Journey back to Cuba in the 1940s and 50s to experience the warmth and spirit of Christmas in Tradición: A Holiday Celebration. Premiering in Miami on WPBT Channel 2 Sunday, December 8 at 6:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Tradición will air on PBS stations nationwide throughout December. Home movies, classic Latin holiday songs and fond recollections from celebrities like Celia Cruz, Cristina Saralegui, Willy Chirino and Lissette, capture the essence and magic of the season.

From shopping at El Encanto to Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) dinner to Christmas celebrations in exile, this nostalgic account reveals not only the significance of the holiday but the struggles to keep the traditions alive.

The celebration begins with a Nochebuena dinner presented in all its mouthwatering glory. This lavish meal of wine, congrí, rice and beans, yucca, nuts and turrones (nougat) will trigger memories of aromas, flavors and colorful family gatherings. At the center of the incredible bounty is roasted pork. “We would fight over who would get the ears, the tail and the roasted skin, because they were crunchy and tasted like crackers,” recalls Cristina Saralegui.

The revelry of New Year’s Eve is brought to life through music, dancing, and a splash of quirky good luck rituals. The documentary amusingly recalls such customs as eating 12 grapes and tossing a bucket of water out of the house at the stroke of midnight. Albita admits, “. . . one thing was tradition and another was our own personal motive of having fun and getting people wet. If by chance we got some ‘spiritual’ cleansing, then all the better.”

A Cuban Christmas celebration would not be complete without El Dia de los Reyes Magos (Three Kings Day) on January sixth. Similar to American customs, children would leave food and water, but not for the reindeer -- for the camels. Also, instead of stockings, children would leave their shoes in hopes of receiving new toys. In Tradición, many recall how even the poorest children in Cuba always received a gift from the Three Kings.

In 1958, on New Year’s Eve, these joyful celebrations in Cuba ended. Emotional revelations take you back to that fateful night and the beginning of a mass exodus. Tradición focuses on the fight to maintain sacred customs and the pain of spending the holidays in a new country away from family. With traditions still intact more than 40 years later, Cubans continue to celebrate their rich history and identity. Today, exiles dream of returning to their homeland to celebrate the Christmas holidays as once before. In the words of Lissette, “We’ll be in Cuba celebrating Christmas soon and very happy. What a dream, right?”

Tradición: A Holiday Celebration offers a vivid perspective of Christmas in a bygone era through a collection of images, stories and songs. This bilingual program also features interviews with Celia Cruz; Olga Guillot; Willy Chirino; Lissette; Rosendo Rosell; Miami interior designer, Vernays Rodriguez; Cuban artist Mijares; Olga Chorens of the Olga y Tony duo; author Jose Sanchez Boudy; and Monsignor Agustin Roman of Ermita de la Caridad in Miami. An original WPBT production, this heartwarming holiday special not only pays tribute to the boundless spirit of the Cuban community it commemorates the heritage of this vibrant culture and serves as a reminder that traditions are the same in any language.

Tradición: A Holiday Celebration is part of WPBT Channel 2’s continued commitment to recognize and promote the cultural richness and diversity of our community to a local and national audience. Channel 2’s Hispanic production credits, include ¿Qué Pasa, USA?, Havana: Portrait of Yesteryear, The Best of ¿Qué Pasa, USA? A Peña Family Album, The Flight of Pedro Pan, Nuestra Risa and Jose Marti: Legacy of Freedom. Funding for Tradición was provided in part by Badia Spices and Café La Llave.

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