PARMA, Ohio — Cleveland's Puerto Rican community is celebrating a cultural holiday tradition called a parranda.

What You Need To Know

  •  A parranda is a Puerto Rican hoiliday tradition similar to Christmas carroling

  •  A parranda usually involves music, food, drinks and celebration

  • Parrandas in urban settings sometimes require special accommodations, like taking the bus. 

 “Today I’m playing an instrument native of Puerto Rico. It’s called a cuatro,” said musician Frankie Lopez.

Lopez has been playing the cuatro for 60 years.

“It’s made out of one piece of wood—a solid piece of wood and they carve it out,” said Lopez.

He takes his cuatro with him every year to the parrandas.

“Sometimes in a season, I do like 20 parrandas,” explained Lopez. “Last year I did about 20.”

A parranda is a Puerto Rican tradition similar to Christmas caroling, but with its own unique twist.

“If we were in Puerto Rico, we would be showing up at people’s houses without them knowing we’re coming, singing outside,” said Jenice Contreras, Executive Director Hispanic Center for Economic Development. “At that time, they would open the door, start cooking, bring out drinks, and engage in full parranda and they would go into the wee hours of the morning.”

Participants from the first house would then go onto a second and third house, each time gaining more people. 

For this Parranda, participants were on a bus, singing for passengers stopping at various businesses in the Parma area.

“It tends to be more rural places, so you have to drive,” said Jorge Lozada, an RTA employee, about the tradition in Puerto Rico. “It’s easy because you can just pull over on the road. You can park anywhere on the road. When you think of urban settings, it’s more difficult. Like could you imagine? There are probably like 40 people here?”

The businesses love to see the parrandas stop by.

“This is pretty amazing. I hope they come by here every year,” said Jesus Corporan, owner of Barberia Cache in Parma.

Some people even sang along with the parranda and provided food.

Part of a traditional parranda is food. The parranda stopped by one bakery which provided food to the party.

Lopez said he plans to play his cuatro at parrandas and singing Spanish carols for many Christmases to come.

“Mostly typically, music from the mountains of Puerto Rico. That’s what we’re playing now. Very typical. Country music. Puerto Rican county music,” said Lopez.

Related Stories