Learning A New Culture in Panama

We have been in Panama since the middle of July, 163 days to be exact, and learning Spanish seriously for the last three months! Last year, at this time, we were getting ready to buy the Panama Relocation Tour online guide. We had not even been to Panama yet. Our first trip would be February 2023. We had been decluttering and de-owning our stuff, but we had not gotten super serious about it. We would be getting ready to do just that in the early months of 2023. 

I am sitting here this morning with clear skies, sunshine, and tropical weather. I have been retired for six months. I wonder how I ever had time to work. There is so much living to do! We are still settling into our rental and making it more comfortable. We recently found a wonderful Asian food market and are still discovering all the best local places to eat and shop in Chitrè. 

We have gotten settled in enough to feel comfortable exploring the night time vibes of our city. After the sun goes down and the tropical heat cools with the moon’s rising, the locals come out to enjoy socializing, eating out, and shopping. We recently tried Monalisa, a new hip restaurant with outdoor seating, and afterward we walked home in the cool night air. We walked past lively restaurants with conversation, aromas, and music both indoors and out. Many homes still have Christmas decorations and lights that they will keep up through the Twelve Days of Christmas and finally celebrate Three Kings Day. 

In Tennessee, we are used to saying Merry Christmas all through December. So, as we approached Christmas, we started to say Feliz Navidad to our taxi drivers, store clerks, and people we interacted with, and they would say something else back to us—Feliz Pascuas, which translates to Happy Easter. This was confusing, to say the least.  After asking a local friend, I learned that at Easter time in 1905, in the Krauss Bazaar in Santiago, Chilè they placed a Viejito Pascuero (Santa Claus) in the Easter display case, and at that time, Santa Claus was not as well-known as it is now. Upon seeing this old man at Easter time, people began to call him ‘old Easter.’ I also learned that starting in the Middle Ages, after the holidays of other cultures were added to the Catholic calendar, they began to commemorate “Christmas Easter,” which runs between December 25 and January 6. It is also known as the 12 Days of Christmas, which ends with Three Kings Day. Three Kings Day celebrates when the wise kings from the east met the baby Jesus. It appears that most of the Panamanians who live in Chitrè celebrate Christmas and Three Kings Day. I am assuming this by the amount of Rosca de Reyes that is sold in the stores. Rosca de Reyes is a special bread with fruit and sugar that comes in the shape of a crown and traditionally eaten during the holidays.

They say Feliz Navidad or Felices Pascuasa closer to Christmas, and then they add in Feliz año nuevo (translated Happy New Year) during the 12 Days of Christmas. Interestingly, Pascuasa translates literally to Passover. This also connects to the Jewish Passover. Easter and Christmas’s connection comes from the symbolism of Jewish liberation, the birth and resurrection of Jesus. Many Christian celebrations are based on celebrations of other religions and cultures.

As I write this, I think of everyone we have met, and all the things we got to experience this past year. I am so grateful for everyone along our path that made this past year possible. Vic and I began dreaming of this adventure ten years ago, and we are so glad we acted when we did to make this dream our reality. As I ponder the many possibilities of 2024, I want to encourage you not to wait to act on your dreams, whatever they may be, and we wish you a very Happy New Year!