Panama City Xmas Celebrations

Panama City is the center of Christmas celebrations in Panama, with 25% of its 3 million population living in Panama city. The observance of this Panama holiday is done according to the mixture of Spanish and American traditions. Many Americans stayed long in Panama during the building of the Panama Canal. The Christmas celebration begins on the 2nd week of December, whereby houses and businesses are decorated for the upcoming Panama holiday. Traditional Christmas lights and Christmas trees are put up on houses and businesses to symbolize that Christmas is coming soon.

In Panama City, Christmas is observed by holding Christmas parades. These parades make Christmas an exciting Panama holiday. The children from around the Panama city, particularly those from poor families, are gathered, and together they are brought to the center of festivities to receive some gifts and to enjoy the parades. The floats used in the parade are decorated colorfully in national styles. The women and girls dress in their native party dresses called polleras, while the men and boys in their menunos. Everybody in Panama City is looking up for this Panama holiday, Christmas, so they can wear their native costumes.

Panama City Expats Celebrate

Expats and tourists enjoy going to the Panama City Beach to enjoy one more tradition of this Panama holiday where a giant Christmas tree is ceremoniously lighted while singing Christmas carols. Even members of the local churches come together and they serve hot cocoa and cookies to everybody. Firework displays can be seen and enjoyed at the end of the festivities on this Panama holiday. Later at night, a Christmas boat parade, with colorful and glittering lights, is held in Panama City Beach.

Many tourists come to Panama city in time for Christmas to witness and enjoy this Panama holiday and at the same time to escape the snowy and cold winter of their home countries. Other nations up north normally experience snow banks and ice storms during December so they come to Panama city to feel its hot and humid weather. Many people from the northern countries make sure that they choose Panama city as their Panama holiday destination during the Christmas season.

Family Time in Panama City

The Panamanians in general have their big Christmas, Panama holiday celebration on the 24th of December. There are no bells to announce the coming of Jesus Christ, only firework displays. Families enjoy the huge meals together as they light the fireworks that shoot out from every Panamanian town. After the meals, at around past 1:00 am of December 25, Christmas day, people put some Christmas cheers into their cars and drive around for a visit to other family members and friends. Some tourists who are experiencing this Panama holiday tradition for the first time find this practice unique.

In Panama city, visiting relatives and friends in the middle of the night during Christmas is not odd. It is their tradition, and the relatives and friends will feel insulted if you do not go to their houses for a plate of food and some drinks.

The Panama non-working days during Christmas are half-day of the 24th, the whole days of December 25 and 26. The 26 was just recently declared a public holiday in Panama City.

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Panama Holidays – Planning

People planning for a Panama holidays are not concerned about the weather in the country, but the festivals that will be observed at the time of their arrival. They are careful to plan the trip around one of the Panama holidays or festivities. There are many special events held in Panama and they usually range from an opera in Panama City to a somewhat colorful festival held in one of the districts or islands of Panama.

Panama Holidays – Religion

Because Panama is a Roman Catholic country, you can rightly expect to witness celebrations of Panama holidays that center around Christian traditions. However, the 7 primary cultures of Panama observe their own old tradition that date back more than hundreds of years. An interesting point is that most of the time, the native cultures mix their pagan beliefs with Christians during their festivals. Almost all towns and cities in Panama have their own patron saint festivals so schedule your Panama holidays accordingly to see if anything special is going on in your destination.

The most celebrated of all Panama holidays and festivals is Carnival. It is celebrated in February, actually four days leading up to Ash Wednesday. This Panama holiday is considered the most colorful and raucous of all, equivalent to a combination of New Orleans’ Mardi Gras and Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival. There are lots of fireworks, music, dancing, eating and drinking. The parades held in Panama city and the Las Tablas are popular attractions. People flock to these two cities to experience the merriment.

Among the more interesting festivals that you might experience in your Panama holidays is the Festival of the Black Christ, celebrated every October 21 each year on the town of Portobelo. The parade features a life-size statue of the Black Christ. Good Friday and Easter are also important Panama holidays. The Holy Week parade are witnessed by tourists who are interested in religious events.

Panama Holidays – Music

If you are a music buff, it is highly likely that you will love to see the Panama Jazz Festival, held every January in Panama City and lasts for a week. The proceeds of this festival are donated to charitable causes. And for coffee land flower overs, there is that January Flower and Coffee Festival in Chiriqui Highlands. It is a 10-day celebration which you can join to witness how Panamanians observe the festivities.

When it comes to Panama holidays, the month of November is the most celebrated. November 1 is Panama’s National Anthem Day; November 2 is All Souls’ Day, and November 3 is the country’s Independence Day. In November 10, Panamanians celebrate the First Call For Independence. November 28 marks Panama’s Independence From Spain. These Panama holidays are all official, so don’t be surprised if things slow down a bit in November.

If you want to witness the celebration of Carnival or other Panamanian festivals, make sure you include it in your Panama vacation itinerary. you must also book your trip ahead so you can get the kind of accommodation that you desire. All these done, you are assured of a more rewarding experience while on Panama holidays.

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Panama Holidays – Enjoy it

For many people taking time out for a Panama holidays has become a part of their yearly schedules. Panama is a country in Central America which is very nice to visit. It has the Pacific Ocean and the Carribean Sea as its coastline boarders. If you are planning for a month long Panama holidays, you will enjoy the long drive from the Carribean in the east to the Pacific in the west. The drive may take you a week, but you will never get tired nor bored because this will enable you to see everything that Panama has to offer, from mountains and sandy beaches, rainforests and the ever famous Panama City.

Panama Holidays – Panama City

Panama City is the capital of Panama, where you can see a mixture of many cultures, western and eastern. The primarily spoken languages here are English and Spanish. In your Panama holidays, be sure to see the Panama Canal, it is a must see holiday destination. You can take a train or boat tour, but it will be better if you proceed to the Miraflores docks, so you can see the boats as they come in. Casco Viejo, also in Panama City. It is a historic district with old museums and buildings built in the1800s. Of course, you will want to do some shopping while on a Panama holidays. You will enjoy the street markets of Caledonia and the Avenida Central shopping streets.

Colon, although a poor city, has so much to offer in terms of Panama culture and history. On your Panama holidays visit its main tourist attraction, the Christ Church by the Sea, and the many parks along the shore areas. Include in your itinerary of Panama holidays a visit to some restaurants with so many local flavors to offer including seafood soup and other specialties.

Boquete is also known as the Valley of Flowers. Its attractions are the Volcano Baru, the Quetzal Trail, Chiriqui Viejo. This place is less visited compared to other tourist destinations, so prices here are lower. You pay only $5 for hostels in your Panama holidays, get affordable hiking guides, pick coffee on the sides of the volcanoes, do horseback riding and rock climbing.

Panama Holidays – Attractions

Portobelo, a beautiful and historic place, should not be missed on your Panama holidays. It has great beaches, Playa Frances and Playa Blanca where you can dive, snorkel, swim, and sunbathe. You can even do horseback riding here.

In your Panama holidays you can attend the Black Christ Festival in Portobelo during Halloween. The Congos and Diablos Festival is held in spring. If you want a good place to stay, a more popular is the Pirates Cove, which charges $50 for a night’s stay. It has a Tiki bar and a restaurant. One other nice place is the Sunset Cabins that boasts of its restaurant with locally sourced food. All the rooms here have great view of the ocean. What an exciting way to spend your Panama holidays.

There are more places in Panama worth visiting during your holidays, and they are as beautiful and exciting as the places enumerated above while on Panama Holidays.

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