January 10, 2016

The holiday season has ended for this year. Municipal workers are taking the decorations down and getting ready for the San Sebastian Festival, which starts this Thursday. I’ll have more to day about SanSe16, as it is called, in a later post.

The unofficial start of the holiday season is the annual parade of decorated yachts, proceeding from the yacht club at the Miramar marina to the piers in Old San Juan and back. Thousands of people come and line the shore to see the yachts. I went in to Old San Juan last year for the event but could not make my way through the crowds to get near the piers. This year, I decided to stay on our balcony and watch the event from there.

The yachts started parading down the channel towards Old San Juan just before sunset. They were guided by San Juan police boats and US Coast Guard vessels.

Yachts proceeding to Old San Juan, December 12, 2015. The sailors on the freighter had an excellent spot from which to watch the yachts.

Once by the piers, the yachts moved more or less in line around the piers. We’re a little less than two miles from there so my pictures don’t do justice to the parade.

Yachts parading around piers in Old San Juan, December 12, 2015.

The yachts made their way back down the channel towards the marina. By this time it was dark, and the extent of the decorations became apparent.

Yachts returning to the marina, December 12, 2015.

A few days later, I walked into Condado. The small park there had gotten the Christmas treatment, with the trees covered with lights and a Christmas tree as well.

Christmas decorations in Plaza Antonia Quinones, in the Condado section of San Juan.

Some Puerto Ricans had decorated their vehicles and drove through Condado. I’m told the guy on the motorcycle is retired. He decorates his bike for the holidays. By the way, his passenger is a mannequin.

Christmas tree in Condado, and a motorcyclist celebrating the holidays.

The Plaza d’Armes is in the middle of Old San Juan. This is where the men of San Juan would muster and draw their arms for the defense of the city. (Apparently, the Spanish did not have open carry laws). For the holidays, the fountain is turned off and covered with plywood, thus creating a stand for a Christmas tree. The fountain’s four statues, illustrating the human aging process, are eerie guardians of the Christmas tree, The other trees are all covered with lights as well.

Three images from the Plaza d’Armes, Old San Juan, December 2015,

Plaza Colon (Columbus, in English) also gets lights and a tree. Plaza Colon is at the foot of Calle Fortalezza and close to Castillo San Cristobal, one of the two historic forts in Old San Juan.

Decorations in Plaza Colon, Old San Juan, January 2016.

Puerto Ricans celebrate Three Kings Day. The night before, children fill bowls with hay for the King’s camels, and place them under their bed. They wake up to find the hay gone and gifts left by the Kings.

The Three Kings, Old San Juan, January 2016.

As I mentioned, the decorations are coming down now. Old San Juan is preparing for SanSe16. More on that later.