Christmas in Brazil: Visits and Christmas Dinner

Christmas dinner provides a very special occasion for families and friends to visit. Brazilians eat Christmas dinner late in the evening on Christmas Eve. The meal often features roast turkey with farofa stuffing, which is made out of toasted manioc flour, onions, garlic, turkey livers and gizzards, olives, hard-boiled eggs, and bacon. Other popular Christmas dishes include dried cod, an assortment of fruit, and a dessert called rabanada, which resembles French toast. Champagne, wine, and fruit punch often accompany the meal. Most families dine around 10 or 11 p.m. Afterwards many attend the Missa do Galo, or Midnight Mass (see also Misa de Gallo). These services may be held in Roman Catholic churches or on outdoor stages set up for the occasion. In recent years some people have begun to stay home to watch the television broadcast of the pope’s celebration of Midnight Mass in Rome.