San Sebastián Street Festival 2017 (01/19-01/22)
After Christmas Day, Puerto Rico and most of Latin America celebrates Epiphany, or Día De Los Reyes Magos, on January 6th. After more gift-giving, Puerto Ricans celebrate what they call Octavitas the week after – or some of the last festivities of their long Christmas, which start right after Thanksgiving in November. The truth of the matter, though? The official end of the holidays in the Boricua calendar is the San Sebastian Festival.
Typically celebrated on the third week of January (Thursday – Sunday), the annual 4-day festival takes place in and around Calle San Sebastián in Old San Juan. Many of the historical cobblestone streets are closed to motorized vehicles; artisans and food vendors set up shop; local musicians and general public alike bring their instruments and sing bomba and plena numbers. In a nutshell: all aspects of Puerto Rican culture convene in what most regard as the best festival of the island. This is the perfect crash course for tourists eager to learn more about the Indian Taíno, African, and Spanish heritage.
History of the San Sebastian Festival
San Sebastián, or Saint Sebastian, was an early saint and Christian martyr – one of the many victims of the persecution under the Roman emperor Diocletian in the Third Century AD. As a Spanish (Catholic) colony, the day of Saint Sebastian was commemorated with a feast on January 20th.
The first-ever San Sebastian Festival only lasted one day (the feast day) and was organized by one of the priests of the San José Church, which is located right on Calle San Sebastián in Old San Juan, in the 1950’s. However, the festival wouldn’t be popular until after a hiatus of about 20 years.
In the 1970’s, the San Sebastian Festival was kick-started once more and extended to a 4-day affair full of art, live mulato music, dancing, and mestizo food. People line up on balconies, bring their instruments, buy local crafts, and party until the wee hours of the morning. Think of it as the Puerto Rican Mardi Gras, but with a mix of African, Taíno Indian, and Spaniard traditions instead.