Argentina comprises of the almost entire southern part of Latin America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Chile and Uruguay Argentina is a country with many enriching cultural influences. So its Christmas customs are varied and is very difficult to generalize. Following are some broad local traditions of this Latin American country.

Unlike United States, Argentina has a summer time Christmas. Despite this the customs and traditions are quite similar. People celebrate it with dedication and delight. In some areas evergreen trees are decorated with cotton to replicate the snow found on the trees in the forests of the Northern Hemisphere The ritual of Nativity scene and Xmas tree, gift giving, picnics and banquets, champagne and cakes, and fireworks at around midnight are some of the popular practices around Christmas time in Argentina.

"Feliz Navidad" means "Merry Christmas" in Argentina. People usually choose any artificial or live tree to display in home. These trees are ornamented with colored lights, knick-knacks and candles. All Christmas gifts are placed under the tree. Many people set up the Nativity scene, a model of the manger where Jesus Christ was born. The pious Argentines also attend a Christmas church service. Families attend a Christmas celebration at church before coming together to share Christmas dinner. Many plan a picnic or barbecue as their Christmas meal to take advantage of the lovely weather. Christmas dinner in Argentina may be served in a garden area Along with the special and usual holiday foods, after dinner delicious cakes are served along with Sidra or Champagne to drink.

Hi! I'm new here and this is the first time I post something. I liked what you posted about Christmas in Argentina I'm from Argentina and we do celebrate Christmas like that. Another thing to mention is that we open the presents after 12:00 a.m., instead of opening them the next morning. Even though it is nice to celebrate Christmas in summer, there's a little disadvantage and that is that we eat some of the things people eat in the US or Canada or Europe where it's cold, like nougats, chocolate bars and dried fruit; such as almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, etc. And they can melt and get all sticky in your hands, but other than that (just a minor detail), It's enjoyable spending Christmas in hot weather.

Cheers

Welcome, minkpenny! Glad you thought to post! I have relatives in Buenos Aires. They are my husband's brother and extended family, three generations, Italians. Several of them visited with us in Canada three years ago and we had a wonderful time. Argentinians are warm and wonderful people in my view. We did not discuss Christmas, but we did receive a videotape of wedding festivities, and it was quite a bash! I was intrigued by the similarities, but mostly the subtle differences in festivities in other countries! Glad you found us.
~Lea

Hi Lefois!! Thank you for the welcome It is true that people here are very warm, there are all kinds of people, but in general people are very nice. What is curious and funny to people in other countries is that people here and in almost all Latinamerican countries are very affectionate. For example, every time you say good-bye or hello to someone you kiss them on the cheek, it's just a very common thing here. And another thing that is curious is that also men sometimes kiss each other on the cheek, when greeting, instead of just shaking hands. In other parts of the world this can be seen as something really weird, but here it is not unusual at all.