Christmas in Portugal is a holiday season for
family re-unions. The festival is a private affair. The important
customs for celebration of Christmas in Portugal include set up of
the Nativity Scene in every Portuguese homes and exchange of
Christmas gifts. Portuguese decorate their Christmas tree
beautifully, and enjoy mouth-watering Christmas recipes during the
festive season. People in the country usually don't use Christmas
lights to decorate their homes during the season. But nowadays, the
streets of Lisbon are decorated with attractive Christmas lights.
Read on to know more about Christmas in Portugal.
Christmas celebrations in Portugal are incomplete without Christmas
gifts. During the festive season, Christmas gifts are exchanged as a
token of love and affection for the beloved ones. According to the
Portuguese traditions, children eagerly wait for the arrival of the
Three Wise Men during Christmas. Small children place their shoes on
windows and doors filled with carrots and straw on the Eve of 5th
January. They believe that these shoes will lure the horses of the
Three Wise Men and the next morning; these shoes will be filled with
attractive Christmas gifts.
In Portugal, the Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve is called as 'Missa
do Galo'. The Portuguese families gather around the Christmas
tree and manger and then go to attend the Midnight Mass. After
coming back home, the families have a sumptuous Christmas Eve dinner
called 'Ceia de Natal.' The dinner consists of codfish
served with boiled potatoes and cabbage. The Christmas desserts
include filhoses, made of fried pumpkin dough, rabanadas or French
toasht and azevias round cakes. 'Bolo Rei' or King's cake
is another traditional Christmas dessert.
'Consoda' is the Christmas feast, which takes place in
the morning on Christmas day. Delicacies including roast chicken,
lamb, or turkey are served in the family get-together. In Portugal,
it is a custom to set extra places at the table for the dead souls.
It is believed that giving food for the ancestors will bless them
with a bright future and the household with good fortune for the
coming year. As the Portuguese families enjoy the delicious
Christmas feast, a piece of oak, called the Christmas log or Cepo de
Natal burns all through the day on the fireplace of their homes.
Christmas in Portugal is a
holiday season for family re-unions. Read this article to know more
about the celebration of Christmas in Portugal.