Christmas in Angola
Lourenco Domingos Martins,
Angola
For the Angolans, this is the
biggest party during the year because this is the occasion where people
meet friends, relatives, and stay together for a while.
During Christmas, people
exchange gifts and even the poorer ones try to eat on December 24 better
or different food from that they usually eat all year long. Those who have
money try to buy the most remarkable gifts, no matter what they are going
to spend.
At the ceia at midnight on
December 24th, families eat cozido de bacalhau, or cooked cold fish, with
many vegetables. They also eat turkey with rice and drink table wine and
other drinks. After the ceia, they exchange gifts and eat handmade cakes
and dried fruits, including grapes with which everybody makes wishes.
The party goes all night
long, and on December 25th, people go to church and meet neighbors. All
over the country, you will see joy and parties from December 24 to January
2nd of the next year. They are all private parties, some of them with restricted
admission; they are only for invited people.
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