Discover the Magic: Top 9 Fun Facts About Christmas Celebrations in Cuba!

1. Cuban Sibling Rivalry: Parrandas de Remedios

In an explosive display of Cuban-style sibling rivalry that would put even the most intense game of family Monopoly to shame: the Parrandas de Remedios celebrates Christmas with locals dividing into eight sections, battling one another with a cacophony of fireworks, all because of a 19th-century priest's ploy to get more people to attend festive mass.
Source => cubaniatravel.com

2. Salsa-Free Noche Buena Feast

If you're dreaming of a salsa drenched Christmas, look no further than Cuba, where shaking a leg is as natural to the holidays as a roast pig on your plate: In Cuba, Noche Buena is celebrated with a feast of roast pig, black beans, rice, fried plantains, yucca with garlic, rice pudding, and rum cake, accompanied by mojitos, cuba libres, and sidra – but despite the importance of music, there's no salsa dancing while caroling during this festive occasion.
Source => knkx.org

Did you know that in Mexico, a seven-pointed star piñata helps conquer the seven deadly sins during Christmas? Discover how this festive tradition signifies the triumph over vices and showers everyone with candy and toys!

=> Fun Facts about Christmas-In-Mexico

3. Castro's Christmas Ban Turns Miracle

When Fidel Castro had visions of a not-so-silent night: Christmas was banned in Cuba from 1969 to 1998! But fear not, the holiday spirit persisted in hushed celebrations, and eventually, the ban was lifted in time for the Pope's visit in '98, just like a Christmas miracle. Nowadays, one of the island's festive highlights includes the vibrant, raucous, and neighborly competition that is 'Las Parrandas' parade in Remedios, while the tradition of gift-giving during Epiphany is still cherished by many.
Source => whychristmas.com

4. NYE Grape Wishes for Good Luck

Forget all about dancing raisins in the grapevine – it's Cuban grape ingestion that's sync with the times: At the stroke of midnight on New Year's, Cubans devour 12 grapes – one for each chime of the clock, making a wish per grape – to ensure good luck for the year ahead, while those who don't finish or miss a chime might grape-vinegar their luck instead, all topped off with a glass of apple cider to clinch a prosperous annum.
Source => tourepublic.com

5. Spotless Homes for Santa's Visit

In Cuba, 'tis the season to be... spotless, as households transform into Santa's spick-and-span wonderlands - scrub-a-dub-dub, even the bathtub is expecting guests: Cuban families have a tradition of meticulously cleaning every inch of their homes during Christmas, as they believe a dusty abode might result in a disappointed Santa or the Three Kings passing them by without dropping off gifts.
Source => pearson.com

6. Flying Pigs and Christmas Eve Feasts

When pigs fly, Cuban Christmas Eve comes alive: On Noche Buena, families in Cuba come together to enjoy a heavenly feast of lechon asado (roast pork) accompanied by yuca and other scrumptious traditional Cuban dishes.
Source => asassyspoon.com

7. Going Hog-Wild on Noche Buena

In Cuba, when "Hog-wild" takes on a deliciously literal meaning and porking out is no cardinal sin: Noche Buena, or Christmas Eve, sees Cuban families coming together, preparing a scrumptious feast of traditional dishes, and sharing love, laughter, and lip-smacking lechon asado (roast pork), accompanied by Frijoles negros, yuca con mojo, platanos maduros, and decadent desserts like flan, arroz con leche, or buñuelos.
Source => asassyspoon.com

8. Rooster Church Service and Feasting

While Santa Claus belly-laughs his way to Cuba in his jingly sleigh, the locals choose to ham it up with a Rooster instead: Christmas in Cuba is celebrated with a late-night church service called "Misa de Gallo," or "Rooster's Mass," followed by a feast of pork, tamales, and rice and beans - all while singing their bell-themed Christmas songs, which are not translations of "Jingle Bells."
Source => thoughtco.com

9. Miraculous Virgin of Charity Discovery

If you thought finding a Tupperware container in your own kitchen was tricky, imagine discovering a bone-dry floating statue in the middle of a stormy bay: The Virgin of Charity of El Cobre, a.k.a. La Cachita, miraculously appeared to three men, including two Native American brothers and an African slave child, during a treacherous storm in Cuba's Bay of Nipe. Despite the wet conditions, the statue was completely dry and has since become the patroness of Cuba, without any known ties to revolutionary figures.
Source => en.wikipedia.org