This past weekend little one celebrated his First Holy Communion. The ceremony at church was beautiful and afterwards we celebrated with family and friends with a party.
A lot of planning went into this party. I wanted it to be special. Especially since we didn’t have a big celebration for our son’s baptism.
Coming from a large Latin family, baptisms and first communions are a big deal. I remember growing up all of my siblings, and cousins had parties to celebrate our 1st Communion. Some have small parties, others go big. Same goes with baptism. It’s a celebration party with family, extended family and friends. I don’t think it’s just Puerto Ricans but Catholic Latinos in general. In the U.S. the parties are very popular up North, and some other regions but not so much down South (my neck of the woods).
In Puerto Rico, the tradition of celebrating with a party afterwards is slowly dying as not too many people have one. I for one, wanted to go all out because we couldn’t celebrate our son’s baptism the way I wanted to. One of my friends catered the food. We had barbecue ribs, chicken, rice, gravy, string beans, baked beans, and rolls. Served with sweet tea or lemonade, yes I know very Southern!
Each table had a pineapple centerpiece with ham, cheese, candy, grapes, tomatoes, and olives served on a platter with vanilla cookies, and crackers.
I also had a photo booth area set-up with photo props, crazy hats, and a large Instagram cut-out for the guests to have fun. For the kids we had the performer Sarah Dippity! She was hilarious, and very entertaining!
I celebrated big with a few family members, and my friends whom are my family now. Yes, family not because we’re bound by blood but because of friendship. These ladies and their families are simply amazing. Our children are friends, and it has been exciting to watch them grow together, make memories, and long-lasting friendships.
For me it was truly a blessing to share this special day with loved ones from afar and close. I wouldn’t have had it any other way. For more ideas check out my First Communion Board on Pinterest: