It’s Christmas … discover the traditions of Portugal at the festive time of the year with more magic !!
It’s Christmas! The streets are lit, the houses are decorated, and we welcome the family to celebrate the birth of Jesus together.
Following tradition, Portuguese families gather on December 24th for dinner and cod dishes are served at the table, although roasted turkey and other meat dishes, which were usually enjoyed in the following days, have also started to be part of the like menus. For dessert, you can’t miss the Bolo-Rei, filled with candied fruit or dried fruit, as well as other typical cakes of the time such as bread rolls and traditional fried foods such as children’s, dreams and French toast.
At midnight, the Mass of the Rooster is celebrated and in the churches, as well as at home, there is a special place for the nativity scene, the recreation of the stable where Jesus was born, conceived by St. Francis of Assisi, in the 18th century. XIII, which is quite popular in Portugal.
Christmas gifts are exchanged after midnight or the next morning, depending on the habits of each family. In times gone by, before Santa Claus was the one to animate Portuguese Christmas and leave the gifts on the Tree, it was Baby Jesus who delivered them. At bedtime, the children left their shoes in the chimney and in the morning, when they woke up, they went to see which surprise was special. If they had behaved well during the year, of course…
Christmas Eve in Portugal
Christmas dinner, as the Christmas dinner is called in Portugal, is one of the main traditions in the country and always takes place on the night of December 24th. According to Portuguese tradition, the Christmas table cannot be removed, thus, throughout the night, new dishes are added and the table remains set until the following day, in honor of the baby Jesus.
Supper in Portugal varies according to the region and, although turkey is present at some dinners, it is not the main dish at Christmas in the country. Of course one of the protagonists is him: cod. The most typical dish is very simple, a generous slice of cod accompanied by potatoes, carrots, vegetables and boiled eggs, drizzled with olive oil.
Traditional Christmas sweets in Portugal
This is perhaps the biggest loss at Christmas in Portugal and I confess, they are really wonderful:
French toast
Also traditional in some regions of Brazil, a French toast is one of the most traditional Christmas dishes in Portugal. A curious detail is that many bakeries only prepare toasted bread at this time of year, it has a slightly different texture and needs to be slept in.
Dreams
These are not our Brazilian bakery dreams, here they are called the Berlin Ball. Portuguese dreams remind us of our dumplings, they are fried balls sprinkled in sugar and cinnamon, a simple classic, but not to be missed.
Sons
The Filhós or Fritos de Natal are made from a flat-shaped dough. The dough is fried and sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon, the process is similar to a dream, but the result is very different.
King and Queen cake
The Bolo Rei is an icon of Portuguese Christmas, present in all Portuguese patisseries, bakeries and patisseries at the end of the year. The cake is very interesting, a dough resembles the texture of brioche, but it is round in shape, with a hole in the middle. On top and in the middle, it is accompanied by candied fruit sprinkled with sugar.
The Queen Cake is very similar, the difference is that it doesn’t have candied fruits, but almonds. Both options are part of Portuguese life in the period between Christmas and Twelfth Night, on January 6th.
The Christmas Tree
The tradition of the Christmas tree is a costume of Germanic origin that has spread to the rest of Europe for many years. Most can’t find a connection between this pine tree and the birth of Christ, and they can’t because it doesn’t exist.
It is a pagan rite of homage to the sun – which is symbolized as much by the balls with which we now decorate the tree, as by the star we place on top of it.
Source: Eurodicas / Visitportugal