A (very temporary) hiatus

Just warning all readers that I will be out of the country for about a month and thus won't be updating (most likely).

Happy new year to everyone and happy Three Kings Day! (January 6, remember?) See you soon!

Christmas isn't over!

Just a reminder that you guys all have Three Kings day+ ahead of you... so don't put away your güiro!

Navidad season

Last year about this time I wrote a whole lot about the Christmas season in Puerto Rico, which I recommend you read. Anyways, today's Yenny comic is about aguinaldos and the ridiculousness of the lyrics... in both English and Spanish.

¡Feliz día de San Guivin!

...Puerto Rico's favorite saint.

It's a little late but I hope everyone is enjoying their pavo... and whatever else may accompany it!!

Semana Santa in Puerto Rico

So, my favorite Swede living in Puerto Rico (not that there are that many anyways!) asked me how Puerto Ricans celebrate Easter and semana santa in comparison to Spain and other parts of Latin America.

I have quite a disappointing answer for you. Really, Easter in Puerto Rico is a watered down version of the Spanish Easter. Some things are kept faithful (like bacalao, of course... it's basically eaten every day), but if there is a procession somewhere in the island it must be pretty small. Mostly Easter is celebrated with families and/or in church. Although this is just coming from personal accounts, I haven't actually been in the island for Easter. So perhaps it is worth investigating yourself!

I personally blame it on Christmas since it is such a huge deal in Puerto Rico and it must wear everyone out. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing!

If anyone has an anecdote to share about Easter in the island, please share!

Caribbean beaches and parties!

San Juan's San Sebastián parties start tomorrow night, and Ricky Martin is making an appearance for the first night. If you're going to be around I highly recommend you go! This page (from the Dondequiera blog) has more information on Ricky Martin as well as the schedule for the rest of the days of the party.

But for those of us who can't make it... if you, like me, are stuck in a wintery climate and dreaming of being somewhere warmer, why not look at these beautiful photos of the beach? It'll make things a bit better, I suppose.

Musical instruments of Puerto Rico

What, you didn't think your holiday would go without a present from me?

I thought, in time to finish up the parranda season, I'd do a quick introduction of musical instruments from Puerto Rico.

Pandereta

The pandereta isn't much different from a tambourine, except the one here (which is mine) actually is a tambourine. Oops. Anyways, it's the same except without the bells on the side.

This picture on the right is of the inside. Click for a larger view.

Palitos

If you speak enough Spanish you probably could have guessed what these are. They're simple sticks! You play them by hitting the two ends together. Pretty easy.

Güiro

The güiro was invented by the Taíno, the indigenous people of Puerto Rico. Basically, it is a gourd that is emptied, then left to dry. Grooves are cut into the top, and holes lie underneath for the fingers usually. It's played with what honestly could be a hair pick, which is scraped quickly over the grooved area in both directions. This makes a loud, rich percussion sound.

I'm a big fan of the güiro. It has a beautiful sound and a unique character.

Maracas

Maracas are another Taíno instrument made from gourds. Most people know what maracas are and how to play them so I don't think they deserve much of an explanation.

I will say, however, that these particular maracas on the side here were made by my friend's father from some gourds he picked up. I painted them.

To wrap this all up, here is a short video I made that demonstrates the sounds of each instrument. It's nothing special, and the sound quality is not... ideal, but it helps.

There is an excellent website for learning about Puerto Rican music in both English and Spanish here. I highly recommend it!

Happy Three Kings Day!/¡Feliz Día de los Tres Reyes Magos!

Today is finally 3 Kings Day!

Basically, how the holiday works is that, the night before, the kids put shoeboxes filled with grass under their beds. The idea is that the 3 kings who came to visit the baby Jesus will stop by to feed their camels and then leave them presents! Pretty sweet deal if you ask me.

There are some cute pictures from Ponce here, as well as a description of the holiday. Check it out. There also is a well-written article in English about the holiday and different traditions both on the island and in the States here.

This hasn't really been the most pleasant 3 kings day ever, for two reasons. One, it's raining in buckets on the island. It's that weird kind of rain where it shows up out of nowhere, rains really hard for a very short period of time, then stops. It's called cabañuelas and apparently it's been doing it for days. Too bad.

The second reason is an accident at the popular tourist site Camuy Caves (las cuevas de Camuy).

Socorro Elaine Smith no tenía razones para pensar que ayer acabaría su vida.

Estaba de vacaciones, con su esposo y su hijo, en uno de los lugares más hermosos de Puerto Rico: el Parque de las Cavernas del Río Camuy.

Poco después de las 11:00 a.m., el trío, residente de Lakeview, en Los Ángeles, California, disfrutaba el verde intenso de la vegetación, la brisa refrescante y el canto de las aves, mientras esperaban un “trolley” que los recogería para continuar su recorrido por el parque.
Sin embargo, de una pared de roca caliza -que tiene 125 millones de años y cientos de pies de altura- se desprendió una piedra. Y alcanzó a Socorro Elaine en la cabeza, provocándole la muerte en el acto.

For more information, click here for English or here for a more thorough article in Spanish.

The article from El Nuevo Día is kind of funny. They're kind of trying to explain away a rock falling, like it's not going to happen again.

El lugar ha sido visitado por millones de personas, un promedio de 150 mil al año, “que vienen de todas partes del mundo”, dijo Edna Pérez, quien labora en la CPN desde hace 22 años y trabajó en el Parque de las Cavernas del Río Camuy por 18. “Nunca había sucedido nada como esto. Son cosas de la naturaleza”, afirmó Pérez en tono de sorpresa. Indicó que se crió en la zona cercana donde se estableció el parque.
Por su parte, la geóloga Ruth Vélez, del DRNA, inició la evaluación del área donde cayó la roca.

“Todo se ve bastante macizo, continuo”, señaló Vélez sobre la pared de más de 400 pies de alto de la que cayó la roca. “Vamos a ir por la parte alta para ver si hay bloques sueltos o no”.

La pared es de roca caliza, explicó la geóloga, quien dijo que la misma está en su estado natural. “No es un área en que hubo intervención humana”, como maquinaria o la mano del ser humano.

It's a rock! Are rocks not supposed to fall? Come on now.

Anyways, they're closed for now, so if you're in PR and planned on visiting one of the world's largest cave systems, you're out of luck. I can't imagine though that they'd stay closed for very long. We'll see.

Happy Three Kings Day, everyone!

Pictures from San Juan -- the beach and Christmas decorations!

My good friend from the island is there now and she went to San Juan to see the beach yesterday. She also got a few shots of the city.

Yeah, the Christmas decorations are still up, of course. I feel just a bit jealous looking at the decorations and the pictures of the beach, neither of which I can find here in the States. As far as most of the U.S. is concerned, Christmas is over and the beach is just too cold!

The beach is el Escambrón, by the way.

Wish you could be there? If you're in luck (or just in NYC), you can. JetBlue has lowered prices for New Years from JFK. Flights to San Juan are $119, and getting to Aguadilla (on the east side of the island) is $109.

Boston, Orlando, and Fort Lauderdale also have reduced fares to the island. From Boston it's $99 to get to San Juan. FL is offering flights to Ponce (in the South) for $59 and Orlando's flying to all three mentioned cities for $79.

So what are you waiting for?

New Year's in Puerto Rico and Calle 13's La Ley de Gravedad

New Year's... okay, it isn't so exciting, the celebration is about the same in PR as it is in the U.S. So I don't want to spend a lot of time on that. Instead, I'm going to talk about something else: shooting up in the air for the new year.

I think this also happens in parts of the U.S. and other countries, although Puerto Rico really makes a big deal of it, since it has killed quite a few people recently. Campaigns against it, however, have kept everyone safe the last two years.

Part of the campaigns included some help from Calle 13 (13th Street), a popular reggaeton duo. They're known for their witty lyrics mocking Puerto Rican society and politics. They released the song "La Ley de Gravedad" (The Law of Gravity) with some success in ending the unnecessary deaths.

Anyways, here is the song... along with the lyrics (written kind of strangely... I didn't do it) and a translation. Enjoy!

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La Ley de Gravedad MUCHAS felicidades, Puerto Rico, le desea la Calle 13. Vo' a tener que ponerme un casco e fútbol Hasta pa' salir a comprar en el mall Un casco e fútbol pa' salvar el melón No disparen mejol vamo a hacer el amor Ponte una chaqueta a prueba e bala Un casco en la chola Que la cosa está mala Sálganse del patio vámonos pa' la sala Y desde la ventana ven las luces de bengala Uppss ¡cuidao! una bala Por poco te raja el cholón Puerto Rico lo hace mejol Aquí en el mar y el sol Disparar pa' arriba es un vacilón ¡Ja ja ja ja!¡Ja ja ja! Hasta que le dé una bala a tu nena Ahí te va dar pena,ahí tú llora No te haga el macho ahora Tú llora Cualquiera llora con tanta cara linda que hay en el barrio pa' que venga un brutosaurio guillao de mercenario a cagar el arroz con dulce del vecindario no te creas también los empresarios disparan y esos sí que tienen chavos pa' gastar en balas tienen chavos pa' emborracharse con coñac Por eso, yo me siento más seguro en Irak que en Puerto Rico droga, violencia y mucho alcohol Puerto Rico lo hace mejol Gobernador, aquí se hace lo que usted decida Después que usted escuche al pueblo Vamo a to'as por encima de cualquier godzila Yo voy pa' encima Vo'a salirme de la tarima vo'a a llegarle al pueblo Vámonos en fila Le vo'a llegar con to' y mochila Y aunque muchos quieran yo no me vo'a callar la boca Es más un guardia mal educa'o es una bala loca Un chamaquito sin escuela es una bala loca Un maestro sin práctica es una bala loca Coro Si le va tirar al ganstel tírale de frente Pero no pa' arriba que te lleva al inocente Yo sé qué decir esto es fuerte pero es real Aquí hay gente que vive pa' matal Lo tenemos que aceptar La verdá con la mano no se pue tapal Que vamo'a hacel Si ellos tienen que matal pa' comel Los sueños lindos pa' Disney World Pero disparar pa' arriba eso es de puerco Es como 20 contra uno Puerco Es como robarle el desayuno a un tecato Eso es de puerco La verdad Esto de lógica, la ley de gravedad To' lo que sube de seguro va a bajar To' lo que sube de seguro va a bajar To' lo que sube de seguro va a bajar Coro Mejol dispares pa'l agua pa bajo pa los pecesitos Te matas un par de peces, despues te los comes, Unas morcillitas con pesca'o. Calle 13, Calle 13, más te crece.

The Law of Gravity CONGRATULATIONS Puerto Rico from Calle 13 I'm gonna have to put on a football helmet Just so I can go out shopping in the mall A football helmet to save my melon Don't shoot; better yet, let's go make love. Put on a bulletproof vest A helmet on your head Since things are so bad. "Get out of the patio, let's go to the living room And from the window watch the lights from the sparklers Oops careful! A bullet! It nearly split your head." Puerto Rico does it better Here lying in sea and sun Shooting in the air is a trip Ha ha ha ha, ha ha ha... Until you knock off your daughter That's gonna bother you, there you go crying Don't act all macho now You'd cry Anybody would cry With so many sweet faces in the barrio Just so a Brute-osaurus can show up Stuck up like a mercenary To come shit on the neighborhood party Don't start thinking that executives also shoot And they're the ones who do have money to waste on bullets They have enough money to get drunk off of cognac That's why I feel safer in Iraq than in Puerto Rico Drugs, violence and a lot of alcohol Puerto Rico does it better. Governor, here we do what you say After you start listening to the people We'll go on top of any Godzilla Me, I'm heading for the top I'm going to get off of the stage I'm going to come to the people Let's leave in a line I'm gonna bring me all and show you what I got And even though they all want it, I am not going to shut up. Besides that, a guard without education is a loose bullet A kid without school is a loose bullet A teacher without experience is a loose bullet. Chorus If you gotta hit the gangsta shoot where he can see it But not upwards because you'll take the life of somebody innocent I know that admitting this hurts but it's real Here there are people who live to kill We have to accept it You can't cover up the truth with your hands What are we gonna do, if they have to kill to eat? The sweet dreams of Disney World But shooting up in the air is sick It's like 20 against 1 Sick It's like stealing breakfast from a bum It's just sick! The truth is This is simple logic, the law of gravity All that goes up must come down All that goes up must come down All that goes up must come down Chorus Better yet shoot down in the water at the fishies And then you kill a pair of fish, and you eat 'em, Some blood sausage with fish. Calle 13, Calle 13, más te crece.

More about Coquito and Christmas

I'm on vacation a few hours away from home, so I'm not going to say much tonight. But I did want to share two items. One is a blog post reviewing Coquito (with a recipe!) and other parts of Christmas, and the second is a reminder that the parties will continue in the island and this time they're in honor of Ricky Martin. Of course they are!

So, navidad is over... just kidding!

If you thought now it was time to throw out the tree, take down the lights, and move on from Christmas, think again!

Puerto Rico celebrates Three Kings Day (el Día de los Tres Reyes Magos), also known as the Epiphany. Christmas in Puerto Rico usually extends a bit past this date because of las Octavitas, an additional 8 days of Christmas (... kind of).

So, in honor of the continuing spirit of Christmas, here is a blog post by a Cuban discovering parranda music, with lots of it uploaded for your listening pleasure. Enjoy!

¡Feliz navidad! Merry Christmas!

For those of you not familiar with José Feliciano, he is indeed Puerto Rican!

¡Feliz navidad a todos!

More lechón!

I swear this is the last time I will write about lechón. Anyways, if you have iTunes, they're offering the contemporary salsero Victor Manuelle's song Lechón, Lechón, Lechón for free. I think it's been free for the last week so it'll probably be gone by tomorrow... go download it while you still can!

Speaking of lechón and navidad...

So, in the same thread as yesterday's post, here's El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico singing "La Fiesta de Pilito", one of their classic songs about Christmas (and its food!).

"One of its most popular older hits, "La Fiesta de Pilito" ("Pilito's Party"), a Christmas party song, sells each holiday as if it were a new release, some record store owners say..."

Word of the Week: Lechón Asao... and other holiday foods!

So, what is lechón asao?

Well, it's pork. Specifically, the whole pig.

Basically, the pig is filled up with spices, put on a spit, and then turned over a fire for hours. Then it's cut up into pieces and everyone digs in!

I haven't had it before, because I'm vegetarian, but I've been assured that it's delicious. Not that I couldn't tell from the looks on everyone's faces anyways.

Other foods eaten for Christmas in Puerto Rico include some that are unique to the island and others that are eaten across the Spanish-speaking world, such as...

Arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon beans) -- pigeon beans aren't really eaten much in the U.S. but they taste quite good in this pleasantly-spiced rice.

Pasteles -- I'm not quite sure how to explain what this is... there isn't a word in English. Basically a bunch of cooked starchy vegetables mashed together, then separating them into large wads, filled with ground beef, and then put in plantain leaves, tied up, and boiled. They're quite good, what can I say. Just make sure they're not still in the plantain leaves before you eat them! If you google it you can find recipes and pictures easily.

Morcilla -- blood sausage. I, not surprisingly, haven't tried it, but it's supposed to be good.

Tembleque -- basically coconut pudding. Again, there are a million recipes on google.

Turrón -- sweet nougat filled with nuts.

Okay... I'm going to stop because I'm hungry now! ¡Buen provecho a todos!

Judaism in Puerto Rico

Seeing as tonight is the last night of Hannukah, I thought I'd take a moment to talk about judaism in Puerto Rico.

Supposedly Puerto Rico has the largest population of Jews in the Caribbean. That's not really saying much, though. There are about 3000 on the island. Out of a population of 4 million, that is not such a high number. There are a few synagogues in San Juan as well.

A friend of mine once met some flying to New York (and they were orthodox too!) but sadly that's the closest I've come to experiencing anything related to judaism on the island.

... that's about it. Sorry. If anyone has any more information, let me know!

More on Parrandas in Puerto Rico and missing the island

A friend of mine posted this in her livejournal...

Quiero dar una parranda
sparkofcreation's daily Christmas Carol posts got me to thinking about my own Christmas traditions. It's amazing how the same holiday can be celebrated so differently in different countries. Christmas in the US is so different from Christmas in PR and the people to whom I say that here don't really seem to understand me when I try to explain. It's not that I don't like Christmas in the US, it's just that I'm so used to the upbeat Christmas celebrations of Puerto Rico that I feel like I'm missing something here. My parents have friends who own houses in the mountainous regions of PR and when I was younger, they'd always take my brother and me to the Christmas parties they'd throw. There was always all this wonderful traditional PR food there, and they'd hire a band to play traditional Christmas music from PR. Everyone would be dancing salsa or merengue and singing bomba y plena and trullas all over the place. And even though I usually found it a drag to go there because all the guests were always my parents' age and there was no one my own age to hang out with, I really do miss the atmosphere of the parties. So, for those of you who are unfamiliar with our Puerto Rican Christmas customs, or those of you who are Puerto Ricans living away from home and want to reminisce and feel somewhat nostalgic, these are some video clips I found on youtube of people playing parranda music:








I miss my home!

Recipe: Coquito

So, more in the spirit of the holidays, here's a recipe for Coquito. Coquito is ridiculously sweet if you don't include the rum; the first time I tried it (without rum) I had to take incredibly tiny sips of it and couldn't drink more than half a glass, and I love sweet food.

This is a the personal recipe of a friend's mother; other people include different ingredients, like chocolate and cinnamon and stuff, but it's better to try it "plain" first.

Coquito
Ingredientes
1 taza de ron blanco
6 yemas de huevo
2 latas de leche evaporada
1 lata de leche condensada
1 lata de leche de coco

Preparación
Bate las yemas de huevo y mézclalas con un poco de ron.
Pon la mezcla en la licuadora y agrega el ron restante.
Añade la leche condensada, la leche evaporada y la leche de coco.
Licua, pon en una botella y deja enfriar.
Antes de servir agita bien.

Ingredients
1 cup of white rum
6 egg yolks
2 cans of evaporated milk
1 can of condensed milk
1 can of coconut milk

Preparation
Whisk the egg yolks and mix them with a little rum.
Put the mixture in the blender and add the rest of the rum.
Add the other ingredients.
Blend, put in a bottle and place in the freezer.
Before serving shake well.

Words of the Weeks: Parranda and Aguinaldo

So staying with our Christmas team and in order to make up for missing last week, let's talk about parrandas.

If you speak Spanish well you've probably heard of parrandas before... I'm not sure how parrandas work in other countries but in Puerto Rico parrandas are a Christmas tradition akin to caroling, but more lively. Usually they consist of a group of people gathering together and singing for neighbors. Food is usually involved (I'll bring it up next week).

Aguinaldos are the songs sung at parrandas. They're usually more upbeat than typical American/English traditional carols. And while there are translations of American carols, most aguinaldos are from the island. Typical Puerto Rican instruments, especially the cuatro, maracas, and güiro, are brought along.

Here are the lyrics for a popular aguinaldo, Dame la mano paloma. Keep in mind that the the words can vary a little (or a lot).

Dame la mano paloma
para subir a tu nido,
dame la mano paloma
para subir a tu nido
que me han dicho que estás sola
que me han dicho que estás sola
y a acompañarte he venido,
que me han dicho que estás sola
que me han dicho que estás sola
y a acompañarte he venido.

En el pueblito de Ciales
hay una piedra bendita,
En el pueblito de Ciales
hay una piedra bendita
que la vieja que se sienta
que la vieja que se sienta
amanece jovencita,
que la vieja que se sienta
que la vieja que se sienta
amanece jovencita.

Dame la mano paloma....etc.

Muy viejo pensé en casarme
con una de veinte abriles,
Muy viejo pensé en casarme
con una de veinte abriles
consulté con mi almohada
consulté con mi almohada
y me dijo: ¡No te tires!
consulté con mi almohada
consulté con mi almohada
y me dijo: ¡No te tires!

If you want to get the melody, visit this website or watch the following video, starting at 2:30.