Portugal Christmas Traditions

Christmas is a special festival for every person. People get time to meet each other and enjoy the festivities together. The families have reunions and feasts and parties are organized during Christmas. A Christmas tree is brought home and is decorated with ornaments, lights and tree topper. Home is cleaned and decorated with Christmas wreaths and evergreen twigs. Christmas music, singing of carols, enjoying performance of Nativity scenes are integral parts of Christmas celebration. There are various Christmas traditions followed through out the world. The Christmas traditions differ from country to other. Portuguese Christmas traditions are amalgamation of religious customs and modern traditions.

Christmas in Portugal has families coming together and enjoying the festival. All the Portuguese gather near the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. There is a crèche kept near the Christmas tree. The birth of Jesus is celebrated with great festive fervor and gusto. The Crèche has figures of baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph surrounded by animals. Portuguese children thoroughly enjoy the scene of birth. A lot of families go to attend Midnight mass to the church on Christmas Eve. The nativity scenes are part of each Portuguese family's Christmas celebration.

Once the mass ends, all have Christmas supper that has traditional dishes like turkey, codfish, boiled potatoes and cabbage. The meal is followed by deserts. The deserts are Bolo Rei, a fruitcake, Azevias, round cookies with filling of chickpeas, orange peel and sugar, fried pumpkin and so on. This Portuguese Christmas supper is called as Consoada.

There are groups of carolers who sing traditional carols on the streets of the cities. Gifts are opened on midnight of Christmas Eve or Christmas day morning. The children keep a shoe near the chimney or fireplace to get gifts from Santa Claus. The streets are decorated with lights and Christmas tree is placed in public places. The Portuguese keep a Christmas log, a piece of Oak, which is burning throughout the day. The Father Christmas visits children on Christmas day and gives presents. The Christmas season is spent visiting friends and extended family.

Portuguese celebrate the feast of Immaculate Conception and Feast of Holy Innocents before Christmas. People go out for lunch with friends and families. They enjoy the festivities. During Christmas Eve dinner, some extra plates are kept on dining table with food. These plates are for the souls of dead family members. The food given to ancestors will help the family with good fortunes in the coming year. Attending midnight mass, having crèche at home for birth of infant Jesus, traditional Christmas Eve supper are important parts of Christmas traditions in Portugal.