The world at Christmas.

Christmas in Venezuela is unique and different and you can hardly get it in another part of the world. To begin with, in Venezuela we have a specific type of music for Christmas and that type of music is called bagpipes, it is music that comes from Maracaibo, which It is a city in Venezuela. These songs begin to sound from September (in other years it starts in August hehehe) and everything begins to feel the arrival of Christmas and the party atmosphere heats up; It is the most popular music on these dates, but you can also listen to a bit of partying and a little bit of Christmas bonus. In Venezuela we have a unique original Christmas dish for this date that is totally different from those in other parts of the world, we do not eat turkey as it usually is in Peru or as it usually is in the US, we eat hallacas, it is not missing from any Christmas table in Venezuela and we complement it with other typical things such as ham bread, chicken salad and ham. Many people also make a black roast and of course many sweets such as dulce de lechoza or torta negra, which are typical Christmas sweets for us.

And the most beautiful thing about making typical food in December is that the family gathers to create the dish, everyone comes to collaborate to make it, that's the excuse, some make the stew, others wash the leaves and others tie the find. The most peculiar thing is that we usually have a lot of it to eat many days in December, sometimes the hallacas last until February. At Christmas there are also many fireworks and even before the arrival of Christmas and from the first of December you already begin to hear the first rockets. Christmas bonus masses or rooster masses are also held, it is a mass-celebration for the birth of baby Jesus, even before Christmas there are many bonus masses that are like the masses that are held before the arrival of Christmas.

Other traditions are secret friends, which is like a kind of gift exchange, which is done at Christmas; The gifts are placed at the foot of the tree before Christmas. Another of the very common traditions at Christmas in Venezuela are the so-called skates or carts, it is a call that is made in a place, it can be a square or an avenue. In my region, since there are mountains, we celebrate with carts, which are a kind of of carruchas made of wood that are thrown down the sloping avenues so that it can take flight. Both December 24 and December 31 are family dates in Venezuela, that is, what Christmas dinner on December 24 is, where the exchange of gifts takes place, but December 31 is likewise a party atmosphere, a party that is shared with the family or with friends.

In my family we not only set up the tree but we also set up a manger or nativity scene because it is something very typical and traditional in Venezuela, it is a representation of the birthplace of Jesus, figures of animals, shepherds and the entire family of Jesus are placed.

This is how we celebrate Christmas in Venezuela, it may have varied a little between the regions or I added an additional festivity, but this is what makes us Venezuelan and it is ours.