The Holidays in Setúbal

Our first winter in Portugal

Our First Holiday Season in Portugal

Without Thanksgiving, the harbinger of all things winter, we made the transition from witches, ghosts, and the Frozen sisters to festive lights and Christmas trees. Seems funny to me that Elsa and Anna are more of a Halloween thing than a Christmas thing, but I’ll “let it go”. In the past, I loved seeing the holiday decorations on our past travels and hoped for the same here.

I didn’t know what to expect, especially since, up to this point, Setúbal has been nonstop in its offering of events from kooky boat races to a biker festival. We’ve always been entertained and amazed. Locals told us ahead of time that the city’s events will continue through the winter. I believe them!

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They’re putting up Christmas!

Since we walk down the main drag almost daily, the first sign of things to come was workers building the conical framework for a Christmas tree at one of the major intersections.

Then, the big field near our place was transformed into a winter festival with rides, games, and food vendors. My favorite was the big churros truck. They call churros “farturas” here. The setup of the festival and the hanging of lights in the city culminated in one magical night on November 19, when “Natal in Setúbal” was all switched on! It’s so nostalgic to see the lights spanning over streets and alleys with lights hanging from the trees.

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I was told that at one time, there were more lights in the trees along Avenida Luisa Todi and that this is to conserve power due to the war in Ukraine. There are other energy-saving measures put into place such as decorative light curfews, with holiday lighting to be limited from 6 pm to midnight, and recommendations for LED lighting. This may also explain why only every third three in the big avenue are draped with holiday lights this year. Still, the fact that we have any festive lights at all is appreciated, as well as Portugal’s efforts to conserve.

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There’s a Christmas market in the park that parallels Luisa Todi. Vendors there are selling international crafts, handcrafted and baked goods. On our first walk through the market, a woman came out calling my name. I was surprised and curious. We have new Portuguese and ex-pat friends, but I didn’t know this woman. She introduced herself as Marwa and that she’s been following my YouTube channel for two years. She also makes soap.

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One day we returned to the Christmas market so I could buy a bar of Marwa’s soap for a Christmas party gift swap. With soap in hand, we continued to walk through the market when a 12-member band marched through the market playing jingle bells.

That was fun and so festive that I decided to paint a watercolor to remember the scene. Although I love the surprises this city has to offer, it’s probably a good idea for us to consult the regularly published activity programs so we don’t miss anything.

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Perhaps the most extraordinary part of the holidays so far was a choir concert in the old convent church. The beautiful Manueline-style convent has been a favorite venue of ours for several concerts now. In addition to the beautifully tiled interior and twisted supporting columns and vaulting in this space, the natural acoustics makes this place such an exceptional spot for concerts.

I’ll be posting the music from the Christmas market band and the concert in the convent in a video. (See my YouTube video about our first holiday season in Setúbal)

Also visit me on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/vibrant_soap/

Wherever you are, I wish you the best holiday season. Take care!

Boas Festas!