5 Holiday traditions unique to Miami-Dade and Broward – NBC 6 South Florida

In the movies, we tend to see families celebrating the holidays bundled up in winter clothing and drinking hot cocoa by an open fire.

Swap the winter clothing for shorts and flip flops and the hot cocoa for coquito and you’ll get a better idea of how we do Christmas in South Florida!

Our “White Christmas” refers to the sand on our shores. Our Christmas carols are all sung in Spanish. Our “snow days” are 60-degree cold fronts.

For a look at some of our most iconic traditions, here’s a look at how we do the holidays in South Florida:

Pigs pardoned every year in Miami-Dade

You may have heard of the presidential turkey pardon for Thanksgiving. Well, here in South Florida, we do things a little differently.

Each year, two pigs are pardoned in Miami-Dade — just in time for Noche Buena, or Christmas Eve.

The county’s 6th annual pig pardoning ceremony in 2023 had a celebrity-inspired twist, as the pigs “Taylor and Travis” were affectionately named after global superstar Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce.

This year’s ceremony took place at the Latin Café 2000 in Brickell which serves up Cuban food throughout Miami-Dade County.

The beloved pigs, owned by Alfonso and Lina Marena Berrio, are a family favorite, named by their daughters Valerie and Melanie Barrios in honor of the celebrity couple.

Hitting the beach instead of the slopes

When we talk about having a “White Christmas” in South Florida, we’re referring to white-sand beaches, not snow-capped mountains.

It’s rare to live in a place where you can spend Christmas morning opening gifts by your tree and the afternoon catching sun by the ocean, but welcome to SoFlo!

From South Beach to Delrey, the beaches look just as full during the holidays as they do in the peak of summer.

Other cities can have their ski slopes and snowball fights. We’ll take a dip in the ocean any day of the year!

Whipping out boots and coats during a “cold” front

The holidays aren’t always marked by bikinis and beaches in South Florida.

Nearly every year we can expect some kind of cold front in the month of December — “cold” usually meaning 60s and 50s.

While people in colder cities might laugh at us for it, it’s pretty normal to see South Floridians busting out their warmest winter gear during these fronts.

From fuzzy boots to thick scarves, and sometimes even puffer coats, many of us get through the cold front looking like we’re prepared for a blizzard.

And you’ll probably hear at least one person say the cold front is too much for their “Miami blood.”

Hearing holiday music everywhere — but in Spanish

Once December hits, it’s not uncommon to hear Christmas music everywhere you go.

From malls to coffee shops, songs like “All I Want For Christmas” and “Jingle Bell Rock” flood speakers across the country.

But here in South Florida, you can expect to hear more songs like Simón Díaz’s “El Burrito Sabanero” on radio stations this time of year.

Busting Out La Caja China

Around the holidays, many Hispanic families roast a pig for dinner. Roast pork is a traditional holiday meal for many families, especially Cuban families, on Christmas Eve.

The pork roasts in a traditional box called “La Caja China,” which translates to “the Chinese box.”

In the box, which is made of wood and lined with sheets of aluminum, the pig is cooked under layers of smoldering coal.

This cooking method results in crispy skin and tender, juicy meat.

“In about 3 and a half to 4 and a half hours depending on the size of your meat, you’ll have it nice and ready to go,” says Avian Guerra, Vice President of La Caja China. “Crispy skin!”

In Cuba in the 1950s, Roberto Guerra saw Chinese residents in Havana’s Chinatown cooking in a similar box.

It wasn’t until 1985, however, after moving to Miami, that Guerra decided to create his own roasting box. Guerra and his son made a prototype and the rest is history.

It’s a staple across many South Florida homes during the holidays and for Cubans,in particular, La Caja China is basically synonymous with Noche Buena.