Christmas traditions in Portugal
Ms Pinto, how do you celebrate Christmas in Portugal?
Susan Pinto: I celebrate Christmas with my family. There are 21 of us. My parents, my three siblings, myself, three brothers-in-law and 12 grandchildren. We always come together at my parents’ house in the evening of 24 December and for lunch on the 25December.
Our family has lots of traditions. On 24 December in the evening the men all have to wear suits and ties. The women get dressed up too. The grandchildren try to wear the special clothes they were given last Christmas Eve – if they still fit! My parents never give the children toys, always clothes. When the children were smaller they all got exactly the same clothes.
In the evening we always sing a lot. My nephew plays the guitar and almost all the grandchildren are good singers. They work out their own choreography and make my parents very happy and very proud. They are really proud of this extended family they have cultivated. At lunch on the 25th we all wear our new clothes and the grandparents have a family portrait taken with their grandchildren.
The dinner is cod, which we eat with cabbage, eggs, carrots and beets. For the grandchildren who don’t like the cod prepared that way, my parents cook cod in a creamy sauce. Lunch on 25 December is turkey and stuffing and goat kid meat. We eat potatoes cooked in their skins and a wonderful rice that my father cooks.
The desserts are amazing. Every son makes the dessert that he can make better than anybody else. My favourite is condensed milk cake. My mother always bakes biscuits with some granddaughters and decorates them like real works of art.
There is always a Christmas tree with these biscuits, and my mother always makes an entire nativity scene out of cakes. One is more amazing than the one before. And then of course we have “rabanadas” – baguette dunked in an egg and milk mixture, deep fried and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.
What does Christmas mean for you personally?
Susan Pinto: For me, Christmas is just an extension of what we do all year. Until the virus came, we ate Sunday dinner at my parents’ house every week. They were very lively nights. The games are always very competitive! From STOP to charades to musical pieces presented by the younger grandchildren. For me Christmas is all about the family.
Susan Pinto and her extended family last year, before the pandemic hit. This year the family will not be able celebrate together like this.
Photo: Susan Pinto
Has the pandemic changed Christmas for you personally this year?
Susan Pinto: Yes, it will be quite different. It’s already different. My mother would normally be busy baking biscuits with her grandchildren now. But that’s not happening. This year, for the first time, we will not be celebrating Christmas at my parents’ home. We are finding alternatives, so that we can protect my parents.
What is the current situation in Portugal?
Susan Pinto: At the moment, Portugal is facing the second wave of the pandemic. The number of new cases every day is about 5,000. And the situation is worsening. The intensive care units are stretched to the limit. The medical and nursing professions are exhausted. Society is no longer the same. We are unfortunately living in strange times.
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