A Spanish Christmas

A Spanish Christmas is no trifling thing! And whether you are traveling to Spain as a tourist or decide to move to this sunny happy place, there are useful things to find out about the winter celebrations and the local traditions that make Christmas and the New Year’s Eve here one of the most beautiful and colorful experiences.

In Mediterranean cultures (among which we count Spain as well), family is the core value, the essence and nucleus of society. Therefore, holidays are a wonderful time for the fmily to gather and enjoy quality time together.

Of all the holidays in the calendar, Christmas is a fundamentally family-related holiday. It is called Navidad. On Christmas Eve (Nochebuena), people have a wonderful dinner together. Sweets follow this culinary delight, with the traditional turron, an irresistible mixture of honey and almonds.

Many Spaniards are profoundly religious, devout Catholic Christians, so at midnight on the night between the 24th and the 25th of December, they go to church to celebrate the Birth of Baby Jesus.

Traditions are rich in Spain: apart from decorating the Christmas Tree and giving presents (and the red coated Santa Claus), in some regions in Spain, the Caga Tio or Tio de Nadal is organized. The Tio is a small wooden trunk that kids beat with a stick to get sweets and cookies – a sort of Pinata.

The 1st of January is celebrated in family as well, but also with friends.

But apart from the common Western celebrations of Christmas and New Year’s Eve, Spain has celebrations of its own. The night between the 5th and the 6th of January, they celebrate the Reyes Magos (the Three Wise Men). This is a particularly happy celebration for children, who impatiently look forward to receiving wonderful gifts before going back to school.

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