Spanish Christmas and its traditions

Christmas in Spain is a religious holiday.  In many towns and cities the festivities officially start at the beginning of December when the towns and villages hang the street lights.

The patron of Spain is the virgin Mary and so the Christmas season officially starts of December 8th with 'The Feast of the Immaculate Conception'.

During the season in all Spanish homes you will find a Nativity Scene. The Spanish are very proud of their 'Nacimiento' ( Nativity Scene) and  they are often handed down from generation to generation.

The cow is also venerated at this time as the Spanish believe it was a cow that kept the baby Jesus warm in the stable.

On December the 22nd the 'El Gordo' is drawn. This is the big Christmas lottery. The draw takes place over many hours and the numbers are announced all day. In many towns and villages the people buy a portion of a ticket and whole villages have been known to become lottery winners. There are three main big prizes and thousands of smaller prizes which are won all over Spain.

Christmas Eve is known as 'Noche Buena' (The Good Night) and traditionally children were only given sweets on this night. Now families tend to follow other European countries and the children are given some of their presents.

On this night the family will attend Mass and then go home to their Christmas feast of turkey usually stuffed with truffles. In some areas the festivities will go on all night and include carol singing.

Christmas Day is spent with more feasting and attending Church.

On 28th December comes the celebration of 'Day of the Holy Innocents' and its a bit like 'April Fools Day' in England.

New Years Eve is celebrated at home with family and friends or in bars and restaurants. It is a tradition to eat twelve grapes on the strokes of midnight. Those that manage this (its not as easy as it sounds) are heading for a year of prosperity and good luck.

The next day of celebration is January 5th (Epiphany). Throughout Spain on this day the children look forward to the visit from the Three Kings. In the evening the Kings Parade will visit most towns and sweets are thrown to the children. That night the children stuff their shoes with straw or grass in the hope that the Kings will visit and feed their camels with the contents and in return leave presents. Only good children will receive presents, those that have not been good will only get a lump of coal. Nowadays it is possible to buy a sweet that has been made to look like coal.

January 6th is the Spanish equivalent of our Christmas Day. This is when the children get their presents. Another tradition followed on this day is the 'Roscon de Reyes' (Epiphany Crown). This is a type of bread baked in the shape of a crown. In the crown is a toy and a bean. The person who finds the toy is said to have a lucky year ahead, if you find the bean you must pay for the cake or refund the person who bought it. These cakes can be bought in most bakeries but will need to be ordered in advance as they are very popular.

This may sound as if the Spanish Christmas is one long holiday, but unlike in England where it is often stretched into a two week holiday, in Spain it only means three days off work, Christmas Day, New Years Day and Three Kings, and for many workers in bars and restaurants, work continues as usual.

The English influence over Christmas can be seen in all holiday towns and resorts. A few years ago it would have been difficult if not impossible to find a Christmas Tree, now they are readily available. The biggest change however, has been that the children now expect two lots of presents, not only has this changed Christmas for the Spanish but now all English children living in Spain look forward to January 6th and the extra presents from the Three Kings.

In Fuerteventura, many of the Bars and Restaurants will be open on Christmas day serving Christmas lunches to the hungry tourists and residents. Turkey and all the trimmings can be found even at the last minute. In Spanish bars suckling pig, goat and fish are all available but some may require ordering in advance.