The Christmas / New Year's Season is fast approaching

Where has 2011 gone? This year has slipped by so quickly that I can hardly believe it. In fact the past two years have been the years of greatest change in my life as well as being the most pleasurable.

For many of you expats out there this will be your very first experience with Christmas and New Year's in Brazil and the season's many customs and traditions. I have been here for 10 years now and there are a few things I still have difficulty with. I think for those of us who come from the northern hemisphere one of the biggest changes is the climate. I think back to my childhood in Canada and remember the many times praying for the first major snowfall to happen on or before Christmas so we could all make good use of the sleds, toboggans, ice skates, etc., that were traditional Christmas presents for kids. Then too there was all the fun related to making that imaginative and well-dressed snowman in the front yard, building snow forts, the snowball fights and the joy of flopping down on the ground following the very first snowfall, moving your arms and legs about in order to create that "angel" in the snow that so many of us fondly remember.

So for me, one of the things that I have the greatest difficulty in adapting to is the lack of snow and the heat here. I also miss the smell of pine trees that made up part of the Christmas culture. I really have a problem with seeing Christmas lights wrapped around the trunks of palm trees... somehow it just doesn't seem right. Oh how I pity all those poor Brazilian Santas, how they must be suffering from the heat in those Santa suits. Just the mere thought of it has me reaching for an ice cold lemonade. Another symbol of Christmas from my childhood was the omnipresent Poinsettia. Although mostly native to Mexico they grow here as well and are quite abundant. Here they are known by various different names, Bico de Papagaio, Rabo de Arara and Cardeal, among others. Despite their abundance here I find it rather amusing that they are not quite the symbol of Christmas here as in other countries. Their size also was something I found astonishing. In Canada we get them as potted plants, rather small, six to ten flower heads per pot. I remember the first time I saw a Poinsettia "BUSH" here in São Paulo. Damn... they're enormous! In fact, it wasn't just a bush, but rather a shoulder high hedge which surrounded an entire apartment building on Rua Ministro de Godoy in Perdizes, with thousands of flowers.

Another big surprise for me was the fact that despite the country's overwhelming Catholic and Evangelistic heritage, Christmas is much more a "commercial" holiday here than it is a religious one, sadly. But then again, I guess the holiday is unfortunately fast losing it's religious aspect all over the world.

The custom here in Brazil is to have the traditional Ceia de Natal (Christmas Dinner) late on Christmas Eve and exchange gifts after midnight... so much for the anticipation of rising early on Christmas morning to rip apart all those fancy wrappings. Church going families here usually attend a Christmas Eve service which lasts until after midnight. I really enjoy this part of the culture and love bringing in Christmas together with my new Brazilian family at the local church where my mother-in-law lives. Some foods are traditional such as salt cod (bacalhau), lentils, grapes and of course (unless you live in São Paulo where it is consumed yearround) Panetoni.

Here in Brazil there are many more traditions surrounding New Year's Eve (Ano Novo, a Virada, Réveillon) such as wearing white clothing for good luck. Those living in costal towns and cities also bring in the New Year on the beach. They light candles in the sand and wade into the ocean, jumping over 7 waves and throwing flowers on the water also for luck in the coming year.

Then of course are the many spectacular fireworks displays on New Year's Eve throughout all of Brazil, with the most famous being that on the beach at Copacabana in Rio.

Wherever you are from being away from home at Christmastime and New Year is often a very difficult time. One tends to miss loved ones and family, look back on the past year and rummage over the things we did wrong or didn't like. However, Brazil is very rich in culture at this time of year and Brazilian people are so warm, sociable and welcoming there is no need to be blue. You really never need to spend the holiday season alone because there is always someone who will draw you into the celebrations and treat you as if you were a member of their family. That is the real beauty of the Brazilian culture and the reason why I am so passionately in love with the Brazilian people.

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Please feel free to respond with some of your memories of past Christmases in your home country, its customs and traditions, and what you miss most about the holiday season. Also if you have already experienced these holidays here in Brazil any comments about your own experiences.

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Happy Holidays to one and all! I wish you all the merriest Christmas and a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year...

William James Woodward