Christmas in Puerto Rico

Image by scaturchio via Flickr
If you are an individual that is really into the Christmas holidays, but you really do not want to spend them in the United States, you may want to seriously consider Puerto Rico. Not only would you get to enjoy all of the Puerto Rican Christmas traditions, but you could also do so while enjoying the warm weather and sandy beaches. A Puerto Rican Christmas doesn't traditionally last only twelve days, as many of the festivities begin in November and last far into the New Year. There are some beautiful island traditions that are included in the festivities and well known through out Puerto Rico.

In Puerto Rico, beginning on December 15th and ending on December 24th, the local churches hold something called misas de aguinaldo. These are masses that begin at dawn and feature the singing of Christmas Carols, which are called aguinaldos. As far as festivities that include aguinaldos are concerned, Puerto Rican Christmas carolers are definitely not in short supply. Carolers, locally translated as parranada begin their neighborhood treks in late November and they continue into January. If you are someone that truly enjoys listening to Christmas Carlos and loves the thought of this Christmas tradition, spending a vacation being able to listen to these eager carolers may be just the treat you are looking for.

While Christmas Day is huge in Puerto Rico, Christmas Eve is even more popular. This does not exclude the feasts that is prepared for this festive holiday. On Christmas Eve a traditional Puerto Rican dinner awaits the table of most all of Puerto Rico's inhabitants. It is typically a dinner that consists of roasted pork and rice and beans. If you are tired of the traditional Christmas turkey and dressing, this traditional Puerto Rican feast may be a very welcome part of your Puerto Rican holiday.

After the traditional Puerto Rico feast, individuals attend a midnight mass, which is known in the native language as Misa de Gallo or Rooster's Mass. This mass comes complete with Christmas music and possibly a live nativity scene.

If you can extend your Puerto Rico holiday trip into the New Year, you will have a chance to enjoy Ano Viejo, which is New Year's Eve. The natives enjoy fireworks and a tradition of eating twelve grapes at the stroke of midnight. Eating the grapes is supposed to bring good luck for the New Year. If you look closely, you can also witness some individuals sprinkling sugar in their front yards. This is also a traditional good luck practice. You can also take part in the annual party that is thrown by the Puerto Rico Tourism Co.

As you can see, Puerto Rico has much more to offer than just sandy beaches and warm calming waters. If you aren't sure that you want to spend Christmas at home this year, try looking into a Puerto Rican Christmas Vacation. Odds are you will be very pleased with all of the festivities that you can participate in and will have a Christmas you will never forget.

A Good Time to Visit Puerto Rico?

Image via WikipediaWith the economic crisis that is going on in the United States many people are hesitant about traveling. This makes perfect sense because whenever the economy takes a turn for the worse people hold off on things that they consider a luxury. However, if you are going to travel, then picking Puerto Rico as a vacation spot could be a wise choice financially.

Unfortunately, for Puerto Rico the country is going through an economic crisis even worse than what the United States is experiencing. What this means to any traveler is that the dollar will be stronger and will buy more than it did in the past. Consequently, if you are going to travel at all then Puerto Rico is a smart destination financially. Puerto Rico is also a smart destination just for the fact it is beautiful place to visit.

There is quite a lot to do there as well as the island being beautiful and relaxing. It will be even more relaxing when you're on vacation, and you know that you're getting the best quality for your money. So, start packing your bags and get ready for your tropical Puerto Rico vacation.

What Exactly are Puerto Rican Passports?

Image by stuart.mundy via FlickrIf you ever came across the phrase 'Puerto Rico passports', you would have definitely wondered whether Puerto Rico is an independent country. Well, it is not. Puerto Rico is an integral part of the United States of America and its residents are US citizens. If this is so, how and why has this phrase been used?

Many people are not aware that the USA has two major commonwealths: (1) Puerto Rico, which was always considered a highly advantageous military location in the Caribbean for America, and (2) Northern Marianas. Besides these, there are 12 unincorporated territories or possessions out of which only four are inhabited: US Virgin Islands, Guam, Midway Islands, and American Samoa. The residents of these US Commonwealths and possessions, except for those of American Samoa, are all US citizens. The latter are only US nationals, but not US citizens.

Puerto Rico has always been one of the most wanted destinations for tourists from all over the world. During the 1930s however, this amazing island was far from popular. The reason was that a large group of terrorists was caught during that period, where the majority was found in possession of ids and travel documents issued in Puerto Rico.

The false documents, particularly the Puerto Rico passports and Puerto Rico birth certificates, which permitted these terrorists to travel as US citizens throughout the world, caused immense embarrassment and pain to the citizens of Puerto Rico as they unexpectedly became synonymous with nefarious activities. The phrase 'Puerto Rico passports' had been coined at that time. Many people, even travel agencies, still harbor the misconception that such documents, which are supposedly issued in Puerto Rico, were and are outside the jurisdiction of the United States.

The truth was that in the past, no American required a passport for traveling back and forth to the Caribbean. There are no such documents known as Puerto Rico passports. However, with effect from 23 January 2007, US citizens were required to present a valid US passport or any equivalent travel document such as Air Nexus Card, passport card or US Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document when they re-entered the United States by air.

Under the directives of WHTI (Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative) from 1 June 2009 onwards, these rules would be extended to all US citizens who travel to Bermuda, Caribbean, Mexico, Central, and South America regardless of whether they travel by air, land, or sea. Such travel would require that all US citizens carry a valid passport, WHTI approved document or passport card when they return to the USA.