How Is Christmas Celebrated In Argentina?

With a strong European culture in Argentina, the festival of Christmas is celebrated more or less similar to European regions as compared to other countries in Latin America. With more than 90% population identifying themselves as the Roman Catholics, some local traditions have remained strong over the years.

Christmas Celebrations in Argentina

Over a period of time, Christmas has gradually moved away from a religious event to a commercial one, as the critics say. Losing sight of religion in a sophisticated world is a common universal thing, but if we look the other way round, the traditions have modernized a lot. Whatever be the priorities, at the end of the day, the festival is all about connecting to family and friends, and exchanging gifts and best wishes.

Christmas eve is the most important day in Argentina when families attend the Christmas mass and return back to home for celebrations. The fireworks are the central focus as they delight people of all ages. Globas is one of the unique traditions followed in Argentina, in which the paper balloons are ignited from within and then glided upwards creating a beautiful sight. Children leaving their shoes under the Christmas tree to be filled with gifts is another common tradition in Argentina.

Christmas Adornments in Argentina

Typical Christmas decorations can be found in most parts of the country, when the streets and houses are illuminated with vibrant Christmas colors, flowers and lights reflecting the shades of gold, green, white and red, as they welcome the loved ones into the home. Given the strong European influence, it’s not surprising to see those Christmas trees covered with virtual snow using the cotton balls, knowing the fact that it has snowed only once in a decade.

While the entire thing is an eclectic mix of international and local cultures, the main focal point continues to be the traditional nativity scene known as Pesebre. It used to be an area to place gifts, but now it takes a portion of space near the Christmas tree, where the presents are kept underneath.

Christmas Dinner

The traditional Christmas dinner is served in Argentina on the evening of Christmas eve, 24^th of December. A typical Argentine Christmas dinner includes the delicious roast turkey along with mince pies, desserts, side dishes and other meats. On the day of Christmas, the dinner served is a little different from what one can generally find on a dinner table. Given the favorable weather, barbecues and parrillas are the top picks in the nation’s culture, and is one of the most common parts of the festivities.  In case you don’t find the luscious parrilla on the table, be rest assured about taking a bite of the barbecued meat. Just like Europe, Argentina also has a special Christmas dessert in the form of crystallized nuts and fruits, served in the name Panettone.

Whatever the celebrations be like, Christmas is a festival of joy where people from all walks of life, irrespective of caste, creed and religion come together to celebrate the true spirit of mankind. Show the true-spirit of gift-giving by using Sharemoney to send money online to your loved ones in Argentina.