Christmas customs in Portugal – Part 2
Feliz Natal, dear friends, and thank you for sharing the joy of Christmas with us! Yesterday, as we were still waiting for Christmas, we remembered a few of the most beautiful Christmas customs in Portugal, with the promise that soon we would refresh the list.
We already established that Santa Claus (or Pai Natal) hasn’t written Portugal off his list, and that there is a Christmas dinner served in the warmth of the family with traditional dishes.
But let’s see some more customs and traditions typically Portuguese.
The Nativity Scene (or Presepio) is the traditional decoration for Christmas in Portugal – and it can be quite an intricate, rich artefact, with dozens of characters (although most families settle for a small stable with sheep and the Holy Family). The Nativity Scene can be “improved”, made more natural with moss and branches.
The traditional Christmas cake in Portugal is called ‘Bolo Rei’ (in translation, ‘King Cake’), baked sweet bread and candied fruits. There are also other sweets that are served, differing from one region to another. In Porto and Minho, for instance, the rich make a dessert that is rich in eggs, called ‘Lampreia de ovos’. Filhos are desserts sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and they vary very much: for instance, in the Alentejo province, they are made from carrots, while in Beira, we find the orange and lemon variety. As for beverages, people drink Port wine in a party that can last for days.
Finally, caroling is not atypical in Portugal either: bearing an image of Baby Jesus, groups of people go from house to house singing traditional songs (‘Janeiras’), a cappella or accompanied with instruments. They knock on the doors of their neighbours and expect tokens (like food and drink, of course). If they don’t receive the expected gift, they might sing mock songs about you, so it might be best to take our advice and spare some chorizo, cheese and wine for good measure!
