Christmas in Venezuela

They set up nativity scenes, attend church services, observe the novenas tradition, devotedly pray, and sing traditional Christmas songs.

However, it isn’t all about religion. Venezuelans take advantage of public holidays to dance, indulge in seasonal foods, get tipsy on eggnog, launch fireworks, and roller skate in local parks.

Christmas celebrations in Venezuela are among the most colorful worldwide, ensuring everyone gets into the festive mood.

Novenas

La Novena de Aguinaldos is among the most important Christmas traditions in Latin America, observed in Venezuela, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and other countries of the region.

La Novenas de Aguinaldos is a nine-day cycle from December 16 to Christmas Eve, carrying both religious and cultural significance.

Each day of the period has a special meaning and related prayer: reconciliation, understanding, respect, sincerity, dialogue, generosity, faith, and hope.

Each of the nine days is a mini-Christmas for Venezuelans, when people sing, dance, eat festive foods, drink, pray together, and play games.

The tradition originated in the 1700s, when Fray Fernando Larrea Jesus, a preacher from Columbia, wrote the traditional Novena prayers. Nowadays, people across Latin America customary participate in Novena processions.

Every night, people of a neighborhood gather to recreate the nativity story. Two of them portray Mary and Joseph, who ask for shelter. One house in the district is selected as their inn, and other house owners must refuse help.

Mary and Joseph lead the procession, knocking on every door until they reach the assigned inn. Then, the host invites everyone inside the house, where the entire group reads a prayer in front of the nativity scene.

After the prayer has been read, Venezuelans indulge in seasonal foods, drink the local version of eggnog, and play board games. Some play musical instruments and sing carols.

In urban areas, people often refrain from the procession and start with a prayer after gathering at someone’s house. Novena dinner requires a lot of cooking, so women usually gather earlier in the day to cook for the entire group.

Christmas Decorations

Venezuelan Christmas decorations are pretty standard. Locals decorate their houses with garlands, wreaths, holiday character figurines, tinsel, and string lights.

Christmas trees are also customary in Venezuela, but typically artificial ones because pines and firs aren’t common in the region. In contrast, poinsettias bloom throughout the country because the flower is native to Latin America.

The most important decoration in any Venezuelan house is the nativity scene, known as Nacimiento. Many locals craft the scene from wood or clay and decorate it with moss and other plants with their families instead of buying one.

Venezuelans set up the nativity scene in early December but don’t place Jesus in the manger until December 24. When Jesus finally occurs in his crib, the celebrations can commence.

If you walk in Venezuelan towns at Christmas time, you’ll likely come across dozens of sophisticated nativity scenes in stores, cafes, and streets. Some towns even host annual nativity scene competitions.

Nativity scenes are also customary in Venezuelan churches at Christmas. After the Midnight Mass, people pray near the nativity scene and often leave small gifts like tangerines and sweets near Jesus’ manger.

Some parishioners leave money near the nativity scene for the church to purchase even better decorations for the following year.

In the Andean region of the country, families sing in front of the nativity scene to honor Jesus. Then, each family member kisses the baby Jesus figurine.

Gift Exchange

Like Americans, Venezuelans consider gift exchange integral to Christmas celebrations.

Because Venezuelans welcome not only the immediate family but also the extended family, friends, and neighbors for the Christmas feast, the gifts are usually small – otherwise, locals would go broke.

Venezuelans exchange gifts after the Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve or on Christmas Day. Kids anticipate presents from Saint Nicholas, Baby Jesus, or Reyes des Magos (the Three Kings), depending on the family’s culture.

Saint Nicholas is the origin of the American Santa who brings gifts to Venezuelan kids on December 6 (Saint Nicholas Day) and Christmas Eve. However, some families consider Baby Jesus the primary holiday gift-giver.

The Three Kings bring children gifts on Epiphany, similarly to how they brought gold, myrrh, and frankincense to Jesus in the nativity story. However, Venezuelan kids only get one gift rather than three.

Overall, the celebrations of Epiphany in Venezuela have nearly died out. People no longer hold vibrant festivities and parades, but buying gifts for kids and eating the King’s Cake is a must.

Because Venezuelan homes rarely have chimneys, kids find their gifts under the Christmas tree or in shoes placed on the windowsill.

Church Services

On Noche Buena or Christmas Eve, Venezuelans head to local churches for the Midnight Mass (Nochebuena de Navidad), where they listen to scripture passage readings, sing Christmas hymns to the sound of traditional instruments, and pray at the nativity scene.

Some churches organize nativity plays where children depict Mary, Joseph, Jesus, and other characters from the nativity story.

After the Midnight Mass, people head outdoors and launch fireworks before going home to celebrate with the family. Many return to church at 6 a.m. on Christmas morning for the Mass of the Rooster (Misa de Gallo).

To wake up worshippers, Venezuelan churches begin ringing bells and lighting firecrackers at around 5 a.m. Some people don’t even go to sleep, walking around the town throughout the night.

One of the most attended Midnight Mass in Venezuela takes place in the Basilica Nuestra Señora de Chiquinquira in Maracaibo, which is usually illuminated with fairy lights.

Other churches worth attending for Christmas are Iglesia Sagrado Corazon de Jesus in Caracas and Catedral de Barquisimeto.

Christmas Songs

Venezuelan Christmas celebrations can’t be complete without music. Venezuelans have a tradition similar to caroling, where groups of local musicians playing traditional instruments perform at the doorsteps of neighbors in exchange for drinks and blessings.

Venezuelan Christmas songs are called gaitas and combine Latin and African rhythms. Gaitas don’t focus on the holiday’s religious aspect but are meant to embrace the festive cheer, encouraging locals to have fun.

Gaitas are sung throughout the entire Novenas season in Venezuela. Often, music is accompanied by joyful dancing that occurs spontaneously on the streets.

Roller Skating

One of the most unusual Christmas traditions worldwide belongs to Venezuela. Throughout the Novenas season, locals dressed in Santa hats roller skate through town streets.

The practice is prevalent on Christmas Eve, and some locals go as far as to skate to Midnight Mass. No one knows how this unique Venezuelan Christmas custom originated, but many suggest it’s a Latin American equivalent of ice skating.

People gather at local parks where they listen to Christmas music before skating together to church. Because it’s a family affair, there’s not much drinking involved, but everyone enjoys hot chocolate and sweets.

The Feast of The Holy Innocents

In some regions of Venezuela, people celebrate the Feast of the Holy Innocents on December 28. This day commemorates the infant boys who were killed in Bethlehem by King Herod’s order in an attempt to get rid of Jesus.

Although the day’s origin is gruesome, Venezuelans celebrate it with laughter. December 28 is the Venezuelan equivalent of April Fool’s Day, when people prank each other, participate in music and dancing festivals, and children dress up in costumes.

Christmas Food

Food is the focal point of Venezuelan festivities. Christmas dinner in Venezuela always includes hallacas, a type of tamales stuffed with pork and vegetables wrapped in dough and steamed in banana leaves that are removed before serving.

Ham bread is another iconic Venezuelan Christmas dish – it’s a bread roll with ham, olives, raisins, and capers. Maccaronada, a dish with pasta, potatoes, meat, and plenty of cheese, is very popular among Venezuelans.

Many locals serve chicken salad with potatoes, carrots, peas, and mayo. Instead of roasting turkey like in the U.S., Venezuelans eat roast pork with pineapples or pernil salado, pork leg cooked with olives, capers, and spices.

Venezuelans have several variations of Christmas cake. Some locals prefer Italian-style Panettone with rum, raisins, and citrus zest, while others serve Torta Negra (black cake) with chocolate and liquor, always topped with sugar glaze and candied fruit.

Another popular Venezuelan Christmas dessert is condensed milk or caramel flan pudding. On Epiphany, everyone eats the King’s Cake, similar to Torta Negra but without the chocolate, traditionally topped with candied cherries.

The host hides a tiny baby Jesus figurine inside the cake, and a family member who gets a slice with the figurine is believed to have a lucky year. Papaya dessert with cinnamon is perfect for those looking for something less calorific.

Venezuelan eggnog recipe is known as ponche de crema, made with eggs, milk, rum, and spices and served chilled. Kids drink hot chocolate throughout the entire holiday season.