Christmas Around The WorldSýnishorn

Christmas in Haiti

Jwayne Nowe! Merry Christmas from Haiti. The homes are festively decorated with pine branches and Christmas trees. Bright ornaments hang on the branches and a large nativity scene sits at the base of the tree. Oftentimes, the tree takes up most of the living room!

The biggest day of celebration in Haiti is Christmas Eve. Children put their shoes, nicely cleaned up and filled with straw, on the porch or under the Christmas tree. Then they eagerly wait for Tonton Nwèl (Santa) to come and remove the straw and put presents around the shoes.

Both children and adults celebrate most of the night. A lot of the houses are all lit up with lights until 3:00 a.m. The older kids are expected to look after their younger sibling and take them celebrating with friends and caroling through the streets. They also play osselets, which is a game like jacks. Sparklers and roman candles are also part of their entertainment. At midnight, some people go to mass. The rest stay to continue celebrating.

Once Haitians return home, they enjoy the meals of the “reveillon,” which means “to wake up.” It’s more of a breakfast and often lasts nearly till dawn. Christmas Eve doesn’t involve much sleeping!

On Christmas day, people all very tired so it is a quiet day. They enjoy time together and the kids play with their new toys that Tonton Nwèl brought. 

Is your Christmas a celebration? The people of Haiti spend all night celebrating together. We hope you get some sleep and relaxation this Christmas, but don’t forget to have some fun too. Find a way to celebrate Jesus’ birth with those around you. Rejoice for our Savior is born!

Family Activity Idea: Learn how to create your own game of osselets , just like the kids in Haiti.

Learn more about Christmas in Haiti.