Brazilian Christmas traditions talk about Santa Claus, instead of Baby Jesus, unlike most of the countries that are located in South America. The story goes that this man lives in Greenland, but he goes down to Brazil to enjoy the heat and the beach. As a thank you, he delivers a bunch of gifts to all the Brazilian children. For this reason, it is common in Brazil to see Santa Claus dressed in shorts and a shirt, instead of the classic red suit that we all know.
At this point, we would like to clarify that the Child God does exist in Brazilian Christmas traditions, in fact, it is very important. Only Santa Claus is in charge of the task of bringing Christmas gifts. An inevitable way of how Christmas is celebrated in Brazil is with mangers or nativity scenes. In Brazil they call it "El Presepio" and it is a must in any Brazilian home. People gather as a family to assemble the nativity scenes, but these can also be seen in shopping malls and public squares.
Cribs are established throughout most of Brazil and were introduced to the country in the 17th century by a friar named Gaspar de Santa Agostinho. Since then, the nativity scene has been an integral part of Brazilian Christmas traditions. These nativity scenes are usually kept throughout the Christmas season, from the beginning of December until New Year's Eve.
Santa Claus in Brasil by Jeniffer Cruz Maqueda
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