In Peru Christmas is an important celebration because most of the population is catholic, it’s not as commercial as in the UK where you can see Chirtsmas decorations and Christmas products in the shops from October but I think in Peru they are starting to appear earlier every year.
The Christmas dinner is eaten on the 24th December, people usually eats turkey, but it’s becoming popular to eat pork instead. We eat lots of salads as well, russian salad (Potatoes, beetroot, carrot, peas and egg salad with mayonnaise), butter bean salad, seasoned apple puree, mashed potatoea and more salads; everything depends on the family’s economy.
Families usually eat very late and when midnight arrived they drink champagne and they hug each other saying Feliz Navidad (Happy Christmas), some families then open the Christmas presents, another families wait until the next morning to open them. The gifts are according to family’s economy as well.
You can feel the Christmas spirit everywhere you go and 12pm you can hear fireworks all over the place.
It’s every popular as well to eat panettone (traditional Italian fruitcake) with hot chocolate even if the summer in Peru.
Some people go to the beach at this time of the year, kids usually finish school before the 20th December, so Christmas it’s the beginnnig of the summer holidays.
Tags: Christmas, Food, Traditions