Brazilians are a mix of different ethnic people, and as a former Portuguese colony, they have many Christmas customs which originate from this heritage.
One tradition is to create a nativity scene or Presépio. The word originates from the Hebrew word "presepium" which means the bed of straw upon which Jesus first slept in Bethlehem. The Presépio is common in northeastern Brazil. Nowadays presépios are set up in December and displayed in churches, homes, and stores.
Papai Noel or Father Noel is the gift-bringer in Brazil. According to legend, he lives in Greenland. When he arrives in Brazil, he usually wears silk clothing due to the summer heat.
A huge Christmas dinner includes turkey, ham, colored rice, and wonderful vegetables and fruit dishes.
Devout Catholics often attend Midnight Mass or Missa do Galo. The mass has this name because the rooster announces the coming day and the Missa do Galo finishes at 1 AM on Christmas morning! On December 25th, Catholics go to church, but the masses are mostly late afternoon, because people enjoy sleeping late after the dinner called Ceia de Natal or going to the beach.
Decorations include fresh flowers picked from the garden. Fireworks go off in the skies over the cites and huge Christmas "trees" of electric lights can be seen against the night skies in major cities such as Brasilia, San Paolo, and Rio de Janeiro.
In Brazil there is folk dancing and singing and the festivities go on until January 6th, which the Brazilians refer to as Three Kings Day. January 6th is supposed to be the day when three wise men visited Jesus to bring him gifts.
Christmas Apple Pie
Serve with vanilla ice cream and hard sauce
Ingredients:
a. Graham cracker crust (you can make your own or use a pre-made one)
1 large egg white (slightly beaten)
b. 5 Cups fresh peeled apples
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 Tablespoons whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (we generally add a bit more)
c. 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 stick melted butter (a bit over 1/3 cup)
Directions:
1. Brush egg white on crust, bake until light brown -- about 6 minutes (if store bought)
2. Combine b mix well, spoon into crust
3. Mix c put on as the top of the pie in thin sheets
4. Bake at 375 farenheit for about 50 minutes
5. Cool for about 4 hours.
From:www.santas.net
NB2
- Homework: Two photocopies about tenses and the weather
- Speaking: some students had their speaking exam.
- Grammar: Future with the present continuous and going to. You were given the explanations with examples on the blacboard and while the speaking exam was carried out ,the rest of the class did some exercises in grammar ,units 25 and 26.
- Speaking : Holiday plans to use thes future tenses
- Homework: Finish the grammar exercises.
This is a photo of my last Summer holidays. I went to Málaga with my girlfriend, my cousin and his wife, and my best friend. This photo was taken in the wall of the beach the last day when we visited Benalmádena, and my cousin took us the photo.
At the bottom you can see the sea, there are a lot of sunshades and a lot of hammocks. On the right you can see palm-trees which are the most typical trees in the south of the country.
In the background you can see the blue sky, because it was a sunny day, although when my cousin took us the photo it was sunset..
In the middle of the photo you can see my girlfriend and me against the wall of the beach.
She is wearing an orange undershirt, a black belt, and a jacket, she is looking at my cousin.
And I was wearing an orange shirt, a black belt, and a pair of white jeans, I am looking at my cousin taking the photo too.
I would like to come back because I like Benalmádena a lot, although I guess that there are fantastic places in the world, and I prefer to visit all cities before going on holiday to the same place.
JUAN SANCHEZ RODRIGUEZ NI2E
This photo was taken last summer when I was on holiday with my friends in Málaga and one day we decided to spend the day in Puerto Banús. We liked it a lot and we had a good time there so next year if there aren’t any problems, we’ll go back again together!
In the foreground, there are four women, my friends and me. They are Ainoa, Elena and Patricia. I’m wearing a kind of black top called ‘word of honour’, a pair of printed trousers and sandals. I’m wearing sunglasses too and I’m with a cigarette. The second woman is wearing a black shirt, a pair of shorts, sandals and she’s carrying a camera in her right hand. She’s also wearing earrings and her sunglasses are hunging from her neckline. The third woman is wearing blue shirt, a pair of jeans with a belt and black high-heeled sandals.
Behind us, there is an illustrative board of tourist information.
On the right, I can see a lamppost and a man who is walking in the street. He is wearing blue T-shirt, a pair of Bermuda shorts and sunglasses. He’s carrying a rucksack. On the left there is a full trash can.
In the background, I can see Puerto Banús Beach and some deckchairs, sunshades and one palmtree on the right. The day was very sunny and I can see it in the shadows and the kind of clothes that we were wearing!!
We look happy because we are smiling.
INMA SÁEZ ÁLVAREZ NI2