As all the women work together in the soup kitchen, we asked what they were planning to cook on Christmas Eve. And of course all of them answered empanadas!
Lucia explained that of course everybody wants to have a special meal that evening but for some of them it’s not affordable. However, they try their best to cook a dinner that they wouldn’t have daily.
Lucrecia will have a parilla – an Argentinian barbecue – in addition to the empanadas. Linda told me that she wants to make a simple salad as it'll surely be very hot on Christmas day. That’s the reason why they also buy enough to drink! After the meal she will have a coffee and some MATE with her son and his family for the end of a nice evening.

We – the volunteers at Voluntario Global – spent our Christmas at the beach in Mar del Plata. And we can say that we experienced Christmas in Argentina exactly as the women told me! The streets were nearly empty. We could see through the windows how the families came together for a special Christmas dinner and celebrated this day. At midnight, on Christmas Eve, this special day was completed with a loud firework over the rooftops of Mar del Plata.