Christmas in Spain. Our traditions and celebrations What excitement! We are already in the Christmas season and those beautiful days begin to be spent with family and friends. Do you want to know what Christmas is like in Spain? In this article I tell you about all our traditions and
What an illusion! We are already in the christmas time and those beautiful days begin to be spent with the family and friends.
Do you want to know what the Christmas in Spain?
In this article I tell you about all our traditions and celebrations.
Stay because it's going to be very interesting.
Let's get to it!
We Spaniards love this time of year and we give it a lot of importance.
we have many Christmas customs and traditions in Spain.
There are many charming cities at Christmas in Spain. These are some recommendations of places in Spain to spend Christmas:
why Valencia? There are many reasons. For example, if you are looking to spend Christmas on the beach in Spain, Valencia is a great option, as the winters here are mild and there is plenty of sun.
Another great reason to come here is that our school is located in Valencia: Hispania, Spanish school. 😎
where is there snow at Christmas in Spain?
If you are looking for snow, in many regions in the center and north of the country it usually snows in winter, although snow usually comes in the months of January or February.
One of the great customs are christmas lights.
When it is Christmas in Spain, many streets and avenues are decorated with these colored lights that illuminate the cities at night and decorate the Christmas trees in Spain.
Inside their homes, people also decorate their living rooms with these lights to feel the magic of Christmas.
In our article on Christmas vocabulary in Spanish, We review in detail the main christmas decorations to decorate our house.
Do you remember them?
Come on, I'll tell you some: Christmas tree, Christmas wreath, holly, candle, boot, Nativity scene...
We Spaniards really like to put up these decorations to create the Christmas atmosphere.
The business dinners at Christmas They are a classic in Spain.
They are usually made a few days before Christmas Day.
After a year of effort and a lot of work, we can finally have a leisure meeting and fun with our coworkers at a big dinner at a restaurant or event venue.
Is there only one Christmas dinner for the company?
Most likely there are also a good party. 😄
today is December 22.
Do you know that today the draw of the Christmas lottery?
It is broadcast to the public on television and radio.
Since when has this been done?
Well, the first Christmas Lottery in Spain was held in 1812. Imagine if they have been doing it for years!
I'll tell you briefly how it works the lottery Christmas in Spain:
An event is created where some children, the children of San Ildefonso, take the different numbers at random and recite, singing, the prizes awarded to those numbers.
Originally the school of San Ildefonso was a secular school with a very advanced education system, the <<Colegio de los Ninos de la Doctrina>> which was founded in 1543.
Shortly after, it became an orphanage that took in orphaned or disadvantaged children.
It was the children of this center who sang the lottery numbers, thus, in exchange for giving an image of innocence to the draw, they received education.
Although the first Extraordinary Christmas Lottery draw was held in 1812, these children began singing the numbers of the National Lottery in the towns on March 9, 1771, under the reign of Charles III.
Do you know that currently the children who sing El Gordo de Navidad receive gifts from the people who have won?
Right now, people who have bought their ticket You will be eagerly watching the results of the draw, there is always hope of winning one of the big prizes.
And you? Have you won anything? 🤞
In Spain, the christmas eve dinner from December 24 is always celebrated in family.
Starting at seven at night, family members begin to go to the host house to help prepare the big dinner.
On Christmas Eve, a typical question from children to their parents is the following: "This year do we have to go to our uncles' house or do they come to ours?"
Christmas Eve dinner is a Christmas dinner in Spain very special, since it is the first of these great family reunions.
What day is Christmas in Spain?
It's the day December 25.
It's a holiday and you breathe calm and happiness. People gather again with some family members for the christmas food.
In some Valencian families, the elders give a bonus to the younger ones, this little money is called <<you release them>>. It is likely that some family will give it out at Christmas Eve dinner.
The New Year's Eve dinner, or dinner New Year's Eve, takes place December 31 and it is another very important traditional Christmas dinner in Spain.
Again, families get together for a big dinner, although it is also very common to celebrate with friends.
After taking the twelve lucky grapes to start the new year on the right foot, it is common go out to party with friends.
Tonight can also be an excuse to do trips to Spain at Christmas.
Many people take the opportunity to have some christmas holidays in other cities in Spain with friends during the week of New Year's Eve.
On the other hand, there are those who love to take a getaway to nature, renting a rural house in the mountains, for example.
What would you prefer: enjoy the first night of the year in a club with a bunch of people or in the middle of nature with your closest friends?
Is there room in the stomach for more food? 😁
We can make an effort and have a new special food with family or friends to enjoy the first day of the year, on January 1st.
Many times this food is made in restaurants.
If you plan to do so, book well in advance. Otherwise, it will be difficult to get a table.
One of the main peculiarities of Christmas in Spain is the existence of Three Wise Men.
It is children's favorite day and without a doubt the most magical day of Christmas. It is wonderful to see the excitement in the eyes of the children who anxiously and excitedly await the arrival of the Three Kings.
On January 5 is the Twelfth Night. There are horseback riding around the country to receive the Three Wise Men.
The Kings, the pages and all the members of these cavalcades they throw candy to the people. It is very fun to see how quickly people catch the thrown candies. 🍬
These rides They cross the most important streets of each city. In Valencia they usually pass through the historic center. The Three Wise Men finish the parade by going up to the balcony of the Town Hall.
There, the mayor of the city gives them <<the key to the city>> with which they can enter all the houses to leave gifts for the children.
The morning of January 6 It is the happiest moment for Spanish children. It has finally arrived the Three Kings Day.
They wake up early and run to the Christmas tree to open the gifts that the Three Wise Men have left them.
This is the last day of the Christmas season.
So, how long does Christmas last in Spain?
We could say that the Christmas season begins since December 22 with the Christmas Lottery Draw until January 6, which ends with Three Kings Day.
How do you think we say goodbye to Christmas?
With a good meal, how it should be! 😄
Now let's talk about the main Christmas traditions in Spain.
In the Catholic religion, December 25 Christmas Day, commemorates the day on which Jesus Christ was born.
This is usually represented with the Christmas nativity scene and the figures of biblical characters who were there at that time.
The Nativity scene is one of the Christmas symbols par excellence practically since origin of christmas in Spain.
Normally the Spanish buy the Nativity scene with the figures to put it on a table in the living room of your home.
There are also Very large or full-scale nativity scenes that are placed in shopping centers or on the street itself.
In Valencia they usually set up some of this type and they are very beautiful.
A Nativity scene must necessarily have these elements:
There may be more elements: more animals, houses, a river, trees, etc.
The more complete it will be, the more spectacular it will be.
Another essential element that you will see anywhere and in any house will be the christmas tree. 🎄
When is the Christmas tree put up and taken down in Spain?
In homes, the normal thing would be to put it on in mid-December and remove it on January 6.
In the most touristic places in each province and in the most beautiful towns in Spain at Christmas, a large illuminated tree.
In addition to the tree, in these squares they usually set up Christmas markets.
In Valencia, every year in the heart of the town hall square, a large Christmas tree attracts people's attention and illuminates the Valencian nights.
now you know to where to go for Christmas in Spain. 😉
On the night of December 24, this nice chubby and bearded man comes from the polar Arctic with his magical reindeer to deliver the gifts to the Spanish.
Where do you put the gifts? Santa Claus?
If you read the article Christmas vocabulary in Spanish you must know it.
Come, take a look and tell me the answer in the comments. 😉
Who brings Christmas gifts in Spain?
The truth is thatwe received the gifts twice.
The first time with Santa Claus on December 25 and the second time with the Three Wise Men on January 6.
How lucky we Spaniards are! ✌️
Among the Christmas characters in Spain, the Three Wise Men They are probably the most popular.
Do you know who they are?
They are called Melchior, Gaspar and Baltasar and they come to Spain on January 5 from different parts of the world.
Your mission?
Give gifts to children who have written the letter to them. Of course, only if they have behaved well throughout the year.
Before we have talked about the typical foods of Spain at Christmas on the most important dates.
But exactly what is eaten at Christmas in Spain?
Let's see it.
If you want to have a Christmas meal in Spain, take note.
We warn you that all of these foods are delicious and you may get very hungry while reading. 🍴
The main foods of Christmas in Spain are seafood.
I'll give you some of the ones we eat the most:
Of course, the meat can't be missed.
The most common thing is to prepare roast meat baked with lamb, turkey, suckling pig or beef.
Some families also do meat with filling inside.
This filling can be cheese, vegetables, salmon, pâté... practically anything you want.
Get creative! A delicious dish is sure to come out.
The most typical fish at Christmas are sea bream, sea bass and salmon baked.
Have you ever tried a salmon pie?
It is eaten cold, with bread, egg, oil and many other ingredients... it is finger-licking good. 😗✌
The truth is that the vegetables They are not the main food of typical Christmas meals in Spain.
But there may also be a place for them at the table, of course!
There are lots of very healthy recipes for Christmas that they have asparagus, carrots, peppers, broccoli, endives and more vegetables as the main ingredient.
¿Fruits at Christmas?
We eat them too! Especially for the dessert:
The most typical fruits at Christmas time are mandarins, pomegranates, apples, oranges, pineapples or grapes.
What if we make a delicious apple pie?
It is one of the typical Christmas desserts in Spain.
In the after-dinner Christmas it is obligatory to take out a plate with nougats for the guests.
This typical sweet is cooked with honey or sugar, egg and almonds. The result is a very hard rectangular tablet. You must have very well-trained teeth to eat the original nougat.
Today, there are many other types of nougat: chocolate, white chocolate, yolk...
Which is your favorite?
Other typical Christmas sweets are Polvorones and mantecados.
They are made withbutter, sugar, almonds and flour.
How are they different?
Polvorones are softer and melt in the mouth.
The mantecados are a little crunchier, like a cookie.
There are also others flavors like chocolate, wine or lemon.
The marzipans It is another of the recipes for typical Christmas sweets in Spain.
They are cooked with a dough of potatoes, almonds and sugar.
They are smaller and harder than the Polvorones.
They have soooo much sugar.
On January 6, we Spaniards eat the roscón de Reyes.
It is a sweet bread filled with cream, chocolate or cream. It is circular in shape with a hole in the middle..
To give you an idea, it would be like a donut giant stuffed inside. 😗
It also has candied or candied fruit with sugar.
Inside, it keeps different surprises:
And what about the drink? We haven't said anything about her.
The classic drink to accompany and digest Christmas cominolas is wine.
In Spain, we have many types of wine and many brands: La Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Requena wine…
If you like good wine, I encourage you to try them all because they have a very good reputation.
The dig It is another type of wine. It has foam and is also of Spanish origin. It is very typical at important Christmas lunches and dinners.
And this has been all. In this article we have told you what is done at Christmas in Spain: how we celebrate it, what our traditions are, what we eat and other curiosities about Christmas in Spain.
Do you know that in the spanish courses in person or in online Spanish courses of Hispania, Spanish school you will be able learn spanish while you live the best Christmas in Spain?
You will learn Spanish with expert native teachers and classmates from all over the world.
What did you think of the article? Is there anything that has caught your attention in our way of celebrating Christmas?
Tell us in comments! 😉
Article written by Carlos Martinez for Hispania, Spanish school
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