Christmas in Portugal combines traditional and modern customs, with families gathering for a feast of codfish and potatoes on Christmas Eve before exchanging presents or attending midnight mass. On Christmas Day, people come together again for lunch that usually includes roast meat and a codfish dish made from leftovers. Throughout the holidays, Portuguese celebrate with traditional cakes and by burning logs near churches while singing carols.

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2. Christmas in Portugal has been lately influenced by other cultures, mainly by American movies. One thing that proves this is the change of Jesus by Santa Claus in the delivery of presents to the children.

3. The traditional cribs, which represent the born of Christ, have to coexist with the famous Christmas tree. Nevertheless this doesn’t mean that the Portuguese Christmas traditions have disappeared!

4. On the 24th December, Christmas eve ,at night, everybody gathers around the table for what we call in Portuguese “consoada”. We usually eat boiled codfish with boiled potatoes and vegetables everything speckled with olive oil.

5. For dessert we have traditional cakes which are difficult to translate but we’ll try: “King-Cake”; sweat dreams; “rabanadas” fried bread bathed in milk; eggs; honey and cinnamon. Rabanadas Sweat Dreams King-Cake

6. Then at midnight people give the presents to each other and some go to the church to what we call midnight mass. In other families people leave their shoes or socks by the fireplace and the presents are distributed in the morning. Then at midnight people give the presents to each other and some go to the church to what we call midnight mass. In other families people leave their shoes or socks by the fireplace and the presents are distributed in the morning. Then at midnight people give the presents to each other and some go to the church to what we call midnight mass. In other families people leave their shoes or socks by the fireplace and the presents are distributed in the morning.

7. On the 25th December Portuguese families gather again at lunch time to eat roast meat and a dish made with the cod, vegetables and potatoes of the previous day.

8. In some villages, near the churches, people burn the Christmas stump/log, and sing traditional Portuguese Christmas songs.