Beatriz and Madalena told us about what Christmas is like in their homeland – from traditional Portuguese sweets, to the decoration of entire cities, to the warm, family atmosphere. It's a story about a holiday without snow, but full of warmth, closeness and symbols that – though sometimes different than in Poland – carry similar meanings.
Home traditions and holiday preparations, including the importance of Christmas nativity scenes, were a special focus of the conversation
Some families pay special attention to the nativity scenes in their homes, going to the forest and collecting green, fresh moss to decorate the nativity scene. This is done to make the nativity scene seem more realistic. We do this to resemble the manger where Jesus Christ was born
– our interlocutors from Portugal explain.
You can watch the conversation, moderated by journalism student Karolina Małyszek, in the video below. The recording includes Polish subtitles.
YOU CAN ALSO WATCH RECORDINGS FROM PREVIOUS YEARS:
- Christmas, German Style
- French Christmas Customs from the Perspective of Students from Lyon
- Christmas in Slovenia
- Dr Stefano Cavallo on Christmas in Italy
- Christmas and New Year's Customs in Spain
- Holidays in Bulgaria
Text and videos: Communication and Promooitiion Centre, Faculty of Philology, University of Lodz
