Half of the funds raised from the Hello Green Tomorrow programs worldwide support reforestation of the vital Atlantic Rain Forest (Mata Atlantica) in Brazil, with restoration efforts managed by The Nature Conservancy. With such a close connection to Brazil, we thought we would share some of the holiday traditions in the country. Since it’s the peak of summer in December, the traditions are very different than the “White Christmas” of northern climates.
St. Nick’s Summer Home – Think you’d miss Santa’s sleigh if you were on the beach? Not so if you head to the mountain town of Penedo, about three hours northwest of Rio de Janiero. Locals refer to it as “Cidade do Papai Noel,” or “Santa Claus City.” Since Penedo was settled and built by immigrants from Finland, the town is packed with chalet style store fronts, chocolate shops and even what the locals refer to as “Santa Claus’s Summer Home,” the Casa de Papai Noel. All letters mailed in Brazil to Santa Claus are forwarded to the Santa Claus House in Penedo. Once you’ve dropped off your holiday wish list to Casa de Papai Noel, you can add some “green” to your trip as Penedo is a base for the Itatiaia National Park, which includes a rain forest!
Photo Credit: Jorge Andrade (Own work) [Public domain], via Flickr
A Christmas Tree Like No Other – Want to stay in the city for an exhilarating holiday like no other? Start by visiting the world’s largest floating Christmas tree at Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas. The tree plays Christmas music and stands an impressive 28 stories tall, sparkling with a light show made up of 2.9 million mini bulbs powered by 7 “green” biodiesel generators. The tree lighting is considered the third largest event in the city of Rio de Janeiro, right after the Carnival and the “Reveillon.”
Photo Credit: João P. M. Lima (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
A Rio Reveillon – Rio De Janeiro’s “Reveillon” – “New Years Eve” in Portuguese — is the largest open-air New Year’s Eve party on Earth! It is said that to spend New Year’s Eve in Rio is to get the best of Rio’s nature and hospitality. Brazil’s famed Reveillon finds residents and tourists alike gathered on Copacabana beach for live music and fireworks. The largest fireworks show in the world illuminates the beauty of this famous beach, and since tradition calls for being dressed in white, the crowd reflects all the colors of the fireworks throughout the show that lasts more than 20 minutes.
Photo Credit: Soul Brasileiro (Own work) [Public domain], via Flickr
