SPANISH CHRISTMAS

Unlike many other places in Europe, Christmas lights do not go up in Spain until December. Every town and city will decorate the streets. Christmas markets also begin to appear. Christmas trees are on sale everywhere and gypsies begin to sell Christmas trees in the streets.

Spain has many of its own unique traditions, all of which are great fun.

22nd December - All over Spain people never stray far from a TV or radio as the Christmas lottery is drawn over a period of many hours. Everybody in Spain buys tickets for this lottery in the hope of winning El Gordo (the fat one) and the winning number usually means that a good number of people from the same village become a lot better off overnight. Besides the big three prizes there are thousands of smaller prizes shared by people all over Spain.

Christmas Eve is celebrated more so than Christmas Day. The family gathers together in the grandparents' home, alternating grandparents from one year to another, but all the women and many of the men help in the preparation of the evening meal - a veritable feast - which begins about 10 p.m. and can go on until the small hours. Some sing carols around the crib of the nativity scene which remains without the baby until the stroke of midnight. Other families go to midnight Mass but many in modern-day Spain watch the Christmas programmes on TV while washing down Christmas sweetmeats of Turron (nougat) and mantecas (a range of butter-based biscuits) with Cava after their meal.
After the meal the adults will then exchange presents. The children will usually only receive a small gift.

Every town and most churches will have a 'belen' which is a nativity display. Some of them are very impressive and can cover massive areas. Some are animated and illuminated and draw huge crowds.

Christmas Day is a fiesta day so all banks and shops are closed, probably to recover from the night before. Christmas Day in Spain is one of the quietest of the year. Anyone wanting to eat out on this special day will have to book well in advance.

28th December - This is the day of Santos Inocentes (Holy Innocents) and is the equivalent of April Fools' Day when people play practical jokes on one another. Often the national media will include a nonsense story in their broadcasts. In some villages youngsters of a village light bonfires and one of them acts as the mayor who orders townspeople to carry out civic tasks such as sweeping the streets. Refusal to comply results in fines which are used to pay for the celebration.


New Year's Eve is big in Spain and on New Year's Eve it is the tradition to wear red underwear but they have to be bought for you by someone else. Most towns organise street parties with entertainment and firework displays that last all night. Most bars and restaurants are open for private parties only. There will be music and dancing and the wearing of the usual party outfits. At the stroke of midnight it is tradition to eat 12 grapes - one on each stroke of the clock to bring good luck for the new year. The grapes are a late variety from Vinalopó near Alicante.


6th January - This is the Feast of the Epiphany when the Three Kings arrived in Bethlehem. For Spanish children this is the most important day of the year when they wake up to find that Los Reyes Magos (the Three Kings) have left gifts for them in their house. Santa may leave them a token gift on 25th but the Three Kings are their favourites, especially Baltasar who rides a donkey and is the one believed to leave the gifts. During the day of 6th the Three Kings continue their good work and are seen distributing gifts to children in hospitals all over Spain.

The day after receiving their gifts children return to school, their parents go back to work and Christmas in Spain is all over for another year.

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