''Las Mañanitas'' is an annual event held in

Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce (, , , ) is both a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government. Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, was founded on 12 August 1 ...

, dedicated to

Our Lady of Guadalupe Our Lady of Guadalupe ( es, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe), also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe ( es, Virgen de Guadalupe), is a Catholic title of Mary, mother of Jesus associated with a series of five Marian apparitions, which are believed t ...

. It consists of a pre-dawn

popular Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group. Popular may also refer to: In sociology * Popular culture * Popular fiction * Popular music * Popular science * Populace, the total ...

parade, followed by a Catholic

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different eleme ...

, and a popular town breakfast hosted by the municipal government. It takes place on December 12, and is a traditional event sponsored by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ponce but attended by Catholic leaders from Puerto Rico at large. Widely covered by the press every year, the event is attended by over 10,000 people, including religious and political leaders and the general public. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 celebration will take place in a modified program fashion: there will be no walked procession, as traditionally done, but instead the

Eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...

will be televised and would-be attendees can instead celebrate ''Las Mañanitas'' from their own homes.

History

The celebration started in 1964, but the circumstances of its origin are uncertain. Some say it was started by immigrant Mexican engineers while others state it was started by Spaniards from

Extremadura Extremadura (; ext, Estremaúra; pt, Estremadura; Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is an autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central-western part of the Iberian Peninsula, it ...

, Spain. During the celebration participants and attendees join in singing together the traditional

Las Mañanitas "Las Mañanitas" is a traditional Mexican birthday song written by Mexican composer Alfonso Esparza Oteo. It is widely popular in Mexico, usually early in the morning to awaken the birthday person, also before eating cake, and especially as pa ...

song while Mexican mariachis provide the background music. The city of Ponce offers a free breakfast to everyone present at the historic

Ponce City Hall The Ponce City Hall ( es, Casa Alcaldía de Ponce) is a historic city hall in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is located it the center of the city, on Calle Degetau, across from Plaza Degetau in the Ponce Historic Zone. The building serves as the seat ...

after the religious Mass concludes.

Venue

The outdoors/indoors pre-dawn festival-parade starts at Parque del Tricentenario, runs down Calle Isabel and ends at Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe at

Plaza Las Delicias Plaza Las Delicias is the main plaza in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The square is notable for its fountains and for the various monuments it contains. The historic Parque de Bombas and Ponce Cathedral buildings are located within the plaza ...

in downtown Ponce.

Attendance and cost

The early morning, pre-dawn celebration is attended by over 10,000 people, including mayors and other prominent figures. In 2016, the event, together with the lighting of the City Hall Christmas decorations and the kickoff of its fiestas patronales, cost the municipality around $30,000.

Schedule

The celebration occurs every December 12 and starts at 4:00am. The city of Ponce offers a free breakfast to everyone present at the historic

after the religious Mass concludes. Mariachis continue their music while attendees have their breakfast.''A celebrar Las Mañanitas en Ponce.''
Primera Hora. 2 December 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2014. While not a part of this celebration, in the past the Government of Ponce has scheduled the

Ponce Marathon Ponce may refer to: *Ponce (surname) * *Ponce, Puerto Rico, a city in Puerto Rico ** Ponce High School ** Ponce massacre, 1937 *USS Ponce, USS ''Ponce'', several ships of the US Navy *Manuel Ponce, a Mexican composer active in the 20th century * B ...

to occur on the same day as the ''Las Mañanitas'' celebration. Marathon runners get an early start (5am) and complete their run just after the Catholic Mass has ended and while the public municipal city breakfast is taking place.''Todo listo para La Guadalupe: Se correrá el domingo 11 desde las 5am en Ponce.''
El Nuevo Dia. 2 December 2011. ''Virgen De La Guadalupe Ponce 2010, Un Exito!!''

References

External links