For a Christmas tradition in Venezuela, shopkeepers also decorate small piggy banks so customers can tip over the holidays.
Caracas – Not only the tree is decorated for Christmas in Venezuela – also the piggy bank. During the Christmas season, shop owners in the South American country set up piggy banks in their shops and stalls.
Customers should deposit a Christmas tip in it. The “Christmas pigs” are available in different designs and are individually decorated. This turns some into a pig Santa Claus or a superhero, others just become colorful.
Paying and receiving Christmas bonuses is just as much a part of the holidays in Venezuela as the traditional dishes pan de jamón – bread filled with ham – and hallaca – filled corn dough wrapped in banana leaves. In view of the extremely high inflation in the crisis country, however, even a well-filled pig is unlikely to bring much purchasing power at the moment. dpa