El Salvador’s Villa Navidena, the Christmas Village in the capital city of San Salvador, featured familiar holiday favorites like Santa Claus, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and the Grinch in a parade on Sunday.
The parade was remarkably similar to the big Thanksgiving Day holiday parades in the United States, with many of the same beloved characters appearing on floats and balloons:
The parade in San Salvador also had a familiar corporate sponsor, Coca Cola, which is a very popular beverage in El Salvador.
The Villa Navideña spans about twenty blocks in San Salvador, and it stays open throughout December, becoming something of a holiday theme park.
The government of President Nayib Bukele, who has presided over a remarkable transformation from rampant crime to law and order – receiving both applause and criticism for his stern methods – makes it a point of pride to keep the Villa Navidena clean and safe for both adults and children, citizens and foreign visitors, day and night.
President Bukele, his first lady Gabriela, and their daughters Layla and Aminah participated in a tree-lighting ceremony on Tuesday:
The Bukeles mentioned the increased public safety in El Salvador in their holiday address.
“Christmas is a time to give thanks to God,” President Bukele said. “We thank God for this past year, for the good days and for the hard days, and for all the goals we achieved. We thank Him for our families, for our friends, for the people in our lives, and for the moments we’ve shared.”
“This Christmas season, we’ve seen so many families and people filling the parks, plazas, and streets, coming together to share these moments, in ways they couldn’t experience before,” said Gabriela de Bukele.
“Christmas comes in the midst of these changes, and helps us see what’s happening here: more time to spend together, more spaces we can share, and more joy in our lives. It’s a reminder of what is truly important,” she said.
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