---
title: "Christmas in Brazil: Amigo Secreto, Ceia de Natal and Summer"
description: "How Brazil celebrates Christmas: amigo secreto, the Ceia de Natal on Christmas Eve, panetone and rabanada, Papai Noel in the summer heat, and Réveillon in white."
url: https://decomytree.link/blog/christmas-in-brazil
language: en
last_updated: 2026-11-08
---

Blog · Around the world

# Christmas in Brazil: amigo secreto, ceia de Natal and summer

Picture fairy lights, a decorated tree with fake snow, and 30 °C or more outside. In Brazil, Christmas falls in the middle of summer, and the celebration has a rhythm all its own.

By [Ömer Ercan](https://decomytree.link/about#founder), founder

## Feliz Natal in the summer

Most of Brazil is in the Southern Hemisphere, so December means school holidays, long days and heat. Trees, lights and snowy decorations go up anyway, Papai Noel wears his full red suit, and shopping centres fill up in the weeks before the 25th. Many workers receive an extra month’s pay, the “décimo terceiro salário”, before Christmas, which helps with gifts.

## Amigo secreto everywhere

Secret Santa is huge in Brazil, where it’s called **amigo secreto** (or **amigo oculto** in some regions). Offices, schools, friend groups and whole families draw names weeks in advance. On the day, each person describes their secret friend with hints before revealing who it is, while everyone else shouts guesses. Some groups add a funny version, where everyone gives joke gifts.

Want to organise one? Here are [our Secret Santa rules](https://decomytree.link/blog/secret-santa-rules).

## The Ceia de Natal on Christmas Eve

The big moment is the night of December 24. Families gather for the **ceia de Natal**, a late dinner that often lasts until midnight, when people hug and wish each other “Feliz Natal”, and many families open their presents. Some go to the **Missa do Galo**, the midnight Mass. The Philippines has a similar midnight feast, [Noche Buena](https://decomytree.link/blog/christmas-in-the-philippines).

| Dish | What it is |
| --- | --- |
| Peru or pernil | Roast turkey, or a roast leg of pork, at the centre of the table |
| Bacalhau | Salt cod, a Portuguese tradition many families keep |
| Farofa | Toasted cassava flour, often with bacon, eggs or raisins |
| Arroz com passas | Rice with raisins, the side dish people either love or hate |
| Salpicão | A creamy chicken salad with vegetables and crispy potato sticks |
| Rabanada | Bread soaked in milk, fried and rolled in cinnamon sugar |
| Panetone | The sweet bread with dried fruit, or chocotone with chocolate chips |

## Decorations, Brazilian style

Alongside the tree, many homes set up a **presépio**, a nativity scene, sometimes with dozens of figures and a whole village around the stable. Balconies and shop fronts are covered in lights, and city squares compete for the biggest tree.

Some cities have shows that families plan the month around. In Curitiba, a children’s choir sings Christmas songs from the windows of the Palácio Avenida building, a tradition that has drawn big crowds almost every December since 1991.

## Christmas Day

December 25 is a national holiday and a slower day. Families eat the leftovers at a long lunch, visit relatives, and in many places head to the beach or the pool. In the south, the town of Gramado hosts **Natal Luz**, a Christmas festival of lights, concerts and parades that runs for weeks.

## Then Réveillon

A week later comes **Réveillon**, New Year’s Eve, which is just as big. Many Brazilians wear white for peace, and some wear a colour for the year they want: yellow for money, red for love. On the beaches people jump seven waves for luck, throw flowers into the sea for Iemanjá, and watch fireworks, most famously on Copacabana in Rio. Lentils at the New Year’s Eve supper are said to bring prosperity. In Türkiye, by contrast, the tree itself belongs to New Year: here is [how Yılbaşı is celebrated](https://decomytree.link/blog/new-years-eve-in-turkey).

## The soundtrack of December

One song follows Brazilians through every shop in December: “Então é Natal”, the Portuguese version of “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”, sung by Simone and released in 1995. It plays so often that it has become a running joke, and a sure sign the season has started. Another tradition is on TV: the singer Roberto Carlos’s year-end special on TV Globo, first aired in 1974, has marked the end of the year for many families.

## Useful phrases

| Portuguese | In English |
| --- | --- |
| Feliz Natal! | Merry Christmas! |
| Boas festas! | Happy holidays! |
| Feliz Ano Novo! | Happy New Year! |
| Ceia de Natal | Christmas Eve dinner |
| Amigo secreto | Secret Santa |
| Papai Noel | Father Christmas |

## Visiting Brazil in December?

- It is high season: book flights and places to stay early, especially for Réveillon on the coast.
- Many shops and restaurants close, or open late, on December 25 and January 1.
- It is hot, and summer storms are common in many cities. Bring sunscreen and an umbrella.
- Invited to a ceia? Bring something: a panetone, a bottle of wine or a dessert is always welcome.

## Messages for friends

December is also the month of mensagens de Natal: long messages to friends in group chats, stories on Instagram and, more and more, online trees. Friends share the link to their [Christmas tree](https://decomytree.link/create-tree) and everyone hangs a gift with a message, sealed until the 25th. For a Brazilian Christmas that peaks at midnight, it means one more thing to open at the end of the ceia.

Make your Christmas tree

Share it with your friends and open every message on Christmas.

- [Create your tree](https://decomytree.link/create-tree)
- [Send a message](https://decomytree.link/send-message)

## Questions

### When do Brazilians open their Christmas presents?

Many families open them around midnight on Christmas Eve, during or after the ceia de Natal, when everyone wishes each other Feliz Natal.

### Is Christmas a public holiday in Brazil?

Yes, December 25 is a national holiday. Many people also take time off between Christmas and New Year.

### What is amigo secreto?

Brazil’s Secret Santa. Everyone draws a name, buys a gift and, on the day, describes their secret friend with hints before revealing who it is.

## Sources

Facts checked against these pages on November 7, 2026.

1. [Décimo terceiro salário: entenda o direito, regras e prazos de pagamento](https://www.gov.br/trabalho-e-emprego/pt-br/noticias-e-conteudo/2025/novembro/decimo-terceiro-salario-entenda-o-direito-regras-e-prazos-de-pagamento), Ministério do Trabalho e Emprego, gov.br (in Portuguese)
2. [Saiba como surgiu o amigo secreto, tradição nas festas de fim de ano](https://www.tnh1.com.br/noticia/nid/saiba-como-surgiu-o-amigo-secreto-tradicao-nas-festas-de-fim-de-ano/), TNH1, from Correio Braziliense (in Portuguese)
3. [8 coisas espetaculares que você só vai ver no Natal do Brasil](https://www.tudogostoso.com.br/noticias/tradicoes-e-comidas-que-so-tem-no-natal-do-brasil-a10338.htm), TudoGostoso (in Portuguese)
4. [Natal Luz de Gramado começa com mais de 400 atrações até janeiro](https://www.itatiaia.com.br/turismo/natal-luz-de-gramado-comeca-com-mais-de-400-atracoes-ate-janeiro/), Rádio Itatiaia (in Portuguese)
5. [Palácio Avenida: a apresentação de Natal mais famosa de Curitiba](https://www.360meridianos.com/palacio-avenida-apresentacao-natal/), 360meridianos (in Portuguese)
6. [Quer entrar bem em 2026? Conheça as principais simpatias de Ano Novo](https://viva.com.br/estilo-de-vida/quer-entrar-bem-em-2026-conheca-as-principais-simpatias-de-ano-novo.html), VIVA Notícias (in Portuguese)
7. [Convidados inusitados, show no exterior e cancelamentos: 5 curiosidades do especial de Roberto Carlos](https://www.opovo.com.br/agencia/bbc/2025/12/23/convidados-inusitados-show-no-exterior-e-cancelamentos-5-curiosidades-do-especial-de-roberto-carlos.html), BBC News Brasil, via O Povo (in Portuguese)

## More pages

- [Secret Santa rules](https://decomytree.link/blog/secret-santa-rules): Draw names, set a budget and keep it a secret until the end
- [New Year’s Eve in Türkiye](https://decomytree.link/blog/new-years-eve-in-turkey): Why the tree goes up for New Year, with tombala and pomegranates
- [Christmas around the world](https://decomytree.link/christmas-around-the-world): How the world celebrates, country by country
- [Christmas Eve around the world](https://decomytree.link/christmas-eve-around-the-world): Where Christmas starts first, live