Roasted lamb and goatling are the most common Christmas Day meals, although there are some regions where Portuguese eat turkey. Turkey was common in the past for wealthy families, and it was often eaten after the Midnight Mass.
For Christmas Eve, we Portuguese like to have a light dinner, which we call Consoada. On this day, most of us abstain from eating meat, opting instead for fish or seafood dishes. The fish of choice is usually bacalhau, aka salt cod, the most prominent ingredient of Portuguese cuisine.
In Portugal, Christmas eve (the 24th) is the main day of celebration. The whole family gets together to eat food, drink port wine, and laugh into the early hours of the morning. Christmas day (the 25th) is a day of rest, with another big family meal, but this time with meat instead of fish.
The Portuguese needed fish for religious reasons – meat consumption was forbidden during Lent and on the many fasting days in the Catholic calendar. The Church's rules on fasting are what led to the tradition of eating bacalhau on Christmas Eve (although octopus has replaced salt cod in some parts of the country).
People drink porto wine, traditional liquors and eat 'azevias' and 'felhozes' (Portuguese biscuits and sweets). The party lasts until the early hours of the morning! After the meal, people go to church for the 'Missa do Galo' or 'Mass of the Rooster' service.
Porto Tonic
Many know Port wine, without a doubt, Portugal's most popular fortified wine.
The tradition of eating bacalhau on Christmas Eve has to do with the fact that, following Catholicism, the day before Christmas was a time when religious followers were supposed to abstain from eating meat.
This pasta involves seven fish: clams, mussels, halibut, shrimp, anchovy, calamari and scallops. It's nice to have a whole fish, head and tail included, to signify abundance.
Besides setting up the stage of Jesus' birth in nativity scenes, the greatest expression of the original religious side of Christmas in Portugal is materialized on Christmas Eve at midnight, during the rooster's mass. Catholics gather to pray and to kiss the statue of baby Jesus at the supposed time of his birth.
Children in Portugal call Santa Claus 'Pai Natal'. He is believed to bring presents on Christmas Eve either under the tree or in shoes by the fireplace.
Many restaurants in resorts also close on the evening of the 24th. However, on the 25th most restaurants are open for business, although advance booking is recommended. Business, services and supermarkets are generally closed on the 25th. The 26th of December, Boxing Day, is not a public holiday in Portugal.
While Christmas Day is still an important day in Portugal, the Portuguese tend to celebrate the main festivities on the night of December 24th, also called Consoada.
Probably the most popular tradition in Portugal to celebrate New Year's Eve revolves around a tiny dried grape. At the stroke of midnight, the Portuguese begin eating their 12 raisins to represent the 12 months. One raisin is traditionally eaten at each stroke of the clock.
Every region (or even every town!) has its own customs, but if there's one tradition that everyone in Italy can agree on, it's not eating meat on Christmas Eve. December 24 is the time for fish or cheese dishes to shine.
Is Christmas Eve a Public Holiday? Christmas Eve is not a public holiday. It falls on Sunday, December 24, 2023 and most businesses follow regular Sunday opening hours in Portugal. Christmas trees are decorated with baubles, lights and tinsel during the Christmas season.
Yes, Santa Claus, because in Portugal he is the one in charge of bringing presents to all the well-behaved children. “Pai Natal” will leave your gift under the tree or, if you really want to follow the tradition, inside your stocking or shoe hanging on the fireplace.
The consumption of salted cod quickly spread throughout Portugal due to its low cost and easy transportation. At the turn of the 15th century, the Portuguese became pioneers in setting up large ships for cod fishing.
The long tradition of eating seafood on Christmas Eve dates from the Roman Catholic tradition of abstaining from eating meat on the eve of a feast day. As no meat or animal fat could be used on such days, observant Catholics would instead eat fish (typically fried in oil).
What is Portugal famous for? Wine, for sure; this is where you'll find some of the oldest wine-growing regions in the world. In fact, two of Portugal's wine-growing regions, the Douro Valley and Pico Island in the Azores, are protected as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Today, the vast majority of Portuguese identify as Roman Catholic (81%). However, most consider themselves as non-practising. For many, national and cultural identity is often linked to Catholicism, rather than purely a religious affiliation.