Christmas Portugal

 Christmas tree and gifts The Christmas tree and the cribs are very popular in Portugal and there is no specific date to set them up: people set them up whenever they want. The presents are placed there before Christmas night, but very few open the presents at 12. Most go to sleep before midnight and open the presents the next day. Beautiful Christmas Lights Christmas lights are a big part of the celebration. Usually, they turn on around November (also because with the time change, it gets dark very early), but this year they turn on for less time to save energy. The turning on of lights, in many cities, becomes an event with music that can be enjoyed at different points. In Lisbon, for example, it was in the Plaza de Comercio and the lights will be on until January 6. Christmas markets There are many Christmas markets, both outdoors and indoors, where you can find national products and meals to enjoy with the family. For example, in Lisbon you can go to the Sintra Christmas market, ou

 The christmas tree A typical element that is never lacking in Portuguese Christmas is fire. In Portugal, it is customary to light bonfires on Christmas Eve, burning wood and stumps, the bigger the better. This ancient tradition symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness and therefore the longer the fire burns, the better the New Year will be. In the interior of the country, Christmas is characterized by the ceremony of burning the Madero, during the night of December 24. It is carried out, above all, in the area that goes from Trás-os-Montes to Alto Alentejo, covering towns in the districts of Bragança, Guarda, Castelo Branco and Portalegre. It is a demonstration with a vocation for coexistence, in which the private custom of meeting around the fireplace is shared, consolidating the cohesion of the local group. It consists of a large bonfire that takes place in the atrium of the church, or in another similar place of social and spatial organization, where the population gathers aft