Upon opening the 15th door of our advent calendar you will learn how do people celebrate Christmas in Portugal. Father Christmas (Pai Natal) is believed to bring presents to children on Christmas Eve, rather than Christmas Day. The presents are left under the Christmas Tree or in shoes by the fireplace. However, some people say that the presents are brought by the Baby Jesus rather than Father Christmas. Like in Spain, the traditional Christmas meal in Portugal, called Consoada, is eaten during the evening of Christmas Eve and consists of codfish with green vegetables and boiled potatoes. This is normally followed by shellfish, wild meats or other expensive foods. After the meal, people go to church for the Missa do Galo or Mass of the Rooster service. After the service people return home, and open their presents. Before leaving for the service, parents secretly put the baby Jesus in the nativity scene in their houses and put the gifts under the Christmas Tree, so that Jesus will miraculously be in his manger by the time the family returns home! Children run to check the nativity scene as soon as they enter the house as no baby Jesus means no presents! Read more here: whychristmas/cultures/portugal.shtml
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 10:34:09 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015