Wishing you a joyful holiday season!
Feliz Natal from Portugal! Celebrate Christmas with tradition, warmth, and sunshine.
Published on
Christmas is a magical time of year, with each country enjoying its own distinct traditions. Portugal is no different!
Here, Christmas festivities start on the evening of the 24th of December, with all generations of the family gathering for a family dinner known as the Night of the Consoada. The word Consoada refers to a small meal taken at the end of a day´s fasting and derives from the Latin word consolare, meaning to comfort. Dinner is usually bacalhau - the salted cod that can be served hundreds of different ways - with cabbage and boiled potatoes followed by the traditional Christmas cake - bolo rei - King cake.
The Christmas meal typically finishes very late and is followed by midnight mass, and then the gifts are exchanged, much to the delight of the children. Father Christmas or 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 say that the presents are brought by the baby Jesus rather than Father Christmas.
Most homes will have a nativity scene or Presépio. Before leaving for the service, parents secretly put the baby Jesus in the nativity scene. They put the gifts under the Christmas tree so that Jesus will 'miraculously' be in his manger when 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!
Christmas Day is a much more low-key affair, like the British Boxing Day or Ireland’s St Stephen's Day, spent with family and friends over a long lunch.
But of course, one of the best things about Christmas in Portugal is the mild temperatures and miles of deserted, sandy beaches glistening in the sun calling for you to enjoy a leisurely stroll!
"Feliz Natal!" or "Boas festas!" in Portuguese means Merry Christmas! Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Portugal Property wishes you a very happy and peaceful holiday season, whatever your traditions are.
Published in: At Home Magazine / Guide to Portugal / Portuguese Life