Christmas time is approaching, so we thought we’d take some time to talk about the international holiday and how it’s celebrated in Brazil. Americans reading this are likely to be surprised at a few quirks of our Brazilian celebrations, but when you’re done, you’ll have a fine appreciation of our view of the holiday, and you’ll know how to celebrate it Brazilian-style with ease. Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
Does Brazil Celebrate Christmas?
Of course!
There are relatively few countries in the world that don’t celebrate Christmas in some form or another. These include northern Africa, the Middle East, China, some of Southeast Asia, and Japan. But here’s the thing: even most of these regions still celebrate Christmas, just in different ways. This is just a list of countries that don’t officially list Christmas as a formal public holiday. They often have their own religious or cultural traditions surrounding Christmas, so it might not be very recognizable compared to what it is for us, but there’s still some form of winter celebratory holiday.
Brazil’s love of Christmas largely comes from the catholic influences, as is the case for large parts of the world. Modern interconnected, global, and intercultural celebrations have added and changed the traditions over the centuries as well.
And, of course, Brazil is not a cultural monolith. People in the far north often have somewhat different traditions from people in the southeast, and families from different cultures have their own traditions. As always, we’re doing our best to generalize, but there’s an infinitely deep well of nuance to Brazilian culture to dig into; we can only scratch the surface.
When Does Brazil Celebrate Christmas?
One of the most interesting and unique elements of Christmas in Brazil – and one that many Americans aren’t familiar with – is when we celebrate Christmas. This also stems from our Portuguese roots and the general Latin diaspora.
In America, most holidays are celebrated during the day and sometimes into the evening. Independence Day hosts barbecues and evening fireworks, Easter is all about church service and supper, and so on. Christmas, too, is a holiday of getting up early, opening gifts, spending time with family, and enjoying a meal together.
In Brazil, though, the holiday is really more centered around the night before. In Brazil, we stay up late in the evening of the 24th, Christmas Eve, and celebrate when the clock passes midnight. The day before and the day of Christmas are both full of food, friends, family, and celebrations. Anecdotally, this is also common in Portugal, Spain, and anywhere in the world where more heavily catholic families hold sway.
In America, outside of those catholic enclaves, the only comparable holiday where midnight and the changing of the day is the most important time is New Year’s, where the clock striking midnight and the ball dropping is a national celebration.
Many Americans find this Brazilian form of Christmas to be strange, especially since so many of America’s Santa-focused folktales center around him sneaking in to deliver gifts in the night as a way to encourage children to go to sleep, as he can’t visit when they’re awake to see him.
How exactly Christmas is celebrated tends to vary by family and by religious adherence. The more devout Catholics may spend Christmas even in vigil and the day in church services; others spend the day before and the evening with family and friends, eating food on the beach, and spend Christmas day in recovery and service. It really all varies.
What Are Some Brazilian Christmas Sayings?
If you’re an American looking to join in with Brazilian friends, or you’re spending time in Brazil and it happens to be over Christmas, you might want to know some of the common phrases you’ll hear – and can say – during the Christmas celebrations.
Feliz Natal! – This one is simply “Merry Christmas!” in Portuguese. Feliz is the word for happy or merry, while natal is the word for Christmas. Simple and easy. Often, people will add “e Feliz Ano Novo” as well, which adds “and happy new year” to the phrase.
Boas Festas! – This is a bit more of a generic holiday well-wishing phrase. It’s the equivalent of “happy holidays” from us here in Brazil.
Que O Natal Seja Abencoado – This is a Brazilian phrase used as a heartfelt greeting, as a more formal and religious way to say “may you have a blessed Christmas” or “may your Christmas be blessed.” You aren’t likely to hear it as much on the street, but if you’re attending a church service, you’ll recognize it.
A few other words and phrases you’re likely to hear include:
- Papai Noel – None other than Father Christmas himself, Santa Claus.
- As luzes de Natal – Those brilliant and heartwarming Christmas lights.
- O presente – A present or gift.
There’s plenty more if you want to learn more expansive vocabulary, but the sentiment is often good enough. English isn’t as widely spoken in Brazil as it is in many other countries, but it’s still common enough that you’ll be understood, and your efforts to learn the basics are enough to join in the celebrations.
What Are the Most Common Brazilian Christmas Traditions?
Brazil is alive with traditions, some of which stem from Portugal centuries in the past, while others are newer inventions. What are some of the things you can expect out of a Christmas celebration in Brazil?
The nativity scene is very popular. Even among the less religious households, the nativity scene is a key centerpiece for setting the atmosphere of Christmas. Larger scenes are set up in churches and public spaces, and smaller sets are arranged in households across the country.
Millions join the midnight mass. Known in Brazil as O Misso Do Gallo, the midnight mass is the congregational celebration of the birth of Jesus, and is an evening event full of song and scripture. This traditionally takes place at midnight, and is a celebration that dates back nearly 1800 years.
For the less religiously inclined, the day of Christmas Eve is generally spent hanging out on the beach and celebrating with friends. Gifts are exchanged, though they aren’t necessarily the lavish affairs and stacks of presents you see in America. For many, friends and family are the greatest gift, and sharing time and food with each other is most important.
Seasonal celebrations enter the new year. Key to Brazilian Christmas is the extension of the season beyond the American conception of “the holidays.” In America, the time from roughly Thanksgiving to New Years is full of celebrations, but when January 2 rolls around, everything settles down, and the new year starts fresh. In Brazil, the Christmas season isn’t considered over until January 6, with Folia de Reis and the Epiphany. This is the time of the journey of the Three Wise Men and is the final celebration of the Christmas season filled with parades, costumes, and dancing.
What Foods are Most Common for Brazilian Christmas?
Perhaps the most important part of Christmas everywhere in the world is the Christmas dinner. In Brazil, it’s known as Ceia de Natal, the Christmas Feast. What can you expect to find on offer throughout Brazil? Well, just about everything, depending on the tastes of the family.
Poultry Dinner
The centerpiece of the Brazilian Christmas dinner is poultry. Often, this is a turkey, but it can also be a “Chester,” which is a plump and rich chicken.
Some families instead opt for a smoked and roasted ham, a pork loin or shoulder, or even a whole roasted pig (which is most common in the rural countryside), but the chicken or turkey is most traditional.
Bacalhau
Bacalhau is another traditional main dish for the Christmas spread.
It’s a preparation of cod fish salted and soaked overnight. It’s then rolled into balls and fried into croquettes, and no Brazilian dinner plate is complete without a few of them taking the place of honor.
Panettone
Panettone is a traditional Italian sweet bread that originated in Milan. It’s a distinctive dome-shaped bread with fruit mixed in. The traditional recipe uses candied orange and lemon along with a liberal helping of raisins, but other recipes use a variety of different fruits, including papaya.
Whenever you see a photo of a Christmas spread and see a bread with a tall domed shape and a slice taken out of it like a cake, that’s a panettone.
Feijoada
Let’s be honest here; there is almost no such thing as a meal in Brazil that doesn’t have feijoada on the side. It’s called our national dish for a reason!
Feijoada is rich, hearty, and filling and serves well as a primary side dish for the rest of the Christmas spread. Plus, pretty much everyone here likes it, or at least their family’s preparation of the dish, with or without farofa to top it. Everyone gets their helping and we all enjoy.
Christmas Rice
While rice is a staple on the side of every dish in Brazil, Christmas rice is a little different from normal rice. It’s a sweeter version of rice, cooked with both dark and golden raisins alongside Brazil nuts and cashews to give it a bit of crunch and extra flavor. This rice still serves the same purpose – to be rice on the side of a meal – but the add-ins make it something truly special.
They say that when you have a meal in Brazil that doesn’t have rice, it’s because there’s no more rice in the world. Fortunately, that’s not likely to be the case any time soon.
Salads and Summer Fare
One of the quirks of Christmas in the southern hemisphere that many Americans don’t necessarily think about is that our Christmas time is smack in the middle of summer, not winter. Where American foods are warm and hearty and stick to the ribs to keep you warm in the cold winter weather, Brazilian foods are often lighter, aimed at being something you can enjoy in the heat without worrying about overeating and suffering for it.
As such, a lot of the side dishes you find are fresh greens and salads, with lighter dressings. Some of the heavier salads may incorporate potato and mayonnaise, but when tossed with a bit of lemon, they brighten right up.
Christmas Rabanada
While not strictly only a Christmas food, rabanada is a Brazilian twist on French Toast stemming from Iberian roots. It’s richer and more indulgent and ends up being almost more like fried custard than a soft breakfast bread.
The biggest difference, though, is that Brazilian rabanada is more often served as a dessert treat than it is a breakfast. Even if the flavors and ingredients are largely the same, the cultural position it holds is very different.
Pave
Pave is quite possibly the single most popular Christmas dessert in Brazil, and it’s definitely the root of most Dad jokes, so much so that the entire class of joke is named after it.
Pave is sort of like a Brazilian version of tiramisu or that banana pudding made with vanilla wafers. In Brazil, it’s made of layers of condensed milk custard, layers of sequilhos (cornstarch cookies) or digestive wafers, and a topping layer of vanilla or chocolate icing, though there are many variations. Here’s one of ours!
A Notable Absence: Churrasco
One of the few things you don’t actually see much in Brazil on Christmas is the churrasco. Churrasco is much more of a restaurant-style experience, while Christmas is all about spending time with friends and family. For that reason, the churrascarias are generally closed, and the gauchos are home with their families for their own celebrations.
That doesn’t mean you don’t have the option, of course. If you want your own BBQ, you can find your nearest Texas de Brazil location and book a reservation for yourself. It might not be the most authentic Christmas meal, but it’s very much Brazilian, and we’re sure it will leave you satisfied. Why not give us a try?
