This weekend my family and I will honor my grandfather, my father and thousands of US Veterans of Puerto Rican heritage. Puerto Rican veterans have helped to secure our Constitutional freedoms since World War I. As you may have noticed, I do a ton to support veterans. They personify core values that I cherish and emulate— faith, family and grit.
Now…what’s a Parranda?
A long-standing Puerto Rican Christmas tradition, Parrandas are the Puerto Rican version of caroling, but they last all night! Basically, a group of friends, or family go door to door singing aguinaldos, trullas, décimas and plenas (traditional forms of Puerto Rican music) late at night. With musical instruments (cuatro, guitarra, guiro), the group sings and dances outside of a neighbor’s house until the neighbor opens the door and invites the Parranderos to enter and enjoy plenty of food and drinks. The group then goes on to another house and repeats…
Check out footage from a real Parranda from the 1950’s by one of the most iconic singers of Puerto Rican traditional music: Juan Inés Aponte, aka: Juaniquillo
When I was growing up in Puerto Rico, we would surprise our family and neighbors with parrandas. We would get together with instruments and show up at a relative’s house late at night and sing until he or she opened the door. We would continue to the next house and ask for drinks and food, including pasteles, alcapurrias, coquito (Puerto Rico’s eggnog) and then carry on to the next house until the Parranda finally ended at someone’s home late night to eat sopón (stew).
If you want to experience a Parranda and support veterans at the same time, join us this Saturday at 8pm, at Moseley’s Ballroom in Dedham, Massachusetts.
All of the proceeds from the Parrandón Navideño will support the Puerto Rican Veterans Monument Square Association.
#Faith • #Family • #Grit
#Fe • #Familia • #Fuerza