Year-end in Brazil: the importance of festive rituals

The series “The Map of Religion in Brazil” explores the dimensions of religiosity in the country and its effects on the population. All data were collected and related from studies conducted by the Beliefs and Values Neuroscience group at the D´Or Institute of Research and Education.

Author: Ronald Fischer

Christmas has arrived. In Brazil, this time of year has a special flavor: it’s when routines slow down, homes change their appearance, and everyday life gains small rituals that only make sense because they happen once a year. Setting up the Christmas tree, preparing the feast with family, organizing the secret friend, going to mass, or simply sitting at the table to eat together are simple gestures, but loaded with meaning. A few days later, New Year arrives bringing other equally significant rituals: wearing white, jumping seven waves at the beach, making wishes, hugs at midnight. All of this helps mark time, close cycles, and create a sense of new beginnings.

These rituals do not exist by chance. A series of studies published by our Values and Beliefs Neuroscience Group show the various positive effects of the rituals we perform. They organize our emotions, strengthen bonds, and remind us of who we are and who we can count on. In a diverse country like Brazil, the forms vary, but the core is the same: bringing people together, sharing food, stories, and expectations. The Christmas feast, for example, is not just about what is on the plate. It’s about cooking together, discussing recipes, remembering relatives who are no longer present, and updating bonds that, throughout the year, take a back seat. The same applies to New Year’s preparations, whether tidying up the house, choosing white clothing, or deciding where the transition will be celebrated.

Research in different cultures shows that this type of annual ritual has real effects on well-being and mental health. An international study from our group followed a major festival in India, Diwali, known as the festival of lights. Like our Christmas, it involves days of preparation, cleaning the house, decorating, buying gifts, preparing special foods, and family gatherings. The researchers’ goal was not to compare cultures but to understand the psychological impact of these collective rituals.

WHAT THE DATA REVEAL

The results were clear: during the weeks surrounding the celebration, people felt happier, more connected to each other, and reported fewer health complaints. Interestingly, what made the most difference was not the day of the party itself, but the time spent on preparations. Cleaning the house, decorating, cooking, and doing this with others had a more positive effect than activities more focused on consumption or gift exchange. Where the ritual was more communal and simple, the benefits for well-being were even more evident.

This conclusion directly resonates with our own experiences in Brazil. When we set up the Christmas tree as a family, when we spend hours preparing the feast, or when we organize the New Year’s transition, we are not just “fulfilling a tradition.” We are creating moments of anticipation, cooperation, and shared memory. It is these processes that strengthen bonds and help regulate our emotions, especially during times of fatigue, stress, or uncertainty.

Even in a world where cell phones and social media seem to replace human contact, rituals remain important. These gestures are ways to preserve the feeling of continuity and signal to the brain that something special is happening, that time has been marked, and that we are not alone.

Often, these small rituals at home, with repetitive acts like cleaning cutlery or dishes, help focus our attention and reduce stress and calm anxiety. Singing a song in sync with friends and loved ones helps regulate our heart rate and calms us. Neuroscience can explain how these simple practices have a profound effect on our bodies, promoting greater tranquility and connection with one another.

Christmas and New Year, at their core, are great collective pauses. They allow us to look back, close cycles, and project the future with a little more hope. Valuing these rituals — whether the feast, the tree, the seven waves, or the simple act of sitting at the table together — is not just a cultural or symbolic issue. It is also a concrete way to take care of our mental health and well-being, reinforcing what matters most: the bonds that connect us.

READ SOME OF THE STUDIES FROM THE VALUES AND BELIEFS NEUROSCIENCE GROUP MENTIONED IN THE ARTICLE:

A niche construction model that connects rituals, social networks, and connection to nature

Impacts of synchronized singing and identity fusion on group strength perception, external threat, and parochial altruism among football fans

Emotional contagion in a collective ritual

Dancing for the dead: how prior beliefs influence social cohesion and anxiety regulation in natural collective rituals

Mapping the minds of spectators during an extreme ritual: a network perspective

Kiwi Diwali: a longitudinal study of perceived social connection after a civic religious ritual

How time spent on rituals relates to social bonds, emotions, and perceived health: a longitudinal study of Diwali in two Indian communities