In Venezuelan cuisine, an hallaca (alt. spelling, "hayaca") is a mixture of beef, pork, capers, raisins, and olives wrapped in maize (cornmeal dough) bound within plantain leaves with string and steamed afterwards. It is typically served during the Christmas holiday. Hallacas are also known in the eastern part of Colombia with a similar recipe.

Roman Catholic deacon chanting the Exsultet beside the Paschal candle during the Easter Vigil.
In the Roman Catholic tradition the service normally consists of four parts:

