Christmas in Haiti

However, some Haitian Christmas traditions are peculiar to the region, such as making Fanal lanterns and drinking Cremasse.

Christmas in Haiti is the time for prayer, family gatherings, singing cheerful hymns, dancing, indulging in festive foods, and exchanging gifts.

If you visit Haiti at Christmas, learn to say Merry Christmas in Haitian Creole – “Jwaye Nwel!”. Locals are friendly, hospitable people who happily share holiday cheer with neighbors and tourists.

Christmas Eve In Haiti

On Christmas Eve, most Haitians go to church with their family. Haitians are highly religious and don’t take Christmas celebrations lightly, so attending the Midnight Mass is a must for every local.

Haitians who can’t attend the Midnight Mass make their best effort to attend church services during the Advent season. All churches in Haiti are packed on Christmas morning, despite the previous night’s late celebrations.

The Midnight Mass in Haiti typically starts at around 10:30 p.m. and lasts until midnight. Like Christmas Liturgy in any other country, the Midnight Mass in Haiti involves Biblical readings and hymn singing.

At the end of the service, everyone stands up to sing Minuit Chrétien, the traditional Haitian Christmas song, before going home to feast with family.

Like most Latin Americans, Haitians are famous for their hospitality and welcome everyone to their Christmas feast, including extended family, friends, and neighbors. Women of the family gather during the day to cook together because of how many dishes they need to make.

Children anticipate gifts from Santa, which are usually opened on Christmas morning, before going to church. Haitian Christmas dinner can last until early morning, but locals try to get at least a few hours of sleep before waking up for the church service.

Haitians share stories, wish each other health and prosperity, sing traditional carols, dance, and play games during the feast. Some locals, prevalently young people, head outside to light fireworks and gather with friends.

Christmas Food in Haiti

Food is a vital element of Haitian Christmas celebrations, and not just on Christmas Eve. Local women have a lot of cooking, starting with Las Posadas and ending with Epiphany.

Puff pastry with pork or beef is a favorite Haitian appetizer. The main entrée is traditionally rice with beans and meat, generously topped with brown sauce.

Another traditional Haitian Christmas dish is Bannann Peze, fried plantains served with avocado, cabbage, carrots, and bell peppers.

Many Haitians cook roast turkey, following the American tradition. Turkey is native to the region and is always available in local stores. Poultry is commonly served with mushroom rice.

Haitian Christmas dinner wouldn’t be complete without macaroni and cheese, a dish familiar to every American. Beet salad with carrots, potatoes, and creamy mayo dressing is another must-have on the festive table.

Tamales, dough envelopes with mince and rice filling steamed in banana leaves, are a Latin American cuisine staple favored by locals year-round, especially for Christmas.

Haitians make bunuelos – deep-fried dough balls generously sprinkled with sugar powder for dessert. These dough balls may have various fillings, including honey, jam, and custard. Haitians also eat rice pudding topped with cinnamon, cardamom, sugar, and raisins.

Buttery cookies with lard called polvorones can be found in every Haitian grocery store. Haitian Christmas pudding from sweet potatoes, bananas, and coconut with nutmeg, raisins, cinnamon, ground ginger, and vanilla is a must-try for every tourist.

Another traditional Haitian Christmas dessert is orange cake. It’s easy to make and contains only a few ingredients – eggs, flour, butter, baking powder, orange peel, vanilla, and rum – but it is mouth-watering.

For Epiphany, Haitians make the King Cake or Bolo Rei. It resembles Christmas pudding but is shaped like a wreath and is lighter in texture. King Cake in Haiti is typically topped with sugar powder, pineapples, and cocktail cherries.

Haitians hide a tiny figurine of infant Jesus or a bean inside the cake, and whoever finds it is believed to be lucky the following year. So, if you ever attend the Epiphany feast with a Haitian family, be careful when eating the cake!

Christmas Beverage Cremasse

Haitians have their unique take on eggnog called Cremasse or Kremas, resembling the Puerto Rican drink coquito. Haitians drink it year-round, but this creamy drink perfectly fits the Christmas atmosphere.

The drink is made with condensed milk, evaporated milk, coconut, grated nutmeg, cinnamon, anise star, almond, vanilla, lime juice, and some rum. Some recipe variations allow using brandy instead of rum.

Haitians start by mixing a can of evaporated milk with two cans of sweetened condensed milk in a large bowl. Then, they add coconut cream and thoroughly mix the ingredients.

Next, Haitians add spices and nuts – nutmeg, vanilla, anise star, cinnamon, and ground almond into the mixture. Finally, it’s time to add lime juice to thicken the texture and dark rum. Cremasse is traditionally served chilled because December is a warm month in Haiti.

Las Posadas

Las Posadas is a religious festival celebrated in Latin American countries, including Haiti. The tradition of Las Posadas isn’t as widespread in Haiti as it is in Mexico or Guatemala, but still prominent.

Las Posadas commemorates Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem in search of a safe place where Mary could give birth to Jesus. However, Mary and Joseph could not find an inn and had to spend the night in a stable.

Haitians dress up as shepherds who first witnessed infant Jesus, and kids dress like angels to honor the Angel Gabriel, who came to Joseph in a dream and told him about Mary’s immaculate conception.

Two of the festival participants portray Mary and Joseph. Las Posadas lasts for nine nights, from December 16 to December 24. Each night, one house in the neighborhood is assigned to be Mary and Joseph’s inn.

The ceremonial procession goes through the neighborhood, singing carols and playing musical instruments. People carry lanterns and icons in their hands.

Mary and Joseph knock on selected doors in the neighborhood, asking for shelter, but the hosts always refuse. However, they often provide refreshments to the procession participants. When the procession arrives at the assigned inn, the hosts let everyone in.

Inside, people pray at the nativity scene, read scripture passages, sing Christmas carols, play traditional games, and indulge in festive foods. Children often break pinatas filled with treats.

Christmas Lanterns – Fanal

Christmas lanterns called Fanal are the Haitian traditional Christmas decoration. Haitian lanterns can be seen in every home, church, school, restaurant, shopping mall, and even on the streets.

These lanterns are made from paper or cardboard, traditionally looking like houses or chapels with a myriad of colorful windows. Kids make lanterns at school or with their parents at home.

Often, children carry their lanterns in the Las Posadas procession, lighting the way and embracing the festive spirit. Some organizations sell Fanal lanterns and donate raised funds to charity.

Tonton Nwèl & Santa

Santa Claus in Haiti is called Tonton Nwèl and originates from the fourth-century bishop of Myra Saint Nicholas, like American Santa. However, his appearance and the traditions surrounding his figure differ.

Haitian Santa doesn’t always have a long white beard and round glasses. He’s typically younger than American Santa and doesn’t wear a fur-trimmed suit because the Haitian climate is too warm, although his attire is always red.

Haitian Santa Claus doesn’t enter houses through the chimney and doesn’t leave gifts in stockings. Instead, local kids clean their shoes, fill them with straw and place them on the windowsill.

Santa is expected to remove the straw from the shoes and fill them with treats or toys. Haitian children rarely get large gifts from Santa because they can’t fit in shoes.

Christmas Decorations in Haiti

Evergreen coniferous trees aren’t native to Haiti, so locals either buy balsam firs and pines imported from the U.S., put up faux Christmas trees, or unleash their creativity to make trees from wood, paper, and other unconventional materials.

For the most part, Christmas decorations in Haiti are the same as in the U.S. – people adorn their homes with garlands and fairy lights and set up festive displays with Christmas characters.

The nativity scene is always in the spotlight, traditionally handmade by the youngest family member at school or church. People decorate the nativity scene with straw and only place Jesus in his crib on Christmas Eve.

Epiphany

The Christmas season in Haiti ends with Epiphany, also known as the Three Kings Day. This day commemorates the Three Wise Men who brought Jesus gifts – gold, myrrh, and frankincense and warned Mary and Joseph about Kind Herod’s plan to kill Jesus.

Following Magi’s warning, Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt and managed to escape King Herod’s cruelty. Haitian children often get gifts on Epiphany, like Jesus received presents from the Magi. People eat the King Cake and attend church services.

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