In the 18th-century Spanish West Indies, Christmas was a religious and community-centered holiday, heavily influenced by Spanish traditions like Midnight Mass (Misa del Gallo), Nacimientos (nativity scenes), and elaborate Nochebuena feasts on Christmas Eve.  Colonial Spanish did not adorn their houses with decorations or even greenery – that was a northern European custom. The nativity, called a nacimiento (Nativity) or belen (Bethlehem), was popular as a Christmas decoration in Spanish homes…eventually. Unlike modern celebrations, gifts were traditionally received from the Three Kings (Los Reyes Magos) rather than a Santa Claus figure.

The Spanish equivalent of wassailing, known as pidiendo aguinaldo. It looked like begging from door to door, but the Andalucian practice involves singing songs for gifts with the closing line, “vamos pastores, vamos, vamos para belen” (Let’s go shepherds, let’s go to Bethlehem).

Colonial San Juan residents may have snacked on turron, a mix of almonds, honey, sugar, and egg whites that originated in Arab and Berber kitchens during their occupation of the Iberian Peninsula in the Middle Ages. This treat must have been pretty dang good because in 1559, King Phillip II wrote in a letter (in reference to Catalan) that, “on turron and fig-bread for Christmas, I order and forbid that this my city shall consume more than fifty pounds each year.”

Christmas was explicitly a religious holiday for colonial San Juan residents, and every Catholic would have attended the mass on Christmas day.  Colonial San Juan, the Three Wise Men, or Magi, visited children with gifts on January 6th. This coincides with Epiphany, the day the Magi arrived at the manger to celebrate in adoration of the baby Jesus. In some observances of El Día de Los Reyes, or Day of the Kings (still celebrated today here on the island), boxes are filled with grass for the Magi’s horses and presents and sweets are left in exchange during the night.

In the 18th century, a period during which the “villancico” was still sung in religious celebrations, its use gradually became limited to Christmas festivities. This evolution led to the “villancico” being firmly associated in popular memory as a specific musical genre of Christmas, and its designation extended more generally to refer to any song with a Christmas theme.

Each “villancico”, through its lyrics, represents a different celebration. These lyrics are specific to the 24th and 25th of December, aligning with the birth of Jesus Christ, as well as the arrival of the Three Kings on the night of January 4th to 5th. Hence, we can continue to hear music overflowing from the balconies and windows of Spanish families until early January.