Christmas in Argentina ( Spanish: Navidad en Argentina ) is a national holiday in Argentina dedicated to the Nativity of Christ and celebrated on the Gregorian calendar on December 25th . The night of December 24 to 25 in Argentina is called Nochebuena (good night). Preparation for the holiday begins in early December. This is a family holiday, with required gifts. Friends and relatives send greeting cards to each other [1] .
| Christmas in Argentina | |
|---|---|
 Christmas tree and Papa Noel in the Galerías Pacífico shopping center, Buenos Aires | |
| Officially | Navidad en Argentina |
| Otherwise | Nochebuena |
| Value | Public Holiday |
| Set | in honor of the Nativity of Christ |
| date of | December 25th |
| Celebration | family church |
Content
- 1 Preparation
- 2 Christmas table
- 3 Celebration
- 4 Signs and beliefs
- 5 See also
- 6 notes
Preparation
Most Argentines are Catholics , and the country takes 10th place in the world in terms of the number of Catholics living here [2] . Catholicism is the state religion of Argentina [3] . Therefore, it is not surprising that religious holidays, along with national ones, are the most important for the country's population and are widely celebrated [4] .
Since the country is in the Southern Hemisphere, Christmas takes place at the height of the Argentinean summer [4] - without snow . Snow cover is available only in the Andes . The pre-holiday chores begin on December 8 , the Day of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary by dressing up the Christmas tree. The tree is decorated in a simple style [5] , usually no more than two colors are present. White, or white and silver, or blue and white balls symbolizing snow are not densely hung on the branches. Children write letters to Papa Noel - Argentine Santa Claus [4] , asking for a gift [6] .
Christmas table
Traditionally, a fried turkey [7] or a whole roast pig [8] , along with a favorite in Argentina, asado , is served as a hot dish on the festive table. Of the salads, the most popular are Vitel Toné and potato salad [8] . Fried stuffed tomatoes and fruit salad are also served [9] .
For dessert, there must be Pan Dulce - sweet Christmas bread [1] [10] and Turon de mani (sweet sugar tiles with nuts). Most drink cider [10] , champagne and wine .
Celebration
Before a good night, Argentines go to a church where Christmas services are held, after which they rush to one of the relatives' houses. The holiday is celebrated by large families - several generations are gathering - grandparents, aunts, uncles, grandchildren. December in Argentina is a very hot month, so people prefer to eat main Christmas meals outdoors in the garden [7] . The family sings carols. At 00:00 on December 25, they open the cider, everyone congratulates each other, ¡Feliz Navidad! (Merry Christmas!) And other wishes. After that, the family goes outside to launch fireworks and the so-called “globos” ( Spanish globos ) - paper toys with lights, like Chinese lanterns launched into the sky [7] . Then everyone goes to the Christmas tree to sort the gifts, previously laid there, which are usually given for Christmas, and not for the New Year . Some people go to church [7] .
Some Argentinean families celebrate Christmas at the church where the midnight mass is held - Misa de Gallo . It is not uncommon to meet Christmas on the beach, but for dinner instead of a barbecue turkey [10] .
Celebrations last two weeks in Argentina, until the Day of the Three Kings (Magi) [4] . Before going to bed, children leave their shoes on the doorstep, or on the windowsill, as well as cookies for the Magi ( Spanish Reyes Magos ) and water for their camels [4] . Reyes Magos put small gifts in the shoes left by the children.
Signs and beliefs
See also
- Feliz navidad
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Greg Nickles. Argentina: The Culture . - illustrated. - Crabtree Publishing Company, 2001 .-- S. 11. - 32 p. - ISBN 978-0-86505-246-8 .
- ↑ Statistics by Country by Catholic Population . Catholic-Hierarchy.org. Date of treatment December 21, 2015.
- ↑ Constitución Nacional de la República Argentina (Spanish) . Date of treatment March 13, 2015.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 Todd L. Edwards. Society and Culture // Argentina: A Global Studies Handbook . - illustrated. - ABC-CLIO , 2008 .-- S. 253. - 351 p. - (Global Studies: Latin America & the Caribbean). - ISBN 978-1-85109-987-0 .
- ↑ New Year in Argentina: Funny beliefs and traditions . News.am.
- ↑ How New Year and Christmas are celebrated in Argentina . argerusa.com.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Christmas in Argentina . Whychristmas Date of treatment December 21, 2015.
- ↑ 1 2 María Sánchez Montes. Tradiciones navideñas en Argentina (Spanish) (20 de diciembre de 2013). Date of treatment December 21, 2015.
- ↑ Cocina Argentina. Secretos de la cocina . - Ediciones Granica SA, 2005 .-- 96 s. - ISBN 978-9-56807-724-2 .
- ↑ 1 2 3 Gerry Bowler. Argentina // The World Encyclopedia of Christmas . - McClelland & Stewart, 2012 .-- 640 p. - ISBN 978-1-55199-607-3 .