There may be no place like home for the holidays, but for some students studying abroad, the famous holiday saying isn’t an option. Under the study abroad program, students often cannot travel outside of the United States. One such student is Isabele Moreira, a junior majoring in chemical engineering. Moreira is unable to leave the country as a condition based on her membership in the Brazilian Scientific Mobility Program. Because the program only lasts two semesters, she’s limited to travel within the United States, forcing her to spend her Christmas holiday here.
“I would like to get the opportunity to spend Christmas with all my family and all my friends together at the same time, but that’s not going to be possible this year,” said Moreira.
During her time here, Moreira has observed holiday traditions not celebrated in Brazil. Thanksgiving and Halloween don’t exist in Brazil, but children often dress up and attend parties. A celebration unobserved in America is Carnival, which is held before the Catholic observance of Lent. During this celebration, rhythmic dancing and singing takes place throughout the country. Carnival lasts six days, drawing influences from folklore and African-Brazilian culture.
Christmas brings Moreira’s family together in ways similar to the average American. Her family prepares dinner on Christmas Eve, prays, eats and laughs, waiting for the arrival of Santa Claus. On Christmas day, her family gathers for lunch and exchanges gifts.
One of Moreira’s favorite memories comes from Christmas day. “It was Christmas Day a few years ago, and I was going to my grandmother’s house, to celebrate Christmas with my family,” said Moreira. “When we arrived there, I was inside the car when suddenly my foot started hurting, making me unable to walk. That was the time I realized it would be too painful to move, so I was stuck inside the car. After a while, my entire family decided to go near the car and stayed there with me, so I wouldn’t spend the holiday by myself. Then, we had a big meal there near the car, singing Christmas songs and having fun together.”
Moreira plans to spend Christmas with her aunt and family members who were able to travel to the U.S.
Aiden Mould, a junior majoring in American Studies, is from Cambridge, England. There, Mould observes some of the same holidays, but since coming to the U.S., those holidays have taken a different turn.
“Thanksgiving to me was just a boat full of British people leaving Great Britain and founding another nation,” said Mould. “From there, Americans have just ‘done things [for] the greater good’ … This year for Thanksgiving, we all went around a circle and talked about what we were thankful for. I was like, ‘I have no idea what I’m thankful for,’ so I just concluded I’m thankful for having a British accent in America.”
Like Moreira, Mould has seen his share of different holidays. One example is Guy Fawkes Night, a commemoration of the for the famous “Gunpowder Plot” in 1605. On that night, Guy Fawkes was arrested for an assassination attempt on King James I, where explosives were placed beneath the British Parliament.
“On the fifth of November, we celebrate Guy Fawkes Night … Every small town, everywhere in Britain comes together and makes effigies of Guy Fawkes and burns them at the stakes,” Mould said. “It sounds pretty gruesome, but it’s tradition. I assure you.”
Christmas traditions are the same in Cambridge, with Mould’s family exchanging presents. The day after is known as Boxing Day, a second Christmas of sorts, allowing those who were absent for Christmas to join in the fun.
“We do ‘Secret Santa’ at my house,” Mould said. “My brother’s girlfriend last year got me an Alabama hoodie, and I wore it almost every day before I came [here]. Gifts like that are more important than Playstations or iPhones or whatever. It means something.”
Mould won’t be home for Christmas or Boxing Day, but his family will visit to celebrate and travel throughout the states. As a sendoff, he and his roommates will drive through the South, passing through Atlanta and going as far as Cincinnati, with a Christmas dinner as the finale to the semester.
