New Year's Eve In Panama

December 31, 2012

New Year is a time for partying!

In Panama, any holiday is considered the perfect day to enjoy friends, family, eating, and drinking - lots of drinking.

Relatives gather at home to prepare a New Year's Eve feast.

Dinner traditionally includes:

• Turkey or ham
• Rice with guandu, a nutritious round green bean
• Tamales (FYI, Panamanian tamales are more moist and are filled with less meat than Mexican tamales)
• Apples, pears, grapes, and nuts
• Rosca de huevo, which is a braided egg bread in the shape of an oval
• Rum punch and other alcoholic beverages.

The whole family gathers to enjoy each other and to wait for midnight to arrive.

The sound of fireworks announces the midnight hour.

Then, family members embrace each other and enjoy the dinner they have prepared.

After dinner, people visit and/or call each other until the wee hours.

The young people often go out to the bars and clubs.  On New Year's Eve (and during the holidays) the Zanahoria law is suspended.

The Zanahora law dictates that bars close at 3:00 am.

However, the party is just part of the New Year rituals and traditions of Panama.  

Panama has a number of interesting and unique New Year rituals and traditions.

Go Here For 12 Intriguing New Year Rituals In Panama.

Please comment or ask questions below.