The holidays are here, and that means lots of celebrations all over the world. If you celebrate Christmas, December can be a very festive time of year full of tradition and customs that go back many generations. It’s a time for many people, both religious or otherwise, to celebrate, spend time with family and friends, eat and drink traditional food and cocktails, and hopefully get some time off work. Panama is no different. And there are lots of traditions, both new and old that the locals and expats love to celebrate. If you are in Panama for vacation, or live here full time, there’s plenty for you to partake in.
The beginning of summer
One thing that may be different for you about Christmas in Panama is the season. While Panama is in the Northern Hemisphere, and it’s technically winter, the end of December marks the beginning of Panama’s dry season, or as they like to call it in Panama, “summer.” This may sound confusing, but if you take into account that Panama has hot weather all year, you realize that it’s all relative. December through March are Panama’s dry months, and it’s when many businesses and schools take their summer break. This factors into much of the Christmas tradition, as December and January are big months for domestic tourism, especially to the Pacific beaches.
Many people from the city take a few weeks off for Christmas, New Year’s, and into January, so if you’re planning on celebrating in Panama, expect the city to be quite quiet. Hotel prices, in the city and the beaches, tend to go up as tourism spikes. This can present a great opportunity to check out some of Panama’s best vacation spots such as Coronado, Playa Blanca, Boquete, and San Blas. Think of it almost like 4th of July weekend in the US. This is when people tend to have family BBQs, go to their beach house, and travel in general.
Local traditions, and keeping up yours
When it comes to Christmas traditions, Panama is not very different from the US or Canada. Shopping malls and restaurants are crowded for pretty much the whole month, and gift giving, Santa, and Christmas trees have all made their way into the local tradition. There are many different church services the day of, and Christmas eve, for all denominations, and businesses tend to close the 24th and 25th. You can buy Christmas decorations at a variety of department stores, pharmacies, and supermarkets, and the big supermarket chains also offer natural Christmas trees in all sizes.
The local tradition, much like most of Latin America, is to celebrate with gifts on the night of the 24th, followed by midnight mass if you observe the holiday religiously. Unlike North America, you’ll find many people go out to eat with their families on the 24th as well, and restaurants that cater to this crowd have prix fixe menus, and special holiday hours. The day of Christmas tends to be much more religious than the 24th, and people who observe are often found in church that day as well. If you want to prepare your own Christmas dinner, you can find turkeys, ham, stuffing, Christmas cookies, and even Egg Nog in some of the larger supermarket chains. Businesses start re-opening on the 26th, but some may choose to stay closed until after the New Year.
Overall, Christmas in Panama is a fun, laid back, tropical holiday. It’s a time of year that symbolizes a big break from the hustle and bustle of regular work life, and a great time to visit or live in the country.
