If you’re looking for an alternative take on Christmas this year, why not try infusing the festive holiday with your love of travel and having a travel inspired Christmas? In our guide, we list some of the best Christmas foods and traditions from the destinations Zest travellers visit the most that you can easily incorporate into your own Christmas. We’ve also picked out some top gifts that we know travel lovers will long for!
Christmas in…
…Portugal
Merry Christmas – Feliz Natal
The main Christmas dinner takes place on Christmas Eve ahead of the attendance of midnight mass. Known as consoada, this meal traditionally consists of codfish (bacalhau) with green vegetables and boiled potatoes. It can be known for places to be set at the table for the souls of absent loved ones.
Bolo Rei, or Kings Cake, is eaten around the Christmas period and is made from mixing a soft white dough with dried fruit and nuts. Crystalized fruits decorate it and is often round with a hole in the middle. A dried fava bean or broad bean is placed inside the cake, the idea being that whoever gets the slice with the bean inside should pay for the bolo rei at next year’s gathering. There is also sometimes a coin or other token for good luck to balance this out. You can find a recipe to make your own here. Don’t forget to add in your coin, if you wish, but be aware of the choking hazard!
Bolo Rei cake. Photo by: Natalia Mylova/Fotolia
…Spain
Merry Christmas – Feliz Navidad
Pavo trufado de Navidad is the most traditional Christmas dish here- turkey stuffed with truffles. As in Portugal, this is enjoyed by the population on Christmas Eve ahead of the misa del Gallo (Rooster’s mass).
Turrón is another popular delicacy which dates to the 16th century. A nougat-type confectionary, it can be made from just four ingredients- roasted almonds, egg whites, sugar and honey. You can make your own Alicante turrón here.
When the clocks ring out their twelve chimes on New Year’s Eve, it’s traditional for Spanish people to try to eat 12 grapes for good luck for the forthcoming 12 months.
…Cyprus
Merry Christmas – Καλά Χριστούγεννα / Kala Christougenna
Hiromeri is popular in Cyprus at Christmas and often takes months to prepare. This leg of pork is marinated in wine before being slowly smoked over a fire. You can also often find it part of traditional meze food. Turkey or chicken stuffed with rice, raisins, and nuts can also form the main part of a Christmas dinner.
St Basil’s pie, King pie or vasilopita, is often eaten on New Year’s Day. This traditional cake is popular throughout Greek culture. A foil-wrapped coin is hidden inside the cake by the baker for good luck. It’s also known for whoever is served the slice containing the coin to keep it in their wallet all year so they’ll never be out of money. Follow this recipe to make your own zesty vasilopita.
A tradition that some Cypriot homes follow is to create a wooden cross wrapped in basil and sprinkled with holy water to hang over the front door to ward off evil spirits. The belief is that kallikantzari, goblin-type creatures, create mischief throughout the 12 days of Christmas.
Panettone. Photo by: frinz/Fotolia
…Italy
Merry Christmas – Buon Natale
Traditionally no meat is eaten on Christmas Eve and instead a seafood-based dinner is served ahead of midnight mass. This has become known as the Feast of the Seven Fishes, Esta dei Sette Pesci, and features baccala (salted cod), calamari, clams, eel and sardines.
The Urn of Fate is also a popular tradition whereby gifts are placed into a large bowl. Some of these gifts will have people’s names on them, some will be empty boxes! Family and friends take it in turns to select a gift from the bowl. If there is no label or it’s for them, they take it. If not, they put it back and await their next turn. There should be a gift for everyone.
The well-known panettone is highly popular at Christmas and originates from Milan. It’s often store- bought as the baking process is lengthy. Should you wish to make your own, try this recipe.
Christmas gifts for travel lovers
If you’re stumped for what to buy a travel-loving friend or relative, there’s two routes you can go down for travel inspired Christmas gifts. There’s lots of practical things that can come in handy for a traveller. Alternatively, go for something personalised and unique. Prices correct at time of writing.
Practical gifts
For those who are always out in the wild, camping or hiking, consider the LifeStraw Go– a bottle that can be filled up with natural sources of water and filtered so the user knows they have safe, drinkable water (from £35.16 on Amazon). For a coffee-lover, there’s the Travel Press Coffee Maker (from £21 from Bodrum).
Help keep a traveller’s money and passport safe with a currency wallet. Separate compartments allow easy access to the correct currency you need. These wallets from Gate 8 (£15) have RFID blocking protection to prevent data being accessed without prior knowledge. For something more luxurious, the designer Smythson, has a wide variety of leather options (from £175).
Forgetful travellers may find that the Knock Knock packing notepad will help them to remember all the things they need to pack in their suitcase (£5.95 from John Lewis).
If your traveller spends a long time on flights or trains where external noise can be a problem, these Sony MDR-ZX770BN noise-cancelling headphones come recommended (from £192.85 from John Lewis).
Photo by: chernikovatv/Fotolia
Unique and personalised gifts
These recycled leather passport covers and luggage tags can have your traveller’s initials printed on them and come available in a range of colours (£31 from notonthehighstreet). For an alternative passport cover, this one encourages the user to colour in the countries when they visit them (£9.95 from notonthehighstreet).
Also for those that are looking to travel the world, there’s scratch maps where travellers can scratch off countries as they visit them (from £13.95 from Luckies). Consider also a cork globe to allow a traveller to show off their travels (from £40 from Amazon).
People who enjoy combining their love of travel with a love of writing will enjoy a personalised travel journal, or a scrapbook so treasured memories can be sealed between the pages.
Have a travel inspired Christmas
Are there any festive traditions you incorporate into your Christmas that you’ve picked up on your travels? Are there any above that you’ll try this year? Let us know in the comments.
Written by Jessica Juby.
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