Although the basic idea of Christmas is the same everywhere it is celebrated, each country puts its own spin on the season. In the blog below, we will look at four traditions that make up Christmas in Spain.
Festive meals
In the UK, we have one Christmas dinner – but food dominates the season in Spain. Like a lot of European countries, the central meal is eaten on Christmas Eve rather than Christmas Day. It will consist of starters like seafood or Iberico ham, followed by a main course of roast turkey or meat. Dessert options include Epiphany cake, shortbread, marzipan and Turron.
El Gordo
One part of the Spanish Christmas that is very different to ours is El Gordo. This is what they call a special Christmas Lottery that is held every year. The number of people across Spain who enter it is enormous and the grand draw is shown live on television on 22 December. An unusual aspect of this lottery is that children sing the winning numbers.
The visit of the Three Wise Men
This takes place on 6 January, and the Wise Men come bearing gifts for children. Youngsters write letters to them with preferred gifts – much like our children do with Santa Claus.
Christmas lights
This is one element of the Spanish festive season that is the same as ours. The cities and towns are festooned with spectacular string and cluster lights in a range of bright colours. It makes for a glorious sight.
You may want to visit Spain over Christmas to experience these traditions for yourself.
