Hotel Mansión De Chocolate

The beautiful month of December in Nicaragua

Hello readers of our blog and welcome back to a new blog of Mansion De Chocolate. The month of December has started, it’s a month full of celebrations in Nicaragua. Some of the celebrations are celebrated all over the world and some are related to the culture and traditions of Nicaragua.The month of December is full of parties, happiness, family traditions and religion. A very popular part of this month is the fireworks that you will hear every day of December.

Here are a few examples of what you as a tourist can expect in Nicaragua during the month December.

La Purísima

This is a celebration that mainly is celebrated throughout the family houses, where they make a richly decorated altar in a corner of the house. It is an homage to the Virgin Mary. Here they will sit and sing in their houses with friends and family. Every day during the 9 days La Purisima is celebrated in a different street, every family that lives in one of these streets helps decorating the whole street.

La Gritería

This tradition is directly related to La Purisma but is more massive. At 6PM every December 7^th, a common yell is heard in different cathedrals and churches.

At that time, people start exploding fireworks and firecrackers.

During ‘La Gritería’ Virgen Mary is also venerated. It is a celebration used by people to thank the virgin for miracles and it takes place before the official day.

Furthermore a lot of people will walk the streets and start singing to give thanks to the Virgin Mary, they will go by houses sing for 1 or 5 minutes and the families will give food, fruits and other stuff to the people that come by and sing for their house.

Th decorated tables and houses during the celebrations: Source Vianica

Christmas

During the Christmas celebrations, which begin a full week before December 25^th and do not stop until after January 7^th. It will be very busy.

Celebrating Christmas is a mixture of traditional Nicaraguan practices with other elements. It has 2 main characters one is Santa Claus and the other is Baby Jesus. The real climax of this celebration is midnight of December 24^th.

It is a tradition in Nicaragua that the families decorate their houses with Christmas symbols, not only in the houses but as well in the streets. The holiday is a family celebration, there will be family gatherings where they will eat and drink a lot together. Also with Christmas you will hear a lot of fireworks and firecrackers.

Christmas tree in Granada, Nicaragua

 New Year

New Year’s eve is a day full of tradition and joy. It is a day for family moments but also a time to hang out with friends.

An old tradition is burning the old year, how do they do it? The Nicas make a man dressed up with very old clothes and in this constructed man they will put a lot of gunpowder which they hang up in the streets and ignite.

You will see parties everywhere and all the Nicas will go crazy and have a wonderful night. In the midnight the families will burn more fireworks and firecrackers, after that they will hug each other. Other than having a lot of parties in the homes of Nica families, clubs and discotheques will have a New Year’s eve party as well.

And in Granada there will be a mini carnival during new year’s eve to celebrate the new year.

an employee of Mansion De Chocolate with carnival in Granada

The man that represents the old year

Mansión De Chocolate: Cleaning the streets of Granada

Hello Readers and welcome back to a new blog, made by Mansión De Chocolate. Last Friday the Mansión De Chocolate team helped cleaning the streets of Granada, with an organization. It is important to us to help the community in such a way. 

First of all we started at 8am in the central park of Granada. this was our meeting point and a lot of people showed up. There were students, employees of tour companies, hostels and hotels who wanted to help cleaning the streets of Granada.

Meeting point at Central Park

After gathering at the central park, we all started to walk through town over the streets and picked up whatever garbage we could find. As you can see a lot of the young ones of Nicaragua helped with cleaning the streets of Granada. While walking people cleaned the streets, wearing gloves. after a few hours of walking and cleaning. here is a small impression of how the cleaning went that morning.

Cleaning team Walking through the streets

Cleaning the streets of Granada

Folklore in Nicaragua: The Culture of Nicaragua part2

Hello readers! And welcome to a new blog made by Mansión De Chocolate. We have spoken about traveling through Nicaragua, food in Granada and art in Granada. But what is culture of Nicaragua?

Palo de Mayo

Palo de Mayo is a traditional dance which originated in the bluefields area, Nicaragua in the 17^th century. The Nicaraguans celebrate Palo de Mayo throughout whole Nicaragua.  Like the name says Palo de Mayo, this festival is in may(mayo).

Considered the highest expression of culture and tradition of the Caribbean of Nicaragua, the first of may starts with a presentation around a tree which is decorated with colored ribbons around the whole tree. Dances are performed around these colored trees as they welcome the rainy season, production and new life.

It attracts spectators from all the surrounding areas and from all over the country who not only witness the activity but also commit with energy and joy to this activity.

With Palo de Mayo everybody comes together to prepare their colorful costumes and dances that come with there carriages, after this the people will compete with each other.

Throughout the month of May and especially on weekends, a variety of culture events happen at night. They highlight all kinds of dances, sensual dances and movements are shown, known as the afro-carribbean dances. But also dances like zumba.

This festival is a must see, everyone I have spoken in Granada that likes dancing, says the same. It is a festival that disappeared in other countries where it was celebrated, but in Nicaragua it gets passed on from generation to generation.

Palo de Mayo, dancing around the colored ribbons

A very famous and typical Caribbean dish at the festival is, El rondo. A soup made of coconut, fish and a lot more, it is delicious!!

El Rondon

San Jeronimo

The last day of the month November is the kick off of the longest festival in Nicaragua, the San Jeronimo celebrations of Masaya. Today is the day the little big saint leaves the dark confines of the church and is carried around on the shoulders of his faithful followers throughout the streets of the village. And if that was all it would hardly warrant making it onto our list. Luckily, there is more.

Following the saint is the parade of the Torovenado, even bigger than the one in January. True to the satirical spirit of the indigenous Nicaraguans, the roving parade ranges from magical creatures plucked from local folklore to costumes of local politicians alive and dead, famous and forgotten, as well as enough demons and devils to scare the daylights of any kids who dare go to visit.

It happens during the day and at night there are usually big parties scattered around town. If you are in Nicaragua during this month then you have to go!

Streets of Masaya Full during San Jeronimo