This is the "Second Eighth", in Portuguese Segunda Oitava, when almost everybody gets back to work except students and some shops which were open longer during Christmas eves. It is almost a normal working day though with plenty of things to talk about with work colleagues and friends and also some street animation in downtown Funchal to entertain tourists. At Madeira airport today is a very busy day as most of the visitants who chosen Madeira as their New Year's celebration destination are arriving today and tomorrow.

Today is a regional holiday in Madeira... It is a day to rest from the busy Christmas day and another day to spend with the family.

In Funchal some families are already joining the "Boxing day" tradition though most of them go to the shops to change their clothing gifts. Cinemas are also a popular choice on this called "First Eighth" in Portuguese Primeira Oitava.

On rural areas there is the paper balloons tradition. Families gather to built handmade balloons with the colored so called "butter paper" which is glued with banana tree sap. This paper is always on a square shape and the balloon is always made with a npair number of sheets. At the base of these balloons there is a wire structure where the "ameixa" which means plum, is put on to be burnt and provide hot air. To release the balloon someone climbs a wall with it on a reed cane, then someone starts a fire under it to fire the "ameixa" which is made by a tissue covered with wax and petrol. When the plum is already on fire and the balloon full of hot air someone blows a helmet-shell to announce the release of it.

This morning some people will go to masses to celebrate Christmas, mainly people that couldn't go to yesterday cock's mass.
Families will gather afterwards to have a lunch together with traditional dishes, "Carne de Vinho e Alhos", pork with wine, vinegar and garlic, "Bolo de Mel", molasses cake between others not so typical. It's important to note that in mainland Portugal the traditional dish today is boiled Cod fish.
Most families gather at grandmother's house, and open Christmas gifts there, some before lunch other after lunch.
After Christmas lunch some families will head to Funchal downtown to admire the Christmas Lights and decorations.
In Madeira, Christmas is celebrated with two public holidays 25th and 26th, though in mainland Portugal only December 25th.

MadeiraHelp will roll an 8 days articles featuring Madeira Christmas. Today, December 24th is the last "Missa do Parto", parturition mass.
During the day some shops will be open for last minute shopping, and most of them will close around 1 p.m.
In the afternoon members of families will visit each other, i.e. cousins, aunts and godsons. Mainly members that will not be together on the 25th.
The main catholic celebration is "Missa do Galo", cock's mass, which takes places at midnight, allusive to the birth of Jesus, though in some parishes it may start a earlier than midnight.

Madeira is already experiencing the Christmas feeling on its streets, specially downtown Funchal.

Christmas illuminations have lighten up on the 23rd of November 2007 and each day more decorations are being put on until the 30th of November. On the 1st of December everything will be already prepared to celebrate Christmas in Madeira, traditionally called "A FESTA" which means "The feast".

In the past Christmas was the only big celebration which all Madeira people joined, this is why it is called "A Festa" as there were no other celebration like this one. It would start early in December with the pig's killing, then people would build the traditional Christmas scene on their homes and parishes and, on the 16th of December, the childhood masses "Missas do Parto" in portuguese, would wake up everyone very early to join processions towards the church.

These are some traditions that one might still see on Madeira rural areas. The Feast would last until the 6th of January, the Epiphany's Day.