The end of the year is very close. That means we also have family meals and various celebrations. From Mandao we want to celebrate the different ways Cubans have to say goodbye to the year. No matter how you prefer to share with your loved ones, the important thing is you can do it in the way you enjoy it.
Meals to close out the year
The traditional meal in Cuba is to eat pork with «moros y cristianos», pork rinds, casava with «mojo» and a salad well-dressed with oil and vinegar. Although, in recent years other traditions have been added to combine with those that already exist. But if pork is your thing, at Mandao we can help you.
«Although a whole pig seems a dream at the moment, different agros in Havana available on our app, have different cuts of pork for sale. In this way, you can ensure a small New Year’s Eve dinner. We also have a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and root vegetables to ensure an excellent meal and thus close out 2021, which has been very difficult for everyone.
Other traditions related to food are «turrones» or nougats, a custom that comes from Spain according to popular belief. In Cuba we always love these sweets, but at the end of the year, it becomes a necessity to have at least one of these desserts to share after finishing dinner. There is also the eating of twelve grapes, one for each stroke at midnight, or the toast with sparkling wine to welcome the new year.
Cuban Traditions at New Years Eve to start a new cycle
There are other rites Cubans usually do at the end of the year to cleanse themselves spiritually and to seek good luck for the new cycle. Burning a cloth and cotton doll in representation of the year that is ending is one of the most common NYE customs in our country. Especially in provincial towns, it is very normal to see a trail of flames over several blocks.
Another way to look for that cleanliness is to throw a bucket of water out the window after cleaning the house with it. It’s a last minute exorcism to start a new period with new vibes. Going out with a suitcase full of clothes and walking around the block, waiting to receive a kind of blessing to travel the following year, is another of the Cuban traditions that have grown in popularity in recent times.
It may seem that Cubans are very superstitious, which makes sense. If we consider our aboriginal and African roots, so linked to the gods of nature, and Spanish Christianity, it is logical that we have the most diverse traditions when it comes to closing cycles and starting a new one.
It is very likely that we have forgotten some popular traditions. If so, be sure to share it with us.