Honduran Christmas and New Year's Traditions
Growing up in Honduras, Christmas was one of our most important holiday celebrations. Before Christmas, at my home in the capital city, Tegucigalpa, we usually decorated our Christmas tree and went out to see really beautiful and elaborate nacimientos across the city. We prepared our special food a few days in advance, especially the tamales and the Christmas Dumplings or torrejas for dessert.
One of the fondest memories I have of Christmas in Honduras was preparing torrejas with my mom. It was quite a labor-intensive dessert. I haven’t made it in years, but now, as my kids are getting older, and time zooms by, I realize I don’t have a lot of time to make the memories that are made in the kitchen - memories that involve all our senses and not just those captured digitally.
El Nacimiento
Watch this video of different nacimientos from across Honduras or scroll through RadioHouse.hn for more pictures of nacimientos.
Here is a video tutorial on how to create your own nacimiento. It's in Spanish, but don't worry! Just pay attention to the pictures and you will get the jist!
Typically, Hondurans celebrate Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve with a big meal. Something we almost always include in our Christmas and New Year’s Eve meals are tamales (my family calls them nacatamles) and torrejas.
How to Make Honduran Tamales
Here is a really helpful video on how to make Honduran tamales! This would be a wonderful and fun activity to try with your family!
Find the recipe ingredients and directions in English on the Home & Family Hallmark Channel.
Honduran Christmas Bread Pudding or Torrejas
I want to make torrejas this Christmas! But I realize that two things that hold me back are (1) I can’t find the exact ingredients I need and (2) I don’t have my mom with me! These are two very common challenges for those who have left our homelands. There are things we can’t find in our adopted country and people who are just not with us.
But it is important to keep some of these cultural traditions going, and I am looking forward to trying to find the closest substitute ingredients possible and a new helper: my kids!
If you are interested in trying to make a traditional Christmas dessert from a different country, here is a good one of torrejas that I found!
¿Cómo hacer torrejas hondureñas cuando estás en el extranjero? (English subtitles)
This video, titled How to make Honduran torrejas when you live overseas? is created precisely for people like me, Hondurans who want to remember and pass on some of their traditions in a foreign land.
The Burning of the Old Year or El Año Viejo
Another special tradition I remember at my grandparent’s neighborhood was the New Year’s Straw Man we called the El Año Viejo (the Old Year). He was stuffed with fireworks and typically represented a real person. As soon as the clock struck midnight, he would be lit up and set on fire! Often, these Old Year Strawmen, reflect or represent current cultural or global events and/or people.
This tradition is also practiced in other Latin American countries. Remezcla.com has an interesting article in English with more pictures of different Año Viejos from across Latin America.
WARNING: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! While it is a fun tradition to watch, it is also very dangerous!
I hope you enjoyed this list of Honduran Christmas resources! Sign up to my monthly newsletter for more resources on how to ignite your kids' curiosity about the Honduran culture and so many other beautiful cultures around the world!
