Personal Essay | A Brazilian Christmas Story

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On Dec. 22 — our first day of summer — I would get out of bed, put on my favorite bikini, and head outside to tan while listening to “Boas Festas,” my favorite Christmas song. As my dad yelled out “Isadora” while he finished grilling, I would put on my shorts and grab a plate of his famous “Picanha.”

One of the things I miss the most about Brazil is the food.

Our family goes especially crazy with their cooking during the holidays; on Christmas Eve, dinner is a large buffet with pork, salad, rice, and lasagna. Having a sweet tooth, I anticipate my favorite panettone for dessert — the chocolate one.

I first moved from Brazil in 2014. As a 9-year-old I didn’t understand what the holidays would look like, but over time I began to understand that my culture could be carried wherever I was. Christmas in Brazil is very unique from American traditions, and I’m glad I got to take some of these with me.

In Brazil, most of our celebration happens on Dec. 24, Christmas Eve. We start the holiday at church and then we gather in one of our family members’ houses for dinner — typically my grandmother’s since she had the biggest garage.

We finish praying before we eat, standing in a large circle with our hands wrapped as each person shares something they are grateful for. My grandmother is usually the first one to shed a tear, and then we all tend to get a little emotional before one of us cracks a joke.

Another important Brazilian Christmas tradition is “Amigo Secreto,” or Secret Santa. While waiting for “Papai Noel” to arrive, my family gathers outside in a circle full of chairs and begins our version of the gift-giving tradition. Each individual gives a trait about a person, and the game continues when everyone guesses who that person is and the gift is exchanged — our “hints” consist of funny memories and anecdotes.

After the game is done we sit in our sea of presents and await the arrival of “Papai Noel.” At exactly midnight he arrives from the North Pole to give presents to our family – it was a big culture shock to find out that in the U.S. Santa Claus arrives when everyone is asleep.

While the adults go to assist Papai Noel in getting to his seat, the children run in fear to their parents. Papai Noel then goes through every gift, passes them out to all the kids, and takes pictures with them, too. After all the gifts are delivered, he returns to the North Pole, while everyone heads home for the night.

As a kid, I always looked forward to getting together with my whole family and enjoying the warmth of Christmas. They have always been my biggest supporters through every accomplishment in my life. My family means everything to me, and moving so far away from them was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.

Though I never lived in the same city as my extended family, being on a different continent from them felt like a piece of me was missing. I always worried that I was missing out on their lives. But as time passed by, I learned to find new ways to communicate with them that helped me feel closer to them — our WhatsApp group chat allowed our family members to send updates and pictures of fun events and meaningful moments.

Again this year, it will be just me, my mother, father, and brother celebrating Christmas at home in Chicago. With just them at the table, it was a major adjustment, but we made every effort to maintain our gratitude, and having them by my side allowed us to connect more as a family. They became my biggest inspiration, and without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Although we don’t get to go back to Brazil, we will continue trying our best to carry our traditions to wherever we live. We will still celebrate Christmas on Dec. 24, eat traditional Brazilian foods and open our gifts together later that night.

I take pride in my Brazilian culture and I love how we celebrate Christmas. Though it is hard to keep a positive mindset, cultural traditions don’t end just because you have moved away from where they started.

Isadora Argenta is a freshman Magazine, News and Digital Journalism and Political Science major. She can be reached at iargenta@syr.edu.