In Venezuela, Christmas is celebrated on December 24th.
The celebration of the festival here is a harmonious balance of solemnity and gaiety. Venezuela being a predominantly Catholic country, Christmas festivities in the country focus on the birth of Baby Jesus. Christmas is celebrated here with a number of religious and traditional customs.
The religious celebrations of Christmas commence every year on December 16. From this day, mass services are held every morning until December 24th. This early morning church service is called Misa de Aguinaldo ("Early Morning Mass"). On each morning from December 16 - December 24, firecrackers explode and bells ring to call worshippers from bed in the predawn hours. While pious people may attend all the services, most Venezuelans make it a point to observe at least one of the nine carol services. In Caracas, the capital and largest city of Venezuela, there is a unique custom to roller-skate to local churches to attend this service. Because of this, many neighborhoods close the streets to cars until 8 a.m. Kids go to sleep ahead of time at night during the nine-day period. To wake themselves up early in the morning, they tie one end of a long piece of string to their big toe and let the other end hang out of the window. The next morning, rollerskaters give a tug to any string they see hanging out of a window. After Mass everyone enjoys tostados and coffee.
