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Celebrating Christmas in Brazil
Christmas is a public holiday in Brazil, and being in the southern hemisphere, it takes place in the middle of summer. As a holiday, Brazilians take the opportunity to spend time with family. The celebration takes place on Christmas Eve and lasts for hours. Giving Christmas presents is an important tradition in Brazilian culture, and people buy presents for the whole family, including uncles, aunts, and distant cousins. Gift exchanges take place after Christmas dinner, usually around midnight.
In Brazil, the Christmas tradition is to decorate homes with the Christmas tree, play Secret Santa, and to gather with friends and family around a bountiful table prepared with everyone’s help, where traditional dishes are anticipated throughout the year. These dishes include things like Brazilian sweetmeats like passion fruit mousse, Brazilian flan, pavé (a dessert similar to Tiramisu made using ladyfingers), rabanada (similar to French toast), and others, along with nuts (especially the Brazil nut) and tropical fruits (like mango, pineapple, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, papaya, orange, grapes, and banana). The main course usually comes with pernil assado (a type of a baked ham), turkey, arroz à grega (rice cooked with raisins and small pieces of vegetables) and white rice, beans, farofa (a traditional Brazilian side dish made with toasted yuca flour), salpicão (dish made with cooked shredded chicken and traditionally dressed with a mayonnaise base), and many other dishes.
Several towns and villages decorate the streets for the holidays. These decorations include flashing lights and some of the same traditional symbols popular in the United States and Canada.
Christmas is also a time to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and people are invited to attend the Christmas service celebration at church and to fellowship together.
