From our experience in Manaus this year and last, Brazilians tend to celebrate more on Xmas Eve than Americans. Last night, Jay and I spent the evening at the house of a friend's family. The popular thing to do for Xmas is to have a big family dinner late on the night before Xmas. We arrived to their beautifully decorated house around 9:00 pm, and snacked on some salgados (assorted finger foods).
Very pretty outside setting
Right before we ate dinner, our friend from the orchestra Eduardo played some music on his violin. We were at his mother in law's house, so he was kinda obligated to play. Everyone loved it of course, and we heard some Xmas tunes that are popular here. Then there was a prayer said before we all dug into the tasty dinner. Despite having 30 people there, we had plenty to go around.
Veggie salad w/chicken, beef, turkey, bacalhau,
rice, mashed potatoes, farofa, rabanada
By the time midnight rolled around, we had all filled up on all sorts of food, drinks, and desserts. Everyone played a fun game involving trading presents, and Jay and I ended up coming home with a nice key holder from Aracaju that hangs on the wall.
Our hosts, Eduardo and Aline, in the middle,
Debora and Mark on the right
21 weeks prego- no way to hide it now :)
While most American kids are encouraged to go to sleep early so Santa will stop at their house, Brazilian kids stay up past midnight and open their presents before going to bed. Everyone sleeps in on Xmas day, and then enjoys a lunch with family. By the time our concert rolls around on Xmas night, everyone is rested and in the mood to be entertained! I'll put some pics from that up on my next post.
Happy Holidays!
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