At A Glance
Christmas in Portugal centres on Christmas Eve, the Consoada, when families share boiled bacalhau, go to midnight Mass and open presents, and the season runs on until Dia de Reis on 6 January.
- The main meal is on the night of 24 December; Christmas Day brings a long family lunch.
- Salt cod is the classic Christmas Eve dish, with octopus common in the north.
- Bolo-Rei, rabanadas, filhoses and sonhos are the signature Christmas sweets.
- The presépio, or nativity scene, is the traditional Portuguese Christmas decoration.
- 8 and 25 December are public holidays; Christmas Eve is not, but the country slows down by mid-afternoon.
Christmas in Portugal is a family celebration first and a public spectacle second. The big night is Christmas Eve, the Consoada, when generations gather around a table of salt cod, potatoes and greens, followed by midnight Mass and a mountain of fried sweets. For many visitors, Christmas in Porto is the ideal introduction, because the northern traditions are still kept so faithfully there.
Around those family traditions, the towns and cities put on a generous public show. Lisbon and Porto light up their avenues, the Christmas markets at Cordoaria and Praça da Batalha fill Porto's old town, Óbidos turns its castle into a Christmas village, and Madeira celebrates with an all-night street party.
Here is how Portugal celebrates Christmas, what is on the table on 24 and 25 December, how the traditions change from region to region, and the best places to spend the season, from Lisbon and Braga to Óbidos and Funchal.
Spending Christmas in Portugal? See Christmas dates at Canto de Luz, our Boutique Maison in the heart of Porto.
How Portugal Celebrates Christmas
Portugal is a Catholic country with deep Christmas customs, and the season is long. Decorations go up in late November or early December, the 8 December holiday of the Immaculate Conception is a traditional moment to set up the tree and the nativity scene, and everything stays in place until Dia de Reis, the Day of the Kings, on 6 January.
The heart of the celebration is the home. Restaurants and shops close early on Christmas Eve, and the streets become quiet as families gather. For visitors this means two things: the public side of Christmas, with its lights and markets, is at its best in the weeks before the 24th, and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners need to be booked well ahead.
Food runs through every part of the season. Salt cod is soaked days in advance, pastry shops work around the clock on Bolo-Rei, and every family has its own recipe for rabanadas or filhoses. Even the shopping is seasonal, with markets selling dried fruit, nuts and cod by the kilo.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Late November | Christmas lights switched on in the main cities |
| 8 December | Immaculate Conception, a public holiday; trees and nativity scenes go up |
| 24 December | Christmas Eve: the Consoada dinner and midnight Mass |
| 25 December | Christmas Day: public holiday and family lunch |
| 1 to 6 January | Janeiras carol singing from door to door |
| 6 January | Dia de Reis: the last Bolo-Rei and the end of the season |
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Portugal
In Portugal, 24 December matters more than the 25th. Families gather in the early evening, often travelling across the country to be together, and sit down to the Consoada dinner at around 20:00 or 21:00.
After dinner, many go on to the midnight Mass, and presents are opened late that night or on Christmas morning. Children often stay up for the moment the presents appear, and the evening ends with sweets, coffee and a glass of port or liqueur.
The 25th is a public holiday given over to a long family lunch, usually roast meat, and a slow afternoon. Most shops, museums and many restaurants close, and the cities are at their quietest of the year.
How to Say Merry Christmas in Portugal
The greeting is “Feliz Natal”, and you will also hear “Boas Festas”, which means happy holidays and covers the whole season through New Year. For the new year, people say “Feliz Ano Novo” or “Bom Ano”.
Useful Christmas Phrases in Portuguese
- Feliz Natal: Merry Christmas.
- Boas Festas: Happy holidays.
- Feliz Ano Novo: Happy New Year.
- Bom Ano: Have a good year.
- Consoada: the Christmas Eve dinner.
- Pai Natal: Father Christmas.
A “Feliz Natal” to the staff in a café or shop in December is always warmly received, and it is a lovely way to start a conversation about local traditions.
Portuguese Christmas Traditions
Many Portuguese Christmas traditions date back centuries, and most are still kept faithfully today. Some, like the nativity scene and the midnight Mass, are shared across the country, while others belong to particular towns and villages.
What unites them is a strong sense of family and faith, a love of the table, and a season that runs well beyond Christmas Day, all the way to Three Kings in January.
The Presépio: Nativity Scenes in Portugal
Long before the Christmas tree arrived, the presépio was the centre of Portuguese Christmas decoration, and it still is in most homes and churches. Families add a few figures each year, and many nativity scenes include whole villages, markets and rivers around the stable.
The most celebrated is in Lisbon's Basílica da Estrela, an 18th-century nativity by the sculptor Joaquim Machado de Castro with hundreds of cork and terracotta figures, from the Holy Family to market sellers and shepherds. In Porto, a nativity is set up around the fountain inside the Mercado do Bolhão.
In the north, the village of Priscos near Braga stages a living nativity, the Presépio ao Vivo, across a hillside with dozens of scenes and hundreds of local volunteers, open on selected days over Christmas and early January. In Funchal, a giant nativity is built over the fountain in Largo da Restauração.
Missa do Galo, the Midnight Mass
The Missa do Galo, or Rooster's Mass, is the midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, celebrated in churches across the country and broadcast on television. The name comes from an old night vigil that ended at cockcrow, and a popular legend says a rooster was the first to announce the birth of Jesus.
Visitors are welcome at the Mass, and cathedrals such as Porto's Sé make a memorable setting. Arrive early, as the churches fill well before midnight.
In some inland villages, a great bonfire called the madeiro burns in the church square through the night, built from logs gathered by the young people of the village to keep the Baby Jesus warm.
Pai Natal and the Menino Jesus
Traditionally, it was the Menino Jesus, the Baby Jesus, who brought presents, and children left a shoe by the fireplace on Christmas Eve. Today Pai Natal, Father Christmas, has largely taken over, though many families still speak of the Menino Jesus.
Gifts are usually opened after the Consoada, close to midnight, or on Christmas morning, depending on the family. The big Christmas trees in the city squares, like the one on Porto's Avenida dos Aliados, have become a newer tradition of their own.
Janeiras and Dia de Reis
The season ends in January. Between New Year and 6 January, groups go from door to door singing the Janeiras, traditional songs wishing the household a good year, and are rewarded with sweets, sausages or a glass of wine.
Dia de Reis on 6 January, the Epiphany, closes Christmas: the last Bolo-Rei is shared and the decorations come down. It is not a public holiday, so shops and museums open as usual.
Consoada: The Portuguese Christmas Eve Dinner
The Consoada is the Portuguese Christmas Eve dinner and the most important meal of the year in many homes. The name originally meant a light evening meal on a day of fasting, and the menu is simple, generous and almost unchanged from one generation to the next.
The table is set for the whole extended family, often with a place left for absent relatives, and the meal is followed by a long spread of sweets, coffee and port. Many families eat late and linger, with the midnight Mass or the opening of presents to come.
Bacalhau com Todos
The classic dish is bacalhau com todos, “cod with everything”: thick pieces of boiled salt cod served with boiled potatoes, cabbage or kale, boiled eggs and sometimes chickpeas, all dressed at the table with plenty of olive oil and garlic.
Salt cod has to be soaked for two or three days before cooking, changing the water regularly, which is why the Christmas preparations begin early in the week. In the days before Christmas, markets such as the Bolhão in Porto sell cod in every size, and choosing the thickest loins is a matter of family pride.
The simplicity of the dish is the point: good cod, good olive oil and good company, after a day of preparation in the kitchen.
Octopus in the North and Polvo à Lagareiro
In the north of Portugal, in the Minho and Trás-os-Montes, boiled octopus often joins or replaces the cod on Christmas Eve, a tradition shaped by centuries of trade with neighbouring Galicia.
On Christmas Day it may return as polvo à lagareiro, roasted with small potatoes, garlic and a generous pour of olive oil. It is one of the best dishes to order in Porto restaurants throughout the winter.
Christmas Day Lunch: Cabrito Assado, Turkey and Roupa Velha
Christmas lunch on the 25th is a roast. In the Beiras and around Lisbon it is often cabrito assado, roast young goat with potatoes, while roast or stuffed turkey is common in the north, the Alentejo and the Algarve, and now across the whole country.
In the north, the leftover cod and greens from the night before are fried together with garlic and olive oil as roupa velha, “old clothes”, served as a first course. Nothing goes to waste.
Lunch is long, often running well into the afternoon, and is followed by more sweets and a walk. If you are travelling, book Christmas Day lunch at a restaurant well in advance, as many close for the day.
Portuguese Christmas Desserts and Sweets
Portuguese Christmas desserts fill a table of their own. Most homes serve several at once on Christmas Eve, and the pastry shops of every town are full of them from early December. Many are fried, and almost all are finished with sugar and cinnamon.
| Sweet | What it is |
|---|---|
| Bolo-Rei | Ring of sweet bread with crystallised fruit and nuts |
| Bolo-Rainha | The same bread topped with nuts, without fruit |
| Rabanadas | Bread soaked in milk or wine syrup, fried and dusted with cinnamon sugar |
| Filhoses | Fried dough, shaped differently in every region |
| Sonhos | Light fried puffs, often served with syrup |
| Aletria | Sweet vermicelli cooked in milk and egg yolks |
| Broas de Natal | Small cakes made with honey, sweet potato or almonds |
Bolo-Rei, the Portuguese Christmas Cake
The Bolo-Rei, or king cake, is a ring of soft sweet bread topped with crystallised fruit, nuts and sugar. It came from France in the 19th century, and the Confeitaria Nacional in Lisbon is credited with introducing it to Portugal around 1870.
The Bolo-Rainha, or queen cake, is the same bread topped with nuts and no fruit, and many families buy one of each. Both are eaten from early December until Dia de Reis on 6 January.
By tradition a dried broad bean, the fava, was baked inside, and whoever found it bought next year's cake. Food-safety rules mean the little trinket that once came with it has largely vanished, though many bakeries still hide the fava.
Rabanadas, Filhoses and Sonhos de Natal
Rabanadas are thick slices of bread soaked in milk or a wine syrup, dipped in egg, fried and dusted with sugar and cinnamon, known as fatias douradas around Lisbon. They are best eaten warm, on Christmas Eve, straight from the pan.
Filhoses are fried dough, shaped differently in every region, from thin sheets stretched over the knee in the Beiras to pumpkin fritters in the north. Sonhos, “dreams”, are light fried puffs often served with a citrus syrup.
Aletria, Mexidos and Broas de Natal
Aletria is a sweet dish of fine vermicelli cooked in milk with egg yolks and lemon peel, decorated with patterns of cinnamon on top. In the Minho, mexidos are made from bread, honey, raisins, pine nuts and port wine, finished with a lattice of cinnamon like the one pictured.
Broas de Natal are small Christmas cakes, made with honey, sweet potato or almonds depending on the region. They keep well, which makes them one of the best edible presents to take home.
Christmas Traditions in Portugal by Region
Christmas traditions in Portugal change noticeably from north to south and out to the islands. The dishes below are typical of each region, though every family has its own version.
| Region | Christmas Eve | Christmas Day | Signature sweets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minho and Douro | Salt cod or boiled octopus | Roupa velha, roast turkey | Rabanadas, aletria, mexidos |
| Trás-os-Montes | Salt cod or boiled octopus | Roast turkey or suckling pig | Pumpkin filhoses |
| Beiras | Bacalhau com todos | Cabrito assado | Filhoses, bolo torto |
| Lisbon area | Boiled salt cod | Cabrito assado or turkey | Fatias douradas, broas, azevias |
| Alentejo | Salt cod with cabbage | Stuffed turkey | Azevias, coscorões |
| Madeira | Espetadas and Christmas meats | Carne vinha d'alhos | Bolo de mel, broas |
In the Alentejo, azevias are crisp half-moon pastries filled with sweet chickpea. Madeira has its own Christmas calendar, with the Missas do Parto, dawn masses in the nine days before Christmas followed by cake and hot drinks, and carne vinha d'alhos, pork marinated in wine and garlic, as the Christmas dish.
In the north, where Canto de Luz is based, Christmas Eve often brings both cod and octopus to the table, and port wine is never far away. It is one of the reasons Porto is such a good place to experience a Portuguese Christmas through its food.
Where to Spend Christmas in Portugal
Portugal is compact and well connected, so you can combine two or three Christmas destinations in a single trip. The cities offer lights, markets and concerts, the smaller towns offer charm, and Madeira offers sunshine and street parties.
The fastest link between the two biggest cities is the train between Lisbon and Porto, which takes under three hours, and Óbidos and Braga are both easy to reach from one or the other.
| Destination | Best for | 2025 highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Lisbon | City lights and a big market | Lights from 22 November, tree in Praça do Comércio |
| Porto | Food, wine and an atmospheric old town | Lights from 29 November, markets, NYE on Aliados |
| Braga | Traditions and the living nativity | Christmas Eve at Casa das Bananas, Priscos nativity |
| Óbidos | A Christmas village in a castle | 28 November to 4 January |
| Madeira | Mild weather and street parties | Lights from 1 December, Noite do Mercado on 23 December |
Christmas in Lisbon
Lisbon switches on its Christmas lights in late November, at 18:30 on 22 November in 2025, with a giant tree in Praça do Comércio and lights strung along Rua Augusta and the streets of the Baixa.
The Wonderland Lisboa fair in Parque Eduardo VII is the city's main Christmas market, with market stalls and attractions for families, and the Basílica da Estrela displays its famous nativity. Trams, viewpoints and pastry shops complete a festive city break.
Christmas in Braga and the North
Braga, an hour from Porto by train and one of the easiest day trips from Porto, is one of the most traditional places to spend Christmas in Portugal. Its old town streets are strung with lights, and its churches and cathedral hold some of the country's most moving Christmas services.
On Christmas Eve, crowds gather outside the Casa das Bananas on Rua do Souto to toast with a glass of Moscatel and a banana, and the living nativity at nearby Priscos draws visitors from across the country.
Christmas in Porto
Porto switches on its lights in the last weekend of November, at 18:00 on 29 November in 2025, with a giant tree on Avenida dos Aliados and around 94 streets lit until 6 January. The Christmas markets fill Cordoaria and Praça da Batalha, and Gaia has a Christmas village with a free ice rink.
The city ends the year with a free concert and fireworks on Aliados, and the port lodges across the river make every cold evening a pleasure. It is the best place in Portugal to taste the northern Christmas table, from octopus to rabanadas.
Óbidos Vila Natal: A Christmas Village in a Castle
Óbidos, a walled medieval town about an hour north of Lisbon, becomes Óbidos Vila Natal every Christmas. The castle and its grounds fill with market chalets, an ice rink, Father Christmas's house and attractions for children, all set against the floodlit walls.
It is very popular at weekends, so a weekday visit is more relaxed. From Porto it is about two hours and 45 minutes by car, so it fits best into a trip that also includes Lisbon.
Óbidos Vila Natal Dates and Opening Hours
| 2025 edition | Details |
|---|---|
| Dates | 28 November 2025 to 4 January 2026 |
| Weekdays | From 11:00 |
| Weekends | From 10:00 |
| Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve | Early closing |
| 25 December and 1 January | Closed |
The 2026 edition is expected to open at the end of November, with dates and tickets announced on the official Óbidos Vila Natal website in the autumn.
Óbidos at Night: Christmas Lights and the Book Town
After dark the village takes on a magical quality, with lights along the walls and projections on the churches. Óbidos is also a UNESCO City of Literature, and its bookshops include one inside the Igreja de Santiago, pictured with a Christmas projection.
Try a shot of ginjinha, the local cherry liqueur, served in a small chocolate cup, as you walk the cobbled main street.
Christmas in Madeira: Funchal Lights and Market Night
Madeira is famous for its Christmas and New Year, and the island's mild weather makes it a popular escape from northern winters. Funchal traditionally switches on its lights on 1 December, decorating the city centre, the gardens and the seafront, and they stay on into early January.
The season ends with one of the world's best-known New Year firework displays over Funchal Bay, which brings cruise ships and visitors from across Europe.
Funchal Christmas Lights
The lights in Funchal are among the most elaborate in Portugal, with angels, stars and arches across the streets around the cathedral, the Sé, and garden installations in the Jardim Municipal.
An evening walk from the Sé along Avenida Arriaga to the gardens is the best way to see them, with stops for poncha, the island's honey and lemon drink.
Noite do Mercado and the Missas do Parto
The highlight of the Madeiran Christmas is the Noite do Mercado on 23 December, when the Mercado dos Lavradores and the streets around it become an all-night party, with traditional music and food stalls until the early hours.
The Missas do Parto, dawn masses in the nine days before Christmas, are followed by cake and hot drinks outside the churches, a tradition unique to the island.
Spend Christmas in Porto's Old Town
Canto de Luz is a restored Boutique Maison on Rua do Almada, close to the Christmas lights, the markets and the Bolhão, with a heated outdoor saltwater pool open all year and a homemade breakfast every morning. From €99 a night.
Spending Christmas in Porto at Canto de Luz
Porto is one of the best places to experience Christmas in Portugal: a city of granite churches, tiled facades and port lodges, where the northern traditions of cod, octopus and Bolo-Rei are still kept, and where everything in the old town is within walking distance.
Canto de Luz is a ruin we restored into a Boutique Maison on Rua do Almada, opened with French hospitality and open right through Christmas and New Year.
A Boutique Hotel in Porto for the Christmas Season
Our suites are designed for winter comfort, and the Maison is a short walk from the Christmas tree on Aliados, the Bolhão and the Clérigos Tower.
The suites have air conditioning, a Samsung Art TV with Netflix and Disney, an Echo, a Nespresso machine and Rituals amenities, and breakfast is homemade every morning with ingredients from the Bolhão.
From our door it is about five minutes to the Christmas tree on Aliados and ten minutes to the Bolhão and the Clérigos Tower. Check Christmas availability.
In the afternoons, our heated outdoor saltwater pool is open all year from 09:30 to 19:30, and our wine machine pours Douro wines by the glass with a small plates menu.
Christmas in Porto for Families and Groups
For families and groups, a Christmas stay at Villa Almada, with two bedrooms and its own private pool, gives you space to celebrate together, and our two Duplex Garden Villas each have a private garden.
Our private chef can cook for you at the Maison when booked in advance, and our team will help you book restaurants for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Porto is also a good base for Christmas day trips by train, to Braga for its traditions, to Guimarães for its medieval centre, or up the Douro Valley.
Our team shares Christmas opening times, restaurant suggestions and market dates with you before you arrive, so you can plan the season with confidence.
Cook and Taste Portuguese Christmas Food in Porto
The best way to understand a Portuguese Christmas is to taste it. Canto Cooking, our culinary school inside Canto de Luz, runs market tours through the Mercado do Bolhão, where Porto shops for its Christmas cod, cheeses and dried fruit, and hands-on cooking classes where you prepare Portuguese dishes with our chef and then sit down to enjoy them.
Every day we also hold wine and port tastings with tapas at the Maison, a relaxed way to discover the Douro wines and ports that appear on Portuguese Christmas tables.
Classes are small and popular in December, so book ahead. Dates and bookings are on the Canto Cooking website.
Discover Portuguese Christmas Food with Canto Cooking
Market tours through the Bolhão, hands-on cooking classes and daily wine and port tastings with tapas, all at our culinary school inside Canto de Luz.
Portugal in December: Practical Tips for a Christmas Trip
A little planning goes a long way at Christmas in Portugal, because the rhythm of the holidays affects opening hours and transport. These are the points we share with our guests before they arrive.
Christmas in Portugal: Practical Tips
- 8 December and 25 December are public holidays; in 2026 they fall on a Tuesday and a Friday.
- Christmas Eve is not a public holiday, but most shops and many restaurants close by mid-afternoon.
- On Christmas Day most shops, museums and many restaurants are closed, so book lunch ahead.
- Trains between Lisbon and Porto run through the holidays and book up early around Christmas.
- Expect mild, changeable weather in the north and the cities; pack a waterproof coat.
- Lights and decorations stay up until Dia de Reis on 6 January.
The weather in December is mild across most of mainland Portugal, with daytime highs in the mid-teens in Porto and Lisbon and a little warmer in the Algarve and Madeira. Rain comes in spells, so plan indoor options for wet afternoons.
Book accommodation, trains and Christmas meals early, especially for the week between Christmas and New Year, when Portuguese families travel and the cities welcome visitors from across Europe.
A Note from Susan
“Christmas in Portugal is about the table, and in Porto the table is generous. On Christmas Eve the whole city goes quiet as families gather for cod and octopus, and in the days before, the Bolhão is full of people buying dried fruit, cheese and Bolo-Rei. My advice is to come a few days before the 24th, enjoy the markets and lights, take a cooking class, and book your Christmas dinners early.”
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Christmas in Portugal: Frequently Asked Questions
Tap a question to see the answer.
How Does Portugal Celebrate Christmas?
Portugal celebrates Christmas mainly on Christmas Eve with the Consoada family dinner of boiled salt cod, followed by midnight Mass and presents. Christmas Day brings a long family lunch, and the season ends on Dia de Reis, 6 January.
Do Portuguese Families Celebrate Christmas on the 24th or the 25th?
Both, but Christmas Eve on the 24th is the main celebration, with the Consoada dinner and the midnight Mass. The 25th is a public holiday for a long family lunch.
What is Consoada?
Consoada is the Portuguese Christmas Eve dinner on 24 December. The classic dish is bacalhau com todos, boiled salt cod with potatoes, greens and eggs dressed with olive oil, followed by Christmas sweets.
What Do Portuguese People Eat for Christmas?
Salt cod on Christmas Eve, with octopus common in the north, and roast goat or turkey on Christmas Day. Sweets include Bolo-Rei, rabanadas, filhoses, sonhos and aletria.
What is Bolo-Rei and is There Still a Bean Inside?
Bolo-Rei is a ring-shaped sweet bread topped with crystallised fruit and nuts, eaten from December to 6 January. A dried bean, the fava, was traditionally baked inside, and many bakeries still include it, while the small trinket has largely disappeared.
Does Portugal Have Christmas Markets?
Yes. The best known include Wonderland Lisboa in Lisbon, the markets at Cordoaria and Praça da Batalha in Porto, and Óbidos Vila Natal, a Christmas village inside a medieval castle.
How Do You Say Merry Christmas in Portugal?
Merry Christmas is Feliz Natal. You will also hear Boas Festas, meaning happy holidays, and Feliz Ano Novo for Happy New Year.
Is Christmas Eve a Public Holiday in Portugal?
No. Christmas Eve is not an official public holiday, but most shops and many restaurants close by mid-afternoon. Christmas Day on 25 December and the Immaculate Conception on 8 December are public holidays.
Spend Christmas in the Heart of Porto
Canto de Luz is open through Christmas and New Year on Rua do Almada, close to the lights, the markets and the Bolhão. Homemade breakfast every morning, a heated saltwater pool open year round, and Canto Cooking under the same roof. From €99 a night.
Check Christmas AvailabilityImage credits: GualdimG (CC BY-SA 4.0), Celsoazevedo (CC BY 4.0), António Amen (CC BY-SA 3.0), John Samuel (CC BY-SA 4.0), Adriao (CC BY-SA 3.0), MunParedes (CC BY-SA 4.0), José Conçalves (CC BY-SA 3.0), Adriao (CC BY-SA 4.0), TeWeBs (CC BY-SA 4.0), RickMorais (CC BY-SA 4.0), Joseolgon (CC BY-SA 4.0), Acfmagalhaes (CC BY-SA 4.0), LennyAragon (CC BY-SA 4.0), Bosc d'Anjou (CC BY 2.0), Dr. Thomas Liptak (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Dietmar Rabich (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.
