Belize's Christmas Traditions And Celebrations

Belize is a diverse and vibrant nation, and its unique character shines through in its Christmas celebrations. With a large Christian population, the country marks the occasion with parades, dances, and midnight mass. The festivities kick off with the annual Christmas tree lighting, and continue with a host of traditions, from the Creole Bram and Brokdong to the Garifuna Cha-Ri-Ka-Na-Ri dance. Belizeans also put their own spin on the holiday with boat parades, horse racing, and a style of caroling that's unique to the country.

Christmas celebrations in Belize

Christmas in Belize is a vibrant, festive, and fun time for people of all ages. With its diverse cultural influences, the country celebrates Christmas with a unique twist, blending traditions from abroad with ancient Mayan customs. The Christmas season in Belize is not just a couple of days but the entire month of December, filled with parades, dances, delicious food, and religious celebrations.

Christmas Traditions in Belize

Belize is known for its multicultural population, and its diversity is reflected in the Christmas celebrations. While many Belizeans adopt American Christmas traditions, such as decorating a tree and waiting for Santa Claus, they also preserve their local customs. One such tradition is "Bramming," which is native to the Belize Kriol culture. The Christmas Bram is similar to caroling, with people dancing and singing "Brukdong" music as they move through the streets, spreading cheer and celebrating the start of the Christmas season. The villages of Gales Point Manatee and Belize City are particularly known for their vibrant Bram celebrations.

Garifuna Jankunu and Charikanari Dance

The local Garifuna communities in Belize celebrate Christmas and New Year with vibrant street dances. The Jankunu dance features masked and costumed dancers parading through the streets, with some dressed in white shirts and pants, belts of shells, and pink masks, imitating their former slave masters. The Charikanari dance, on the other hand, is a dramatization of a hunting scene, with dancers wearing cowhead attire and masks, taunting children and entertaining the community.

Las Posadas

Belize also celebrates Las Posadas, a nine-day religious festival leading up to Christmas Day. This tradition, rooted in Spanish culture, commemorates Mary and Joseph's search for lodging in Bethlehem. It involves a procession of religious statues, candles, and marimba music through the streets of Benque Viejo del Carmen, culminating in prayers, music, and feasting.

Delicious Food and Midnight Mass

Christmas in Belize is also about indulging in traditional foods. The Belizean Christmas feast includes turkey with all the trimmings, rice and beans, potato salad, black fruitcake, white relleno (a soup with pork-stuffed chicken), and pebre (roasted pork and gravy). Midnight Mass or "Misa de Gallo" is also an integral part of the celebrations, with over 70% of Belizeans identifying as Christians.

Boat Parades and Horse Racing

In coastal areas like Ambergris Caye and Placencia, Christmas is celebrated with a unique twist—boat parades! Hundreds of boats decorated for the holidays pass by crowds of well-wishers. Horse racing is another popular form of entertainment during the Christmas season, with races taking place on Boxing Day and New Year's Day in the village of Burrell Boom.

Christmas traditions in Belize

Christmas in Belize is a month-long celebration, with festivities taking place throughout December. With a diverse population, the Christmas traditions in Belize are an eclectic mix of cultural influences, from Mayan traditions to those introduced by immigrants and colonists over the centuries.

The Christmas Bram

The Christmas Bram is a traditional Creole celebration, native to the Belize Kriol culture. Similar to caroling, it involves people making their way through the streets, singing, playing Brukdong music, and dancing from house to house to spread festive cheer. The music is loud and lively, and the celebration often includes a variety of musical instruments such as drums, forks and graters, and accordions. The Christmas Bram is particularly popular in the villages, with Gales Point Manatee being a well-known destination for this festive tradition.

Garifuna Jankunu and Charikanari Dances

The local Garifuna communities in Belize celebrate Christmas and New Year with the Jankunu and Charikanari dances. The Jankunu dance features masked and costumed dancers parading through the streets, often going from house to house, accompanied by traditional drummers. The Charikanari dance is a dramatization of a hunting scene, where the "hunter man" searches for the "Two Foot Cow." The dancers wear cowhead attire with real horns and masks, and boys and men dress as women while wearing the masks and dancing.

Las Posadas

Las Posadas is a nine-day religious festival leading up to Christmas Day, celebrated in Benque Viejo del Carmen, Cayo. It commemorates Mary and Joseph's search for lodging in Bethlehem with a procession of religious statues, candles, and marimba music through the streets. The procession arrives at a designated house, and upon finding the doors locked, the participants sing and dance to beg for entry, reenacting Mary and Joseph's journey. Once welcomed inside, a novena (Catholic prayer ceremony) is held, and refreshments are served. This procession and novena are repeated each night from December 15 to Christmas Eve, with a different host family each evening.

Traditional Christmas Foods

Belizeans prepare and enjoy a variety of traditional foods during the Christmas season. In the days leading up to Christmas, treats like fruit cakes and rum popo are made, infusing them with delicious Belizean rum. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, a grand feast is prepared, including rice and beans, potato salad, turkey, ham, stuffing, and chicken tamales. White relleno, a soup with pork-stuffed chicken and raisins, is also a popular dish during the holidays.

Midnight Mass

With a significant Christian population, midnight mass is an integral part of Christmas celebrations in Belize. Many Belizeans attend midnight mass on Christmas Eve, dressed in their finest outfits, to celebrate the birth of Jesus with joyful singing and prayers.

Christmas food in Belize

Christmas in Belize is a month-long celebration, with the Christmas season officially kicking off after the Christmas Tree Lighting. Belizeans spend the month of December celebrating with family and friends, enjoying traditional dances, and indulging in delicious Christmas food.

The Christmas meal in Belize is a grand affair, with preparations beginning days in advance. The feast includes a variety of dishes that blend traditional Christmas fare with local specialties. Here are some of the foods that are commonly enjoyed during Christmas in Belize:

• Turkey with all the trimmings: Just like many other countries, Belizeans enjoy a roast turkey as the centrepiece of their Christmas feast.
• Rice and beans: This dish is a staple in Belize and is often included in the Christmas meal.
• Potato salad: Potato salad is a popular side dish to accompany the roast turkey.
• Fruit cake: Fruit cakes are a traditional Christmas treat in Belize, made extra special with a generous amount of local rum.
• Rum popo: This rum-infused treat is another festive favourite in Belize.
• White relleno: Mestizo families often celebrate Christmas with white relleno, a dish consisting of chicken stuffed with pork and mechado olives, served with hot corn tortillas.
• Pebre: Pebre is a dish of roasted pork and gravy, often served during Christmas celebrations in Belize.
• Ham: Ham is a popular choice for the Christmas feast, often embellished with cherries and pineapple, or served with pickled onions and jalapeños.
• Chicken tamales: Chicken tamales are a traditional Mayan dish, often enjoyed as the main course for Christmas.
• Black fruitcake: A type of fruitcake made with dark rum and sometimes known as "rum cake".
• Rumpopo: Rumpopo is the Belizean version of eggnog and is a popular drink during the festive season.

In addition to the food, Belizeans also enjoy a variety of drinks and punches during the Christmas season, including the ever-popular rum-laced coquito.

Christmas dances in Belize

Christmas is a time of celebration in Belize, with its diverse cultures and ethnic groups observing a wide variety of traditions. While many Belizeans celebrate Christmas the American way, there are several unique local traditions that are still being kept alive.

One such tradition is the Christmas Bram, a celebration native to the Belize Kriol culture with roots in the Belize district, specifically the old city of Belize and the surrounding villages. The Bram is similar to caroling, where people make their way through the streets singing and playing Brukdong music while dancing from house to house to spread cheer. The instruments used to accompany the singing and dancing include goombay (two-sided) drums, forks and graters, and other available noisemakers. While the Christmas Bram is no longer widely celebrated in Belize City, villages like Gales Point Manatee continue to partake in the tradition every year.

Another dance tradition observed during Christmas in Belize is the Garifuna Jankunu or "John Canoe" dance. This tradition is commonly practiced in Dangriga, where the Christmas afternoon is reserved for Wanaragua or Jankunu. The Jankunu dancers wear white long-sleeved shirts and pants with shell belts tied around their knees, along with pink masks bearing European features. These costumes are designed to imitate the slave masters, as the Christmas season was historically the only time when families had the freedom to gather and mock their European masters. Today, days after Christmas, a Jankunu competition is held in Dangriga, featuring senior Jankunu dancers from southern Belize.

In addition to the Jankunu dance, the Garifuna community of Dangriga also celebrates the Charikanari or "Two-Foot-Cow" dance during the Christmas and New Year holidays. This dance involves a man dressed in a cow-shaped headdress with an exaggerated rear end, mocking the past slave owners' attire and mannerisms. The Charikanari is a hunting re-enactment where the "hunter man" stalks the "Two Foot Cow," who teases and delights the children. Like the Jankunu, the Charikanari dancers and drummers travel from house to house, entertaining the community with their antics.

These dance traditions, along with other unique Christmas celebrations in Belize, showcase the country's vibrant cultural diversity and provide a glimpse into the local history and traditions.

Christmas religious celebrations in Belize

Christmas in Belize is a festive and joyous time, with celebrations lasting throughout the month of December. With a significant Christian population, religious Christmas celebrations are an integral part of Belizean culture. Here are some of the unique ways in which Belizeans celebrate the holiday season:

Midnight Mass

Midnight Mass or "Misa de Gallo" on Christmas Eve is a crucial aspect of Christmas celebrations in Belize, with over 70% of the population identifying as Christian. People dress in their finest outfits and attend church services to commemorate the birth of Jesus with joyous singing and prayers, often extending into the early hours of Christmas Day.

Las Posadas

Las Posadas is a nine-day religious festival leading up to Christmas Day, celebrated in the westernmost town of Benque Viejo del Carmen. This festival commemorates the biblical story of Mary and Joseph's search for lodging in Bethlehem. A procession of religious statues, accompanied by candles and marimba music, winds through the streets until it reaches a designated house. The participants sing and dance, reenacting Mary and Joseph's plea for accommodation, until they are welcomed inside for a novena (Catholic prayer ceremony). The procession repeats this ritual each night, concluding on Christmas Eve.

The Christmas Bram

The Christmas Bram is a celebration native to the Belize Kriol culture, specifically from the Belize district and surrounding villages. It is similar to caroling, as people dance and sing "Brukdong" music while making their way through the streets, spreading cheer from house to house. The celebration is accompanied by a variety of musical instruments, including drums, forks and graters, harmonicas, and accordions. The Bram is a unique and energetic tradition that has become synonymous with Christmas in Belize.

Garifuna Jankunu Dance

The Garifuna Jankunu Dance is a post-Christmas tradition in Dangriga, where dancers don pink masks and costumes adorned with shells. This festive dance celebrates freedom from slavery, mocking the attire and mannerisms of former European slave masters. The Jankunu competition in Dangriga showcases the senior Jankunu dancers of Southern Belize, preserving and honouring this cultural tradition.

Traditional Christmas Meals

Belizeans also prepare and enjoy an array of traditional Christmas meals. In the days leading up to Christmas, treats like fruit cakes and rum popo are made, infusing them with delicious Belizean rum. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, families indulge in feasts that may include rice and beans, potato salad, turkey, ham, and chicken tamales.

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