Olá pessoal, hoje vamos falar um pouco sobre a história do Natal em alguns países e como essa data tão importante é comemorada.

De novembro em diante, it’s impossible to forget that Christmas is coming. Luzes coloridas tomam conta das cidades, shopping centers and homes.

It is celebrated with the Christmas dinner, common throughout Italy are the Christmas sweets: “panettone”, “torrone” and “panforte”, followed by the Midnight Mass and a abertura dos presentes. Italian children wait for the visit of Befana, a kind of old feiticeira, carried of Christmas presents. She always brings with her a bell to announce her coming e uma vara também, to frighten bad children. Tell the story that, Befana denied help aos três Reis Magos, when they were going to visit Jesus in Belém. Tired and hungry, they followed the travel without nothing to eat or a place to rest.

Natal na Índia – Saudação: Shubh Christmas

Due to the great international influence, India’s Christmas is the most cosmopolita do mundo. They decorate their houses with several ornaments as: Christmas trees from Germany, the Christmas ornaments used in the USA, the Christmas cards used in England, the nativity scene (presépio) que foi originado na Itália, entre outros.

For being a tropical country they use mango or banana trees to decorate. Sometimes they also decorate their houses with mango leaves. In some parts of India, small clay oil-burning lamps (lanternas) são usadas na decoração de Natal; they are placed on the edges of flat roofs and on the tops of walls (ao longo das fachadas e telhados). Churches are decorated with poinsettias (bico de papagaio) and lit with candles for the Christmas Evening service.

Natal na Holanda – Saudação: Prettige Feestdagen

São Nicolau arrives early in Holland with his gifts. They celebrated it in December 6th. He is dressed in Bishop’s robes (roupas de bispo) and journeys in a boat with his helper (ajudante) who is called Black Peter and who wears Spanish clothes. They say that he lives most of the year preparing lists of presents and writing every child’s behavior in a very large book. Many people go to Amsterdan docks to greet him. He comes in his white horse and rides through the streets in a great parade.


If you want to know more about Christmas around the world, don’t loss our next meeting. I’ll be waiting for you.

Have a nice week!

Vanda Franco
Professora de Língua Inglesa do Instituto Monitor