The main meal is eaten on the 24th of December, traditionally at midnight, and often includes a large bacalhau (cod) dish, turkey, and salad. 

Of course the archetypal 'salgados' (savoury snacks) and feijoada (black-bean stew) are always included in the menu, as is a rich and sumptuous dessert.

Each region of Rio de Janeiro state has its own unique way to celebrate the important Christian commemoration of the birth of Jesus - In petrópolis, canarinhos choir plays in the morning in the Paróquia do Sagrado Coração de Jesus and in cabo frio the Presbyterian Church hosts a concert of violin and harp in the evening, while churches and cathedrals across the state run mass on the 24th and 25th.