Decorações natalinas, Christmas decorations
Christmas greets Brazilians four days after the first day of summer, so celebrations call for less eggnog and more cold beer.
Living Language interviewed Dona Ana, a 45 year-old Brazilian math teacher from São Paulo and asked her to describe a typical Christmas celebration in her family.
L.L.: What kind of celebration does your family have at Christmas?
Dona Ana: Bem, well, as most Brazilians, our main party happens na Véspera de Natal on Christmas Eve. On the evening of the 24th, almost everybody in our extended family comes to our house. So, that’s my husband and I, our three children, our parents, our siblings, their spouses and children, some cousins and friends, or about 35 people. Dá muito trabalho, mas vale a pena. It’s a lot of work but it’s worth it.
L.L.: What do you serve?
Dona Ana: The grown-ups have a buffet style dinner, we call that jantar à americana, American-style dinner, but the children eat before at a large table in the kitchen. As most Brazilians, we prepare about three roast meats, this year, it’ll be um peru, a turkey, um presunto, a ham and um pernil, a pork leg. I don’t cook all of them, each family brings a roast or other side dishes, we have previously agreed on. We also eat the classic salpicão de frango, a salad with chicken, arroz com passas e nozes, rice with raisins and walnuts, two types of farofa, a dish made with manioc flour as well as desserts, such as rabanada, french toast, for the children and panettone and pudim de leite, flan for us.
Rabanada
L.L.: And what do you drink?
Dona Ana: Since it’s usually very hot, the children drink água ou refrigerante, water or soft drinks, and adults drink batidas de fruta, fruit cocktails with cachaça, cerveja, beer, vinho, wine and champagne para brindar a meia noite, to toast at midnight.
L.L.: What happens during the party?
Dona Ana: People start arriving between 8 and 8.30pm. The children are very excited and run around or play outside in the backyard, while the grown-ups have drinques, cocktails, then at about 9pm we serve the children their dinner, and at around 10pm we start our dinner. O Papai Noel, Santa Claus, usually one of the uncles, comes and distributes gifts to the children at about 11pm. By then, the children are exhausted, but happy with their new toys, so the adults relax and have dessert, coffee and more drinks. Some people might leave before midnight to go to a Missa do Galo, literally the Rooster Mass or Midnight Mass. For those who stay, when midnight comes, we make a toast, then kiss and hug each other desejando um feliz natal, wishing a happy Christmas. The party usually ends at about one in the morning.
L.L.: What happens on Christmas day?
Dona Ana: As soon as the children are up, we exchange our family Christmas gifts around a árvore de natal, the Christmas tree. Later we all go to almoço de natal, Christmas day lunch at the house of another family member. We take some leftovers and other freshly cooked items, and everything starts again! We need a lot of energy, but since it’s summer the kids can play outside and it’s such joy to have the family all together before each branch scatters and leaves for the summer vacation.
Pernil
Para você e toda sua família, boas festas e um feliz ano novo! To you and all your family, a happy holidays and a happy New Year!
