Natal Luz facts for kids
Natal Luz, which means "Christmas of Lights", is a huge annual Christmas festival held in Gramado, Brazil. It started small in 1986 with a concert led by a famous orchestra conductor named Eleazar de Carvalho. Over the years, it has grown to become the biggest Christmas event in all of Brazil!
The Natal Luz festival takes place in Gramado, a city in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Gramado is known as Brazil's Christmas capital, a special title it has held for more than 20 years. About 1.5 million people visit the festival every year. It runs from November 12 to January 13, making it one of the longest Christmas celebrations in the world.
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Exciting Events at Natal Luz
The Natal Luz festival has many amazing events and attractions for everyone to enjoy.
The Magical Christmas Tree
One of the coolest attractions is a giant Christmas tree that makes you feel like you're actually inside it! This magical tree is 99 feet tall. It's decorated with over 3,500 ornaments, 2,600 string lights, and 1,000 flashing strobe lights. It even has a machine that makes artificial snow! The festival also features tree lighting shows, fun contests, games, parades, and even real reindeer. You can also enjoy musical performances and plays, like "The Fantastic Christmas Factory," a musical about a child who sees the wonders of Christmas come to life.
The Nativitaten Show
Many people look forward to the Nativitaten show, which is held right in the middle of the Joaquina Rita Bier Lake. This amazing show includes a floating lights display on the water. Choirs, singers, and Brazilian musicians perform beautiful songs. There are also exciting circus acts, all happening with a fantastic fireworks display in the sky. The show usually has five parts. It tells the story of humanity's journey, from the creation of the world and the birth of Jesus Christ, all the way to a message of hope and salvation.
The Tannenbaumfest Contest
Another popular event is the Tannenbaumfest. In this fun contest, local businesses in Gramado compete to create the most beautiful Christmas tree in the city. These wonderfully decorated trees are placed along Avenida Borges de Medeiros for everyone to see. A group of judges picks the winners, and they are announced at an awards ceremony in December. The trees stay on display until the very end of the Natal Luz festival.
Past Special Moments
The Natal Luz festival has also had some very special events over the years. One of the most memorable happened in 2009. That year, 2,000 people from Gramado worked together to create a huge jigsaw puzzle. This puzzle was made from one million tiny lamps! When the puzzle was finished, everyone celebrated with an amazing fireworks show. More than 10,000 fireworks lit up the sky!
See also
- List of classical music festivals in South America
- List of music festivals in Brazil
- Christmas lights in Medellín
