As a young child, in my native Puerto Rico, I remember how every November, my family celebrated “el Día de San Guivin” or “Turkey Day [translated]”. But it wasn't until I started elementary school that my English teacher explained in class that it was not “San [Saint] Guivin”, but rather Thanksgiving Day.
When the United States invaded Puerto Rico in 1898, they did not do so in a peaceful or benevolent way, it was a violent military operation that included an indiscriminate bombardment of the historic capital city of San Juan, where hundreds of families lived, prior to the landing of armed troops in the southern zone, unleashing a cruel battle against the local peoples, in order to take possession of the Island. Consequently, a territorial occupation exists there that persists today
Adopting traditions
As part of the early stages in the colonization process, an attempt was made to impose English as the official language, and to impose various aspects of American culture on Puerto Ricans. My grandmother for example recalls having to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, without understanding what she was repeating.
However, as an act of resistance for some, the people of Puerto Rico did not absorb English and continued to speak their language, incorporating only certain words corresponding to the imminent influences of the new colonizers. As part of the cultural domination, they were forced to adopt some American traditions.
A new Boricua saint?
Puerto Rico already had a cultural personality consistent with its historical framework, with parallels to other nations colonized by Spain, which was very different from the United States. The two nations had very little in common.
The language barrier led (and still leads) to U.S. concepts being misunderstood or popularly adapted according to the “Puerto Rican-ness” of the time.
As was the custom in a country of overwhelmingly Catholic leanings, many holidays were closely related to church saints, and with the introduction of the Thanksgiving tradition came a curious confusion.
Officially, it was called “Día de Acción de Gracias”, however popularly it was called the day of “Día del pavo” (turkey day) or Thanksgiving pronounced with our common accent “San Guivin” [Saint Guivin].
A different menu
Many Puerto Ricans did not know the history of the United States; who the Pilgrims were or why they thanked God that day. However, the tradition was well accepted by the Puerto Rican people and they modified it in a certain way to adapt it to our culture.
Prayer before eating is essential, and the menu for Turkey Day, or San Guivin, generally consists of a traditional Puerto Rican Christmas dinner; rice with “gandules”, potato salad, but instead of roast pork (“lechón asao”), the turkey is roasted with the same seasonings as the pork, a unique recipe also known as “pavochón”!
