There is a growing trend for holiday travel, and more families are looking for new and unique holiday experiences. Families are realizing that spending Christmas abroad can actually take stress out of the holidays, and create the opportunity for loved ones to truly connect and spend quality time together. This Christmas, Villa Verano will be transformed into a luxurious “home away from home”. Located on the beach, Villa Verano is within close proximity to jungles, rivers, waterfalls, as well as the spectacular Belize Barrier Reef with an abundance of diving, snorkeling and fishing adventures.
Christmas in Belize is magical. The weather is perfect for exploring jungles, reefs and ancient Mayan cities. Families will experience the familiar elements of the holidays, but in a warm, tropical setting. Most Belizeans share in the traditional rituals of Christmas. Decorating, baking and socializing are the highlights of the holidays, and with so many ethnic groups, the celebrations are truly multi-cultural.
For Belizeans, Christmas is a time for visiting and receiving family and friends, it is the occasion to eat, drink, and be merry. Typical meals include baked turkey with stuffing, ham, rice and beans, potato salad, and cranberry sauce. The Mestizo dish, Relleno (a black recado soup served with hot corn tortillas) is typically prepared on New Year’s day. Black and white fruit cakes are the desserts of choice.
With a predominantly Christian population in Belize, religious ceremonies to celebrate the birth of Christ are held regularly throughout the season and are well attended. In the Garifuna village of Hopkins, visitors can experience the Wanaragua or Jonkunu dance, which is traditionally performed during the Christmas season. The origin of this masked dance dates back to when the Garifuna inhabited Saint Vincent, and they resisted attacks from British colonizers. The dance adopts the disguise that the Garifuna warrior utilized as a strategic defense against the British. Dressed as women, the male warriors took the troops by surprise. In the Wanaragua, the dancer is always male but wears an elaborate woman’s dress that reaches the knees or below. The costume also consists of a mask, headdress, colored ribbons, mirrors, golden papers, and decorated shells.
No matter the culture, Christmas is a time of togetherness and relaxation. There’s no better place to celebrate the holidays than on the beach in Hopkins at Villa Verano.
Villa Verano, www.villaveranobelize.com