Rather refreshingly, Spain doesn't seem to start gearing up for
Christmas until they get into the month of December. It's not
the huge commercial circus that it is in the US and the UK; the
lights and decorations won't be seen until the start of December
and gradually Christmas markets start to appear and trees can be
bought in the streets.
It's also worth noting that Spain is largely a Roman catholic
nation so the festivities still hold important religious
connotations, the first date of note is December 8th, Immaculada
(the Feast of the Immaculate Conception), this really kicks of
the start of the religious celebrations. The holiday period
really begins on December 22nd when all of Spain tunes into the
television or radio to hear the results of "El Gordo", a huge
lottery draw that will see thousands of prizes dished out to
winners from across the country.
Christmas Eve is a huge family day in Spain and is known as
"Nochebuena". A massive meal will be prepared for what is the
biggest feast of the year and the most important family
gathering. Fish and shellfish are usually consumed to start
with, followed by a roast such as lamb or a suckling pig and
desert is the traditional marzipan or Turrón (an almond based
sweet very popular in Spain). Cava is typically the drink of
choice at this time of year. It is also customary for adults to
exchange their presents on "Nochebuena" and although the kids
may get a small gift, they will have to wait until they get
their presents. After the dinner the majority of people will
then go to midnight mass, known in Spain as "La Misa de gallo"
(the Mass of the Rooster).
Every town, church and, very often, home will have a "Belen" (a
nativity scene) at this time of year and some are extremely
large and impressive. Sometimes they will be set up in a town
square with real actors to form a life-sized recreation of the
nativity. These scenes form an important part of the Christmas
celebrations to Spaniards and are repeated throughout much of
Latin America.
Christmas Day itself is one of the quietest of the year in
Spain. As in most of the western world it is a public holiday
and all shops, banks etc will be shut for the day, more and more
families now observe the tradition of going out to a restaurant
for a meal. There certainly isn't a great deal in the way of
unbridled celebration as tend to be the case in the UK and US.
The kids don't even receive their presents on this day, for that
they have to wait until January 6th, Epiphany, when the three
kings brought their gifts to Christ. Rather than Santa, it's the
three Kings who are the heroes and in particular, Balthasar, who
is said to leave them their presents. Traditional cakes called
"Rosca de Reyes" are typically eaten on this day. Much like
putting coins in Christmas pudding in England, the cakes are
baked with plastic charms in them and are said to foretell a
lucky year for those who find them.
|
