Feliz Natal or Boas Festas or even Merry Christmas!!
by Sun’s Dragon
I love Christmas and all that it entails, including the challenge of finding the right gift for the right person, planning the food, planning for guests from near and far, and all the fun of being with family and good friends. Carol singing at Julie’s Taverna, Christmas lunch with all my lady friends and our annual Christmas party all add to my sheer enjoyment of the whole season.
Christmas celebrations start early in Portugal, beginning on 8th December, the day of Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Our Lady of the Conception) and ending on twelfth night. So how do the Portuguese manage to make it last so long?
The first religious festival
The most important religious festival in Quarteira starts on the 7th December with a candlelit procession from the Igreja Nossa Senhora da Conceição to the Igreja São Pedro do Mar honouring their patron saint of fishermen. On the 8th December a mass is held at 2pm followed by a procession to the sea to bless the fishermen and their boats. After this procession there is music, singing, dancing and a big firework display. Various celebrations of ‘Our Lady of the Conception’ take place throughout the Algarve on the 8th December.
Decorating
The Nativity Scene is the main decoration theme for Christmas, and children love to make one for their home. They will gather moss for grass, make a manger and add all the figures of the Holy Family, 3 wise Kings and the animals gathered round. You will find the Nativity scene on most roundabouts and on roadsides throughout the Algarve. From simple to elaborate, these scenes remind us of the true meaning of Christmas.
Since the 1970’s the Christmas tree has become an important part of the decorations at home and the children love to decorate the tree, often with their own hand made baubles.
Despite the austerity measures that are in place, cities, towns and villages still manage to put up some of the fancy street lighting and Christmas decorations to give a festive air. It is wonderful to travel through these places and enjoy the Christmassy feeling.
The food!
Planning for Christmas for the Algarveans usually involves planning with food! The figs that were lovingly picked and dried in September will re-emerge in December. They may be flattened into star shapes, decorated with almonds and then given a frosting of sugar and cinnamon. Or they may be opened up and stuffed with chopped almonds, cinnamon and sugar. These confections are often gifts and they reflect generations of tradition as well as oodles of patience.
In towns and markets in the lead up to Christmas, you will find the chestnut sellers busily roasting their wares, with the delicious aroma of hot chestnuts drifting across the streets.
Christmas Eve
Christmas itself is celebrated on Christmas Eve night with a big family meal, traditionally of Bacalhau (salted cod fish), and lots of delicious savoury and sweet nibbles. Fatias Douradas - slices of bread dipped in a milk, sugar and egg mix, fried and dusted with cinnamon are one of the favourite Christmas treats in Algarvean homes, along with various almond sweets.
After the meal, people go to church for a traditional mass and, during the service, a statue of the baby Jesus is presented and everyone queues up to kiss it. Then it is placed in the manger of the Nativity scene.
Presents are opened at midnight, after the church service, with many parents having secretly placed the baby Jesus in his manger for the children to find upon their return home from church. Jesus is born! Perhaps a little more traditional than Santa coming down the chimney and reindeer leaving footprints on your roof!
Often, after all the excitement of opening all the gifts, port wine, traditional liquors, azevias and felhozes (Portuguese biscuits and sweets) are served and the party can last until the early hours of the morning! Christmas Day is for relaxing with family and friends.
Bolo Rei
Originally from France, bolo-rei or King cake used to be the traditional cake for New Year celebrations but it is now eaten throughout the Christmas and New Year period. There is a legend that when the Three Kings arrived at the stable where Jesus had been born, they could not decide which one would enter first. They made a cake and put in a broad bean (fava). The cake was cut into three and he who had the slice with the bean would go in first.
Recently, if you were lucky enough to get the slice with the bean, you could ask a favour, or perhaps even have the privilege of paying for dinner! It is no accident that bolo-rei is crown shaped, and the dough represents the gold, the fruit represents the myrrh and the aroma the incense of the gifts of the Three Kings. Unfortunately, the colourful tradition of the bean and of the small gift concealed in the cake has now fallen foul of drab EU legislation (shades of Scrooge here!).
The last tradition
In some areas there is a custom which is similar to the English tradition of leaving out a glass of port and a mince pie for Father Christmas. It is not on Christmas Eve but on the evening of 5 January that children fill their shoes with carrots and straw and place them along windowsills and in doorways. The hungry horses of the Three Kings will eat the carrots and straw and leave behind gifts of candied fruit and sweet pastries for the children.
If I am fortunate enough to be given some of the delicious sweets by my Portuguese friends and neighbours, in return I give homemade mince pies to them, knowing that most Portuguese people have a sweet tooth.They are often received with a mixture of puzzlement and bravado, but all is well when the recipients realise they are sweet and made with dried fruit.
How do you celebrate Christmas?
Brought to you by Meravista – the place where smart people search for Algarve property for sale.
Christmas traditions in the Algarve
Feliz Natal or Boas Festas or even Merry Christmas!!
by Sun’s Dragon
I love Christmas and all that it entails, including the challenge of finding the right gift for the right person, planning the food, planning for guests from near and far, and all the fun of being with family and good friends. Carol singing at Julie’s Taverna, Christmas lunch with all my lady friends and our annual Christmas party all add to my sheer enjoyment of the whole season.
Christmas celebrations start early in Portugal, beginning on 8th December, the day of Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Our Lady of the Conception) and ending on twelfth night. So how do the Portuguese manage to make it last so long?
The most important religious festival in Quarteira starts on the 7th December with a candlelit procession from the Igreja Nossa Senhora da Conceição to the Igreja São Pedro do Mar honouring their patron saint of fishermen. On the 8th December a mass is held at 2pm followed by a procession to the sea to bless the fishermen and their boats. After this procession there is music, singing, dancing and a big firework display. Various celebrations of ‘Our Lady of the Conception’ take place throughout the Algarve on the 8th December.
Decorating
Since the 1970’s the Christmas tree has become an important part of the decorations at home and the children love to decorate the tree, often with their own hand made baubles.
Despite the austerity measures that are in place, cities, towns and villages still manage to put up some of the fancy street lighting and Christmas decorations to give a festive air. It is wonderful to travel through these places and enjoy the Christmassy feeling.
Planning for Christmas for the Algarveans usually involves planning with food! The figs that were lovingly picked and dried in September will re-emerge in December. They may be flattened into star shapes, decorated with almonds and then given a frosting of sugar and cinnamon. Or they may be opened up and stuffed with chopped almonds, cinnamon and sugar. These confections are often gifts and they reflect generations of tradition as well as oodles of patience.
In towns and markets in the lead up to Christmas, you will find the chestnut sellers busily roasting their wares, with the delicious aroma of hot chestnuts drifting across the streets.
Christmas Eve
Christmas itself is celebrated on Christmas Eve night with a big family meal, traditionally of Bacalhau (salted cod fish), and lots of delicious savoury and sweet nibbles. Fatias Douradas - slices of bread dipped in a milk, sugar and egg mix, fried and dusted with cinnamon are one of the favourite Christmas treats in Algarvean homes, along with various almond sweets.
After the meal, people go to church for a traditional mass and, during the service, a statue of the baby Jesus is presented and everyone queues up to kiss it. Then it is placed in the manger of the Nativity scene.
Often, after all the excitement of opening all the gifts, port wine, traditional liquors, azevias and felhozes (Portuguese biscuits and sweets) are served and the party can last until the early hours of the morning! Christmas Day is for relaxing with family and friends.
Originally from France, bolo-rei or King cake used to be the traditional cake for New Year celebrations but it is now eaten throughout the Christmas and New Year period. There is a legend that when the Three Kings arrived at the stable where Jesus had been born, they could not decide which one would enter first. They made a cake and put in a broad bean (fava). The cake was cut into three and he who had the slice with the bean would go in first.
Recently, if you were lucky enough to get the slice with the bean, you could ask a favour, or perhaps even have the privilege of paying for dinner! It is no accident that bolo-rei is crown shaped, and the dough represents the gold, the fruit represents the myrrh and the aroma the incense of the gifts of the Three Kings. Unfortunately, the colourful tradition of the bean and of the small gift concealed in the cake has now fallen foul of drab EU legislation (shades of Scrooge here!).
In some areas there is a custom which is similar to the English tradition of leaving out a glass of port and a mince pie for Father Christmas. It is not on Christmas Eve but on the evening of 5 January that children fill their shoes with carrots and straw and place them along windowsills and in doorways. The hungry horses of the Three Kings will eat the carrots and straw and leave behind gifts of candied fruit and sweet pastries for the children.
If I am fortunate enough to be given some of the delicious sweets by my Portuguese friends and neighbours, in return I give homemade mince pies to them, knowing that most Portuguese people have a sweet tooth.They are often received with a mixture of puzzlement and bravado, but all is well when the recipients realise they are sweet and made with dried fruit.
How do you celebrate Christmas?
Brought to you by Meravista – the place where smart people search for Algarve property for sale.