojo & Boqueron between Mayaguez & Ponce with beautiful beaches; and Humacao were The Palmas del Mar Hotel is, near the valley of Caguas- ( were Janice was raised) has beautiful mountains ,a new big shopping mall , beautiful houses and lots of talented people.
Mayaguez has another airport. And Arecibo has El Faro- the lighthouse. Aguadilla has one of the most beautiful beaches. Ponce has the firehouse and the museum. Luquillo has the Forest & good puertorrican food. And San Juan has great night life and a lot of history & culture. The Hotels have great casinos, restaurants, clubs & water sports.
When you arrived in Puerto Rico ( la isla del Encanto) be prepared to wait for your luggage at the Isla Verde airport, from half to one hour. Puertorricans are slow.
Next to the airport it's the new Ritz Carlton Hotel & Spa. If you want to go shopping: Plaza las Americas Mall is the best & is only fifteen minutes from Isla Verde.
For American music on the radio: Alpha Rock 106 fm. And don't forget to try the great puertorrican food: Rice, beans, sweet plantains: piononos, tostones, pasteles, the vegetables: batata & yautia, alcapurrias in Pinones ( next to Isla Verde), cod fish salad, passion fruit juice, pina colada, quenepa fruit, deserts like flan, tres leches cake, & arroz con dulce: our rice pudding.
When you visit Puerto Rico ( the island of the "Ay bendito") all hotels have the information guide "Que Pasa", read it, you'll find good information...
Some Info:
The Ritz Hotel has a very good international French restaurant, I also like Compostela Restaurant in Condado ( international & Spanish)
For steak & sea food, Morton's steak house at The Caribe Hilton Hotel in Condado. Ajili Mojili restaurant in Condado for puertorican food. There is a Japanese Restaurant (Sushi) at The San Juan Hotel. The San Juan hotel has Palms restaurant. Also a very good night club & night life at the San Juan Hotel which is near the Ritz.
There is Another good sushi restaurant at The Marriot Hotel ( Cherry Blossom, good for lunch). And Yukiyu restaurant ( sushi) in Old San Juan.
Giusseppe ( Italian food) ( next to the San Juan Hotel) - This hotel changed names & it's called now Intercontinental Hotel ) They also have Yamato restaurant ( sushi).
Zipperle restaurant ( international) in Roosevelt avenue in Hato Rey. There is a lot of good restaurants in Roosevelt street in Hato rey. It's near Plaza Las Americas Mall, which is one of the biggest mall.
The Restaurant at El Convento Hotel in Old San Juan, Its a good one. Los Chavales Restaurant ( spanish) in Rooselvelt avenue. Miro Restaurant ( bistro, casual) in Condado. Tierra santa Restaurant in Hato Rey (Arabian food). In Old San Juan & also in the Island there is a lot of good restaurants too.
In case you haven't seen some of the places before, you can visit: Old San Juan for puertorican souvenirs & El Morro ( fort), The Caves in Camuy, La Parguera ( the bay is good at night), El Yunque ( forest), & near there we like El Conquistador Hotel & his private little island Palominito, but you have to stay in that hotel to go to the island & this hotel it's 45 minutes from San Juan. Some of these places are an hour & a half away from San Juan, Isla Verde, Condado....
A Puerto Rican Christmas:
Navidad is the best of Puerto Rican culture. Nowhere else is Christmas celebrated like in Borinquen. Navidad is the time of tradition, aguinaldos, décimas, y de ser jíbaro Puertorriqueño. Christmas celebrations in Puerto Rico begin very early in December and do not stop on December 25th. The celebrations can continue into the middle of January if you consider the ''octavas and octavitas''.
The big Christmas celebrations are; December 24 - Nochebuena; December 25 - Navidad; December 31 - Despedida de Año; and the biggest and most important of all for the children, of course, el Día de Reyes on January 6th. When the three Kings brought presents to baby Jesus.
What makes our Christmas different? First, most "Ricans" pretend to be jíbaros (or claim to be from the town, el campo) during the holidays. We have a "pava" (traditional straw-hat) in storage just for Christmas. Puerto Ricans are known for their unforgettable "parrandas or trullas navideñas".
A parranda is when a small group of friends gathers together to "asaltar" or surprise another friend. It's the Puerto Rican version of Christmas caroling. Most parranderos play some sort of instrument, either guitarras, tamboriles, güiro maracas, or palitos. And they all sing. A parranda tends to be more secular than religious however many of the traditional aguinaldos (Puerto Rican Christmas songs) retain the holiday spirit.
The parranderos arrive at the destination and then very quietly gather by the front door. At a signal all start playing their instruments and singing. The parrandas usually begin after 10pm in order to surprise and wake the sleeping friend. The parranderos are invited in and refreshments, music and dance follow. Of course we don't surprise unsuspecting victims. The parranderos are given plenty of "hints" before hand by the homeowner that he is ready to receive a parranda. The party goes on for an hour or two then everyone, including the owners of the house, leave to parrandear some more. The group grows as they offer their parranda at several houses during that night.
At the last house probably around 3 or 4 in the
morning the homeowner offers the traditional chicken soup or asopao de pollo.
The party is over at dawn.
Cooking the pig is a big event. The pig is purchased and prepared a couple of days ahead. On the "big day" the pig is mounted on a stick and put to cook as early at 4 in the morning. At least two people must be on "watch" with the pig to turn it and make sure all goes well. Friends and relatives begin arriving later in the morning (this is an all day party.) While the pig roasts there is lots of holiday music. Older women will be in the kitchen cooking side dishes that will accompany the lechón. Children will be playing tag and getting in trouble.
Guests bring traditional holiday desserts. Traditional Puerto Rican Christmas foods such as pasteles, lechón asado, arroz con dulce, tembleque, and coquito give Puerto Ricans a separate identity from the rest of the world. Before Puerto Rican traditions became influenced by American culture Christmas Day was a joyful day and some gifts were received at some houses, but it was not from San Nicolás. Santa couldn't make it to the tropics in his hot wool suit with cap and raindeer. Our holiday gifts used to be from Los Reyes Magos.
Our Reyes celebration begins on the eve of Three Kings Day. On the evening of January 5th Puerto Rican children go outside with scissors and shoe boxes to cut grass for the camels to eat. The grass goes into shoe boxes and the boxes are placed under the beds of parents, grandparents, godparents, uncles, aunts, etc. Some time during the night Los Reyes come and while their camels eat the grass Los Reyes fill the shoe boxes to overflowing with gifts, and sweets, and many wonderful things. It is hard for Boricuas to keep our Navidad traditions especially living in places where it gets very cold. But we excel at improvisation. Make sure your children experience an old fashioned parranda. And don't forget to always celebrate Los Reyes. It makes unforgetable memories.
Just like there is nothing that compares to a Puerto Rican Navidad, nothing compares with what Puerto Ricans go through their first Christmas away from the Island. It is indeed a triste Navidad like the song says.
Puerto Rican Christmas Traditions:
Parrandas: is Christmas caroling Puerto Rican style. Friends gather late in the evening to go from one house to the next singing traditional songs. The parranderos must surprise the unsuspecting friend and wake them with their music. The home owner has already given plenty of "hints" that he is prepared to receive a parranda. The parranderos gather outside the front door and at a signal the musicians play and the rest sing. At each house they stop for a while and party, then they go to the next house. Often the members of the house join the parranda and it grows in numbers during the evening. Asalto or trulla are other words for parranda.
Aguinaldos: is what Puerto Ricans call their Christmas songs. Some of the songs are very religious and these are called villancicos. Some have a criollo flavor and they are called décimas navideñas. The rest are either traditional aguinaldos or popular Christmas songs.
Misa de Aguinaldo: is a Catholic Mass that is almost completely a song service. Aguinaldos are sung and the musical instruments used are the traditional cuatro (Puerto Rican guitar), guitars, güiros, and maracas. Misas de Aguinaldo are held for nine consecutive days ending on the day before Christmas Eve. The mass is held at dawn (usually at 6am).
Nochebuena: is Christmas Eve (December 24th). In Puerto Rico, as well as other Latin American countries, the big holiday celebration is held on Nochebuena. Family and friends get together for a festivities and traditional foods of lechón asado and pasteles. The parties often last till morning. On Christmas Day people rest from Nochebuena.
Traditional Holiday Foods - ( check this web in recipes for more info) : The main dish is usually roast pork: served along with arroz con gandules, plátanos, and pasteles. Pasteles: are made using mashed green bananas the dough is filled with meat and is wrapped in the leaves of the banana tree.
Holiday desserts: include "arroz con dulce" (rice cooked with spices, sugar, milk, and coconut milk) and "tembleque" (a custard made with cornstarch, sugar, and coconut milk). They are eaten cold, when its consistency becomes solid. The nougat, imported from Spain, is another popular sweet dish during the Holidays. Flan, custard is our creme burlee.
Coquito: is the traditional holiday beverage and is made using coconut milk and rum. Rum (Rón) is the national drink, and you can buy it in almost any shade. Each bartender worthy of the profession in Puerto Rico likes to concoct his or her favorite Rum libation.
A roast pig on a spit: called "lechón asao
Misa de Gallo: is a Misa de Aguinaldo held at midnight on Christmas Eve. It is a very solemn but festive mass often including candle. Many families attend this mass as a tradition.
Navidad: is Christmas Day (December 25th). Most modern Puerto Rican families celebrate with Santa on this day. Homes are decorated much like in the mainland but include a lot of palm trees and their branches. Families set up "nacimientos" or "pesebres". The Three Wise Men or Los Reyes are prominent in the pesebres.
Día de los Inocentes: falls on December 28th. This feast used to be celebrated like a carnival, where men dressed as the "evil soldiers of Herod" went house to house, "kidnapping" the first-born boy from every family. To recover their children, the families offered the soldiers gifts. This tradition continues today in a small town called Hatillo. The town joins in a parade and later participates in a public party at the town square. This carnival originated in the Canary Isles, and was brought to Puerto Rico by immigrants. The celebration in the rest of the island is more like April Fool's Day where people trick each other.
Despedida de Año or Año Viejo is New Year's Eve: (December 31st). It is celebrated in Borinquen with firecrackers and parties that last until morning. When the clock begins to chime for midnight some people eat one grape at every chime - for good luck. Then at midnight everyone hugs, and people go outside and honk the car horns and there are fireworks everywhere.
A few minutes later most Boricuas listen to "El Brindis del Bohemio": a traditional poem for that occasion.
Víspera de Reyes is the eve of El Día de Reyes: (January 5th). Traditional Catholics meet to pray the rosary and to honor the three Wise Men (saints in the Catholic faith). The children get ready to receive gifts from the three Wise Men by collecting freshly cut grass to put in a shoe box for the Wise Men's camels to eat. Día de Reyes is on January 6th. This is much like Christmas on the mainland. Children wake up much too early to check out what Baltazar, Melchor, and Gaspar left them. Family and friends gather to celebrate. January 6th - Saint Gaspar's Day of Feast, January 7th - Saint Melchor's Day of Feast January 8th - Saint Baltazar's Day of Feast
Octavas and Octavitas: on January 9th (after the last of the Kings days) and last for eight days. Originally these were more religious in nature and were used to glorify the Reyes and the Christ child. Coplas were dedicated to the magi. Copa: "Se fueron los Reyes con mucha alegría, vienen las octavas - Dios nos de salud para celebrarlas." Octavitas began right after the Octavas and were eight more days of continued adoration. These were a prelude to la Cuaresma (lent). More recently . . . . if you received a visit from a friend or relative on Three Kings' day, you are supposed to return the visit eight days later. Today most families choose this day to take off the Christmas decorations and "officially" end Christmas.
Poetas:
Luis Lloréns Torres
José Gautier Benítez
Luis Muñoz Rivera
Julia de Burgos
Manuel A. Alonso
Luis Palés Matos
José de Diego
Lola Rodríguez de Tió
Our flag:
Our flag was designed after the Cuban flag with the colors inverted as a sign of solidarity with Cuba, as suggested by Lola Rodríguez de Tió. Some celebrate Puerto Rican Flag Day on June 11th others celebrate it on December 22. Our flag was one hundred years old in 1995.
Boricuas in 1885 were fighting for independence from Spain. Some wanted independence so that Puerto Rico could be annexed to the United States. Some hoped Puerto Rico would come into some sort of Antillian alliance or confederation. Both sides worked together in one accord. A group of Puerto Rican patriots in New York City worked on this project and that is where our flag was born.
It was then a revolutionary flag in defiance of the Spanish reign. The reason they did not use the Lares Flag was because it represented a defeated effort. They wanted a new flag.
National Anthem " La Borinquena"
La tierra de Borinquen donde he nacido yo, es un jardin florido de mágico primor. Un cielo siempre nítido que sirve de dosel y dan arrullos plácidos las olas a sus pies. Cuando a sus playas llegó Colón exclamó, lleno de admiración; ¡Oh! ¡Oh! ¡Oh! Esta es la linda tierra que busco yo. Es Borinquen querida la hija, del mar y el sol, del mar y el sol, del mar y el sol, del mar y el sol, del mar y el sol. (Letra: Manuel Fernández Juncos Música: Ramón Collado Autor: Félix Astol Artés)
Coquí
The Puerto Rican coquí is a very small - tiny - tree frog about one inch long. Some coquíes look green, some brown and some yellowish - actually they are translucent. Coquíes have a high pitched sound and can be heard from far away.
The coquíes begin to sing when the sun goes down at dusk. Their melody serenades islanders to sleep. Coquíes sing all night long until dawn when they stop singing and head for the nest. Puerto Ricans love their coquíes and have written poems, stories, and Aguinaldos about them.
During the time of the Taíno Indians trillions of coquíes serenated our ancestral home. Many Taíno Indian myths surround the coquí. When you look at Puerto Rican Taíno art you can see that the coquí meant a lot to them. Coquíes are found in much of the Taíno art like pictographs and pottery. In Puerto Rico all coquíes are called coquí even though not all sing ''co-quí''. Only two of the species the ''Coquí Común'' and the ''Coquí de la Montaña or Coquí Puertorriqueño'' actually sing ''co-quí''.
Puerto Rican coquíes have relatives all over Latin America. The coquí genre is found in all the Caribbean Islands, and in Central and South America. But again, the only ones that make the sound ''co-quí'' are Puerto Rican. The scientific name for the coquí is Eleu-thero-dactylus, characterized because they have no webbed toes.
There are 16 different species in Puerto Rico and all of them have padded discs at the end of their toes which helps them climb. Coquíes are classified as amphibians - a grouping for cold blooded vertebrates that includes frogs, toads, or newts -that are able to live in both water and land.
Contrary to frogs, the coquíes do not go through a tadpole stage and break out of their egg - a small replica of their parents. Some coquíes are terrestrial some are arboreal. The Coquí Dorado is the only specie in the world that bears live young. The male coquí sings - not the female. That means that in Puerto Rico we hear only half the coquíes that are there sing. The male coquí watches over the eggs. The eggs hatch in 28 days and the young coquíes remain in the nest for an additional 5 days. Again the male coquí watches over them until they leave the nest. When there is more light either from the moon or from street lights, there are less coquíes. Therefore there are more coquíes in isolated areas like the mountains.
The specie ''Puerto Rican coquí'' sings co-quí, co-quí, co-quí at dusk and changes to co-quí-quí-quí, co-quí-quí-quí, co-quí-quí-quí, at dawn. It is arboreal - climbing to the top of trees in search of insects. There it remains until dawn when it changes its song and jumps down nesting until the evening. Coquíes are in danger of extinction and actually two of them are already extinct - the Coquí Dorado and the Coquí Palmeado. Others are endangered species like the Coquí Caoba and the Coquí de Eneida.
Why are coquíes in extinsion? Because of deforestation. People have destroyed their habitat often destroying their eggs and destroying their source of food and nourishment.
Taíno ( Puertorican indians) words in the Puerto Rican Vocabulary
areyto - Taíno ceremony that includes song, music, dance, and history
barcacoa - a 4 legged stand made of sticks used for cooking
bateas: large trays
batey - yard area
bohio - typical round home of Taínos
Boricua - valiant people
Borikén - Great Land of the Valiant and Noble Lord
cabuya - fishing line
cacique - chief
canarís: water vessels
caney - square house for Chiefs and Shammans only
canoas/piraguas/cayucas/kurialas: canoes
Caribe -strong people
casabi - yuca bread
cokí - coquí - small tree frog
colibri - hummingbird
cucubano - lightning bug
ditas y jitacas: food vessels made from higüero
fotuto - sea shell trumpet
guanín - chief's medallion
Guaraguao - red tailed hawk
guatiao - exchanging named and becoming blood brothers
iguana - lizard
jamaca - hammock
jicotea - land turtle
jurakan - storm
Lukiyó - sacred mountain
mabí - fermented drink made from Mabí tree
macana - weapon - club
mime - small fly
nagua - loin cloth used by married women
tabacú - tobbaco
yucayeque - Taino village
Pueblos:
Aguada, Aguadilla , Arecibo, Bayamón, Caguas, Carolina, Ceiba, Coamo, Condado, Culebra, Fajardo, Guanica, Hato Rey , Humacao, Juncos, Las Marias, Levittown, Luquillo, Mayaguez, Ponce, Rincon, Rio Blanco, Rio Grande, Rio Piedras, San Germán, San Juan , Santurce, Trujillo Alto, Toa Baja, Toa Alta, Culebra, Mona,Vieques,
The Puerto Ricans: Our American Story:
Our American Story celebrates lives lived in two worlds - the mainland United States and the island of Puerto Rico - a bicultural existence that, as many in the program describe it, can at times be equally enriching and unsettling. The program, airing on KQED Sat 9/8 5:30pm, embodies the rich heritage of a people whose story has never been fully explored on television. Entertainer Rita Moreno, Dancer Iris Chacon, musician Tito Puente, actors Jimmy Smits, Jennifer Lopez, Benicio del Toro and Miriam Colon, singers Justino Diaz, Marc Anthony, and Ednita Nazario, author Esmeralda Santiago, tennis player Gigi Fernandez, Governor Pedro J. Rosselló (NPP - Puerto Rico) and many others share their stories of a passionate regard for an island and culture whose special charm has left an indelible mark on their lives.
Filmed on both the United States mainland and Puerto Rico, The Puerto Ricans: Our American Story explores the customs and traditions that have bonded Puerto Rican families for generations. And just as the mix of spices, sofritos, is essential in any Puerto Rican kitchen - it not only colors the food but also gives it flavor - The Puerto Ricans: Our American Story illustrates how the customs, traditions, dances and, of course, the music that is the pulse of the Puerto Rican culture, form the unique identity of a thriving American community.