Why do venezuelans celebrate christmas

Christmas is celebrated here with a number of religious and traditional customs. The religious celebrations of Christmas commence every year on December From this day, mass services are held every morning until December 24th. On each morning from December 16 - December 24, firecrackers explode and bells ring to call worshippers from bed in the predawn hours.

While pious people may attend all the services, most Venezuelans make it a point to observe at least one of the nine carol services. In Caracas, the capital and largest city of Venezuela, there is a unique custom to roller-skate to local churches to attend this service. Because of this, many neighborhoods close the streets to cars until 8 a. Kids go to sleep ahead of time at night during the nine-day period. To wake themselves up early in the morning, they tie one end of a long piece of string to their big toe and let the other end hang out of the window.

The next morning, rollerskaters give a tug to any string they see hanging out of a window. After Mass everyone enjoys tostados and coffee.

The last of the masses takes place on the night of this day and known as "Misa de Gallo". They are only eaten at Christmas because they take a long time to make, and often require the entire family to help with the cooking. Many will boast that their mother or grandmother makes the best hallaca in the neighborhood or even the country. Traditional Venezuelan decorations are found in all homes.

The most important is the nativity scene showing the Baby Jesus in the manger. Some families are much more elaborate in their decorations and create an entire diorama. Pieces are often passed down from generation to generation and are considered a very special part of Christmas. Modern decorations are also common and many homes have an artificial Christmas tree in honor of North American Christmas traditions.

Unlike the tradition of Santa Claus, in Venezuela, children receive presents from Baby Jesus himself and occasionally St. Many homes are decorated with Christmas lights, but some are painted to show their Christmas tree. The murals are painted up to a month before Christmas Day to set the tone for the new year and prepare for the festivities. This is a type of folk music from the Zulia state. It is common for people to refer to a gaitero rhythm, which reflects the joy of the season.

It is very common to hear and dance this traditional music all throughout Venezuela during the holidays. This style is also popular at Christmas as the songs are like carols known as aguinaldos, door-to-door parranda style, and are rewarded with food and drinks. Venezuelan celebrations often include other kinds of dances including salsa, merengue, etc. Venezuelans observe several traditions to prepare for midnight mass on Christmas Eve, known as Nochebuena or Noche Buena.

The party can last for a few hours more. It's played on several instruments including the 'Cuatro' a guitar with four strings a 'Tambora' a Venezuelan drum , the 'Furro' a type of drum but it has a stick coming up through the middle of the skin of the drum - this can make it have some different sounds and the 'Charrasca' a ribbed tube that you rub a stick up and down. The singers are known as 'Gaiteros'.

Another type of music in Venezuela is called 'Aguinaldos y Parrandas'. This style is also popular at Christmas as the songs are like carols. Some homes will have a Christmas Tree , but they're normally artificial ones as pine and fir trees aren't common in Venezuela.

Nativity Scenes Nacimiento are very popular and in some regions they are more common than Christmas Trees. Going to Midnight Mass Misas de Aguinaldo is very popular and there many other masses and church services in the days before Christmas.