230 Feet of Christmas
How Metal, Lights and Coloured Undergarments Symbolize the Brazilian Holidays
How nice would it be to have your toes in warm sands right now instead of snowdrifts?
While travel has been incredibly limited in 2020, that is not stopping us from exploring our farmers countries in our own way.
World’s Largest Floating Christmas Tree!
Rio de Janeiro is proud to boast the world’s largest floating Christmas tree. Yes, a floating Christmas tree!
This magnificent, metallic structure floats in the natural Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, the ‘Heart of Rio de Janeiro”, illuminating the lagoon and surrounding area with over 70 metres of multicoloured lights. This is one of the most popular tourist attractions during the holidays, with over 200,000 visitors taking in the impressive sight.
Papai Noel Trades Snow for Beach
Prior to Papai Noel (Santa Claus) arriving from his snowy home at the North Pole to beautiful Brazil to deliver presents to all the children on the nice list, there’s got to be a party!
Many groups of friends and family crowd the Brazilian streets during the afternoon on December 24th to begin their Christmas celebrations. The evening hours see citizens slipping into their formal clothes to continue the holiday fun.
Families indulge in their delicious Christmas dinners, attend Missa do Galo (Midnight Mass), then sit back and take in a massive firework display that fills the night sky to continue the Christmas celebrations.
Hangover anyone?
Sleeping off their hangovers from the night before is how many Brazilians will spend December 25th. We weren’t kidding when we said it was a party! Thank goodness it’s a national holiday!
Most Brazilians will spend the day resting and re-heating leftover foods from the day before, with some attending Christmas Day church services.
Christmas Pay? Yes please!
How nice would it be to receive a ‘13th salary’ in December?
Well, just ask any Brazilian and they’ll tell you! Citizens receive twice the amount of pay in December as they would usually get to help boost the economy around Christmas, and to ensure they can give their friends and family great gifts.
The widely popular Amigo Secreto, Secret Santa, takes place between friends throughout the month and is an excellent example of how Brazilians utilize their extra pay.
Beachfront White T-Shirt Contest
Celebrating Reveillon (New Year’s) with millions of people on a beach, in a soaking wet white outfit with your bright undergarments clearly visible sounds like great time, right?
Copacabana Beach New Year’s Eve party is the place you should be then! Reveillon is one of the most important dates for Brazilian people in a year, and they have one of the best celebrations in the world.
It is Brazilian tradition to wear white clothing on the last night of the year to guarantee peace for yourself throughout the upcoming year. It is a common superstition that you should be wearing coloured undergarments, as the colours to signify what you want to attract in the new year. For example, if you wear green undergarments, you are aiming to attract health.
It's a bird, it's a plane, it’s… people jumping in the Ocean!
When midnight rolls around, join those around you in jumping over 7 ondas (waves). Yes, 7 waves!
This symbolizes your entrance into the New Year with luck, happiness and prosperity. If you are unable to jump into an ocean at the stroke of midnight, step down from an elevated surface with your right foot. This is seen as beginning the new year on the “right foot” - literally!
And on the Twelfth Night of Christmas
Dia dos Reis (The Day of Kings) wraps up the holiday season on January 6th.
The night of January 5th and the morning of January 6th is known as Night of Kings or Twelfth Night, consisting of celebrations with music, sweets and regional dishes to commemorate the arrival of the Magi to confirm Jesus as the son of God.
Celebrating Epiphany is also seen as the last night of Nativity, where Christmas decorations are traditionally taken down and stored until next December.
Make Sure You Wear Your Stretchiest Pants
Isn’t it the worst when you forget to wear stretchy pants to Christms supper, and you feel them getting tighter with each bite?
Traditional Brazilian Christmas suppers will have the main meat source coming from either pork and ham, or a turkey. This delicious meat is complemented with various salads, as well as both fresh and dried fruits.
Doesn’t that sound similar to a typical North American Christmas? Well, here’s where the two meals differ!
Everything eaten at the Christmas Eve meal is served with rice cooked with raisins and a good spoonful of farofa, a seasoned manioc flour.
This late-night meal concludes with a variety of desserts, with often include:
- Panettone
- Brazilian rabanada
- Pave desser
- Tropical focused desserts
- And Ice cream
At midnight, people celebrating at each house raise their glasses in a toast to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and begin the exchange of Christmas gifts!
While every family will vary in what they eat over the holidays, most will also eat plenty of lentilhas (lentils) and romãs (pomegranates) to bring their families good luck and wealth, respectively.
However, some superstitious people will advise you not to eat any birds on Revillon as they walk backwards and consuming them can represent a regression in life.
Family Zoom Conferences
The holiday season in Brazil is truly a time for spending time with family members and reconnecting.
As the entire world is currently facing the COVID-19 pandemic, there will likely be a limit on the gatherings that can occur over the holiday season, but we do not doubt that our Brazilian friends will make the most of the season and virtually enjoy their family members!
Brazil and Road Coffee
Like all of our products, Road Coffee prides itself on our hand-crafted coffee and deep relationships with farmers in developing countries.
Brazil is no different! Our Brazilian roast is one of our signatures and will be your partner in crime if you’re just looking for a “good cup of coffee” with its dependable and delicious taste.
It will warm you to the core with its rich, full-bodied and earthy flavours, with tastes of chocolate and hazelnut making themselves known!
Author: Jordan Calladine
