As always, great post! We have been fascinated by our classmates in Portuguese class, and not just about their holiday traditions! They are mostly quite young and from all over the world. Madeira is home to many young digital nomads. As for our traditions, when our daughter got married, we all lived the Pacific Northwest. both husbands are fabulous cooks, but not huge fans of the traditional turkey and stuffing. So, since 2011, our traditional meals have been spicy chicken burritos on Christmas eve and Salmon on Christmas day. We're no longer in the PNW, so getting that fabulous salmon is a bit of the challenge, but we still do it. Happy Holidays!! Thanks for posting.
Growing up in the Lutheran Church in western Pennsylvania my Christmas traditions centered around Advent, Christmas Eve, a Christmas tree full of lights and decorations, and a big ham or turkey dinner that included John Copes dried corn casserole.
When I married my second husband I searched for a way for us to celebrate the winter holiday season together that was not rooted in traditional Christian customs. After hours of Google searching I came across a small book titled “The Return of the Light: Twelve Tales from Around the World for the Winter Solstice” by Carolyn McVickar Edwards (available from Amazon). Each tale has a main character and centers on the Light. Over the years we have acquired an “ornament” that represents the main character of each story. Some of our ornaments are beautiful blown glass critters. Every evening starting on the Winter Solstice and for the next 12 nights Scott reads a story from “The Return of the Light.” It’s become a wonderful tradition for us that we look forward to every year. We’ve shared our “Solstice Celebration” with many friends who have incorporated it into their own celebration of the season. We were especially pleased this year to learn that our “Solstice Critters” safely made the move to Portugal!
Traditions changed over time. As a child gifts were opened on Christmas morning. As we got older and no longer wanted to get up early on Christmas we started opening gifts on Christmas Eve (which my father said was his German family tradition). After I got married and had a family the tradition became of opening one gift on Christmas Eve and the rest Christmas morning. Now that we are older and the kids have their own families traditions are changing again. Our son in Austin has the Christmas Day tradition, but our daughter who married a Spaniard and lives in Mallorca now opens most gifts on All Kings Day, Jan 6 although they are also blending in the American tradition of opening some gifts on Christmas Day. Next year we are hoping to get everybody together in Portugal and we will do the Christmas Eve / Christmas Day tradition.
My birth family was Cuban and we celebrated Christmas Eve with a big feast, followed many times to midnight church services. My grandmother cooked pork, rice and beans, yuca, and other things I’ve forgotten. My mother played Cuban Christmas music and danced with who ever wanted to get dizzy. Eggnog preceded the dancing. Presents were opened in the morning. Before we left Cuba, the two most important dates were Christmas Evening and January 6, but that went away in the U.S. In recent years, as empty nesters we had a small bronze tree and we hung special family ornaments from birth years, pet ornaments and it was really quite special. That tree and the ornaments is in storage in Antwerp until we buy a place here and it is delivered. I’m missing it about now; bronze tree doesn’t do it justice as a descriptor. Feliz Natal e Feliz Ano Novo.
They were being sold at Q Garden, a big garden center near Lagos. But since I live 35 min further west, a woman in the neighborhood arranges each year a group order that is delivered to her restaurant, but she said it was from the same source. I don't know of the website but I'll see if I can find out.
Pinheiro Bombeiro is the right choice if you want a local, locally grown and also “good” real tree. The classical Nordic trees do not grow in Portugal, but the local pine (with its loose branches) is cut every year by firefighters to keep the woods clean against fire, and sold in various places around town (they even deliver it to your home and then you can dispose of it in the garbage). This way you can also donate to the firefighter cause, and have a home smelling of forest for a while :)
Try “broas fervidas” (in Abrantes region) for a treat with ancient spices, or hop to Confeitaria Nacional for “azevias de grão”, some fried cookies that are reminiscing of when Portugal was the crossroads of the three great monotheism in the glorious Al Andalus: they are filled with sweet chickpeas!
I still carry on the old British way as far as possible here. This was started by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. As said before a real tree has been superseded by a not so great artificial one. The Christmas eve midnight mass does not seem to happen here. This, was also a big carol service (I miss singing carols, it was so 'uplifting'). Christmas day you spent with family and close friends. The children opened the presents in their stockings from Father Christmas very early in the morning! Christmas lunch is an extravagant meal of primarily Turkey. Some folk prefer Goose or Duck but since there are often more than four people these are not big enough. Accompanied by roast potatoes, pigs in blankets, sprouts, roast parsnips, carrots and peas. With bread sauce plus cranberry and of course the stuffing (various types, eg chestnut or lemon and bacon) Along with rich gravy made from the turkey giblets. This is followed by the Christmas pudding. This is a rich desert of all the dried fruits and some nuts, traditionally served hot with fresh double cream or brandy butter. Some folk serve a starter e.g. Prawn cocktail or smoke salmon mouse. Nowadays we are thinking of our waistlines ! Usually we spoil ourselves with Champagne with this meal. After this meal we sit by the tree and hand out or personal gifts to one another. I still love Christmas. . .
Regarding Czech Christmas traditions...I lived in Prague from 1990-1994 with a Czech roommate. Christmas there is so much different than our U.S. traditions. In CZ, carp is the traditional Christmas dinner. When my roommate was growing up, a live carp was kept in the bathtub alive until it was prepared for Christmas dinner. To Americans eating carp sounds horrible, but it's delicious!! During the entire time I l lived in the Czech Republic I only saw turkey one time, at a Czech restaurant dining with my roommate and it was the very first time she had ever tasted it. Also, gifts are very minimal (at least when I lived there in the '90s)...like an orange, a small box of chocolates and one or two toys for kids. Czechs have a celebration before Christmas when Saint Nicholas strolls around the town square marking kids foreheads with soot if they are good or bad and the children get a small gift.
Since my father's side of the Family are Italian-American, and my mother is Italian at heart, Christmas Eve is a bigger deal for us than for most in the US. Since my immediate family is not religious, and therefore don't go to midnight mass, we always had something of a hybrid version of opening presents. My father's family has their big meal on Christmas eve, and usually opens the presents after coming home from mass. My parents divorced when my brother and I were quite young. Since we didn't do midnight mass, our family version was to still do the big meal (but for only the 3 of us) on Christmas eve, with the nice dishes. But since Turkey was served on Thanksgiving, supper was whatever we kids requested, and could be a pot roast, lasagna, a ham, or whatever. Since we always baked together during the week beforehand, there were always lots of desserts. Christmas eve was spent watching Charlie Brown Christmas and the original animated Grinch. We would munch on cookies by the fireplace, my mother would read us Santa mouse, and before bed each of us would choose one present to open. Breakfast was the thing on Christmas morning, again with my mother making us whatever we wanted (usually either homemade donuts or fried bread). Santa would have come and filled the stockings and added gifts, which we would open before she began cooking breakfast. The rest of the day was a break for her (single working mom) and lunch and supper would be leftovers so that she was done cooking for at least that day. As for decorating/undecorating, it was usually about 2 weeks before Christmas that things went up and the weekend after New Years when we put it all away. As an adult I keep many of these traditions, but much more low key. I always bake the week before and gift much of it. I always at least put up a small tabletop tree (stored decorated, so it's easy). I always make something nice for Christmas eve supper. The rest varies. It's not a big holiday for either my partner or I. I'm hoping that will change somewhat when we eventually get to Portugal.
In the UK we traditionally do anything and everything in different ways. Thus, there are cut trees, trees in a pot, artificial trees and rented trees. They go up whenever people feel like it in December. The shops start selling Christmas goods and foods in September and we are drowned in Christmas music from October. Decorations come down traditionally on Twelfth Night. The Christmas dinner is served early afternoon after presents are opened in the morning (usually accompanied by Bucks Fizz or prosecco. King's Speech on the tv at 3p.m. is usually a "must-see" as everybody is mildly sentimental and tipsy.
Yesterday we observed a strange tradition that's developed in our family. We spend the day making gingerbread houses then blow them up with fireworks. It 10 years ago when one came out terrible so I blew it up to entertain the kids, then they wanted to blow up another one so I did. The following year they wanted to blow them all up and that's what we've been doing every year since...except for the year our actual house blew up and we were living in a hotel over the holidays. Merry Christmas.
Kansas family and we always opened presents on Christmas morning and had a cut tree which we decorated whenever in Dec. Take down was leisurely!
I think you’re confused about who’s being conceived on the feast of the immaculate conception—that was Mary being conceived, free of sin so she could be the sinless receptacle for the son of God (!). So, 9 months later on Sept. 8–SHE was born. I don’t think there is a day in the church calendar for the annunciation—the actual conception of Jesus, which should have been nine months before—say, late March. Wonder why that’s not a feast day?
A great piece, as always. However, you said it is illegal in Portugal to have a cut formerly living tree, and that only still living trees (with root balls) were sold here. But many cut trees are sold in stores here. I have one of them. It was imported from Norway, a beautiful 5 foot tall fir. I was curious after reading your piece to see if I could find any laws about Xmas trees, but I could not find any such law on the books in Portugal.
As always, great post! We have been fascinated by our classmates in Portuguese class, and not just about their holiday traditions! They are mostly quite young and from all over the world. Madeira is home to many young digital nomads. As for our traditions, when our daughter got married, we all lived the Pacific Northwest. both husbands are fabulous cooks, but not huge fans of the traditional turkey and stuffing. So, since 2011, our traditional meals have been spicy chicken burritos on Christmas eve and Salmon on Christmas day. We're no longer in the PNW, so getting that fabulous salmon is a bit of the challenge, but we still do it. Happy Holidays!! Thanks for posting.
Growing up in the Lutheran Church in western Pennsylvania my Christmas traditions centered around Advent, Christmas Eve, a Christmas tree full of lights and decorations, and a big ham or turkey dinner that included John Copes dried corn casserole.
When I married my second husband I searched for a way for us to celebrate the winter holiday season together that was not rooted in traditional Christian customs. After hours of Google searching I came across a small book titled “The Return of the Light: Twelve Tales from Around the World for the Winter Solstice” by Carolyn McVickar Edwards (available from Amazon). Each tale has a main character and centers on the Light. Over the years we have acquired an “ornament” that represents the main character of each story. Some of our ornaments are beautiful blown glass critters. Every evening starting on the Winter Solstice and for the next 12 nights Scott reads a story from “The Return of the Light.” It’s become a wonderful tradition for us that we look forward to every year. We’ve shared our “Solstice Celebration” with many friends who have incorporated it into their own celebration of the season. We were especially pleased this year to learn that our “Solstice Critters” safely made the move to Portugal!
Happy Solstice everyone!
Traditions changed over time. As a child gifts were opened on Christmas morning. As we got older and no longer wanted to get up early on Christmas we started opening gifts on Christmas Eve (which my father said was his German family tradition). After I got married and had a family the tradition became of opening one gift on Christmas Eve and the rest Christmas morning. Now that we are older and the kids have their own families traditions are changing again. Our son in Austin has the Christmas Day tradition, but our daughter who married a Spaniard and lives in Mallorca now opens most gifts on All Kings Day, Jan 6 although they are also blending in the American tradition of opening some gifts on Christmas Day. Next year we are hoping to get everybody together in Portugal and we will do the Christmas Eve / Christmas Day tradition.
My birth family was Cuban and we celebrated Christmas Eve with a big feast, followed many times to midnight church services. My grandmother cooked pork, rice and beans, yuca, and other things I’ve forgotten. My mother played Cuban Christmas music and danced with who ever wanted to get dizzy. Eggnog preceded the dancing. Presents were opened in the morning. Before we left Cuba, the two most important dates were Christmas Evening and January 6, but that went away in the U.S. In recent years, as empty nesters we had a small bronze tree and we hung special family ornaments from birth years, pet ornaments and it was really quite special. That tree and the ornaments is in storage in Antwerp until we buy a place here and it is delivered. I’m missing it about now; bronze tree doesn’t do it justice as a descriptor. Feliz Natal e Feliz Ano Novo.
They were being sold at Q Garden, a big garden center near Lagos. But since I live 35 min further west, a woman in the neighborhood arranges each year a group order that is delivered to her restaurant, but she said it was from the same source. I don't know of the website but I'll see if I can find out.
Pinheiro Bombeiro is the right choice if you want a local, locally grown and also “good” real tree. The classical Nordic trees do not grow in Portugal, but the local pine (with its loose branches) is cut every year by firefighters to keep the woods clean against fire, and sold in various places around town (they even deliver it to your home and then you can dispose of it in the garbage). This way you can also donate to the firefighter cause, and have a home smelling of forest for a while :)
Try “broas fervidas” (in Abrantes region) for a treat with ancient spices, or hop to Confeitaria Nacional for “azevias de grão”, some fried cookies that are reminiscing of when Portugal was the crossroads of the three great monotheism in the glorious Al Andalus: they are filled with sweet chickpeas!
Many thanks to you Nancy, for your most interesting and informative stories. Every Monday without fail!
Wishing you and yours a Very Merry Christmas !
I still carry on the old British way as far as possible here. This was started by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. As said before a real tree has been superseded by a not so great artificial one. The Christmas eve midnight mass does not seem to happen here. This, was also a big carol service (I miss singing carols, it was so 'uplifting'). Christmas day you spent with family and close friends. The children opened the presents in their stockings from Father Christmas very early in the morning! Christmas lunch is an extravagant meal of primarily Turkey. Some folk prefer Goose or Duck but since there are often more than four people these are not big enough. Accompanied by roast potatoes, pigs in blankets, sprouts, roast parsnips, carrots and peas. With bread sauce plus cranberry and of course the stuffing (various types, eg chestnut or lemon and bacon) Along with rich gravy made from the turkey giblets. This is followed by the Christmas pudding. This is a rich desert of all the dried fruits and some nuts, traditionally served hot with fresh double cream or brandy butter. Some folk serve a starter e.g. Prawn cocktail or smoke salmon mouse. Nowadays we are thinking of our waistlines ! Usually we spoil ourselves with Champagne with this meal. After this meal we sit by the tree and hand out or personal gifts to one another. I still love Christmas. . .
Regarding Czech Christmas traditions...I lived in Prague from 1990-1994 with a Czech roommate. Christmas there is so much different than our U.S. traditions. In CZ, carp is the traditional Christmas dinner. When my roommate was growing up, a live carp was kept in the bathtub alive until it was prepared for Christmas dinner. To Americans eating carp sounds horrible, but it's delicious!! During the entire time I l lived in the Czech Republic I only saw turkey one time, at a Czech restaurant dining with my roommate and it was the very first time she had ever tasted it. Also, gifts are very minimal (at least when I lived there in the '90s)...like an orange, a small box of chocolates and one or two toys for kids. Czechs have a celebration before Christmas when Saint Nicholas strolls around the town square marking kids foreheads with soot if they are good or bad and the children get a small gift.
Since my father's side of the Family are Italian-American, and my mother is Italian at heart, Christmas Eve is a bigger deal for us than for most in the US. Since my immediate family is not religious, and therefore don't go to midnight mass, we always had something of a hybrid version of opening presents. My father's family has their big meal on Christmas eve, and usually opens the presents after coming home from mass. My parents divorced when my brother and I were quite young. Since we didn't do midnight mass, our family version was to still do the big meal (but for only the 3 of us) on Christmas eve, with the nice dishes. But since Turkey was served on Thanksgiving, supper was whatever we kids requested, and could be a pot roast, lasagna, a ham, or whatever. Since we always baked together during the week beforehand, there were always lots of desserts. Christmas eve was spent watching Charlie Brown Christmas and the original animated Grinch. We would munch on cookies by the fireplace, my mother would read us Santa mouse, and before bed each of us would choose one present to open. Breakfast was the thing on Christmas morning, again with my mother making us whatever we wanted (usually either homemade donuts or fried bread). Santa would have come and filled the stockings and added gifts, which we would open before she began cooking breakfast. The rest of the day was a break for her (single working mom) and lunch and supper would be leftovers so that she was done cooking for at least that day. As for decorating/undecorating, it was usually about 2 weeks before Christmas that things went up and the weekend after New Years when we put it all away. As an adult I keep many of these traditions, but much more low key. I always bake the week before and gift much of it. I always at least put up a small tabletop tree (stored decorated, so it's easy). I always make something nice for Christmas eve supper. The rest varies. It's not a big holiday for either my partner or I. I'm hoping that will change somewhat when we eventually get to Portugal.
Once again fun information Nancy. Thanks. Merry Christmas to you and Denice!
In the UK we traditionally do anything and everything in different ways. Thus, there are cut trees, trees in a pot, artificial trees and rented trees. They go up whenever people feel like it in December. The shops start selling Christmas goods and foods in September and we are drowned in Christmas music from October. Decorations come down traditionally on Twelfth Night. The Christmas dinner is served early afternoon after presents are opened in the morning (usually accompanied by Bucks Fizz or prosecco. King's Speech on the tv at 3p.m. is usually a "must-see" as everybody is mildly sentimental and tipsy.
p.s. It seems the law on real trees has gone. Best part of Portuguese Christmas for me is Bolo de Rei (yum)
Yesterday we observed a strange tradition that's developed in our family. We spend the day making gingerbread houses then blow them up with fireworks. It 10 years ago when one came out terrible so I blew it up to entertain the kids, then they wanted to blow up another one so I did. The following year they wanted to blow them all up and that's what we've been doing every year since...except for the year our actual house blew up and we were living in a hotel over the holidays. Merry Christmas.
Only a Siddons
Tom, this is hilarious! My husband and I may have to do this! Merry Christmas 🎁
Ola! I came from a very white bread Protestant ad
Kansas family and we always opened presents on Christmas morning and had a cut tree which we decorated whenever in Dec. Take down was leisurely!
I think you’re confused about who’s being conceived on the feast of the immaculate conception—that was Mary being conceived, free of sin so she could be the sinless receptacle for the son of God (!). So, 9 months later on Sept. 8–SHE was born. I don’t think there is a day in the church calendar for the annunciation—the actual conception of Jesus, which should have been nine months before—say, late March. Wonder why that’s not a feast day?
Love your blog!
Thanks.;..as a non-Catholic I am often confused
I’m not a catholic either, but my degrees in art history have taught me a lot about various religious practices.
A great piece, as always. However, you said it is illegal in Portugal to have a cut formerly living tree, and that only still living trees (with root balls) were sold here. But many cut trees are sold in stores here. I have one of them. It was imported from Norway, a beautiful 5 foot tall fir. I was curious after reading your piece to see if I could find any laws about Xmas trees, but I could not find any such law on the books in Portugal.
Imported from Norway…how? Can u provide a website for my order next year.
Portuguese law must have changed. I bought a live, cut Xmas tree mounted on a wood stand in Lisbon at a large plant store. It’s a Norway Spruce.
hummmmm