It already smells like Christmas!

The Christian traditions, during Christmas and New Year season are genuinely associated with the customs of the locals. Throughout the month of December until the Three Kings day, held on January 6th, this festive season is lived with a special feeling, combining religious ceremonies with the joy for the arrival of a new year, a time of year marked with a rich program filled with cultural, ethnographic and artistic events.

Christmas is the most important time of the year, a time to celebrate customs and traditions in a tribute to folklore and legacy of the inhabitants.

December 1 st to January 6 th | Christmas Lights

December 1st is the official date on which Christmas illuminations (which remain linked until mid-January) are connected, followed by major celebrations, cultural events, concerts and exhibitions that take place throughout the city for Christmas. Madeira Island is truly magical and unforgettable at this time of year.

December 16 th to 24 th -The Childbirth Masses

Christmas begins with the celebrations of the "Childbirth Masses", starting on the 16th of December and ending on Christmas Eve, with the celebration of the Midnight Mass. The "Childbirth Masses" also designated as the 'Novenas' (Nine masses) consists of a total of nine religious ceremonies which are held at dawn. After mass, the church goers gather in the churchyard to listen to Christmas carols, followed by groups playing string instruments, accordions and castanets, an occasion marked by the typical " despiques", "rivalry songs", followed by the drinking of the "mata-bicho" -, "hair of the dog cocktail" complemented by the tasting of liquors, " broas" biscuits and cakes.

December 23 rd - Farmers’ Market Christmas Night

On December 23rd, Madeirans take this opportunity to make their lastminute Christmas shopping in a commotion, that intensifies the essence of the "Festa", a designation commonly attributed by locals to refer to the beginning of the Christmas season. The locals go to the Mercado dos Lavradores (Farmers' Market) to buy the last items or delicacies in order to ultimate their Christmas decorations and prepare the typical delicacies of the season. The surrounding streets are closed to traffic and are filled with various food stalls that are open all night, selling innumerable regional products like flowers, shrubs, fruits, vegetables, sweets, pork in wine and garlic rolls and typical drinks like "poncha". At nightfall the biggest attraction of the day takes place, a performance by traditional Christmas carollers, on which locals take the role of true artists. This occasion gathers music and folk bands who contribute to maintain the jubilant atmosphere apart from, lots of entertainment that lasts until dawn.