3. The main decorations in Spain are the Christmas trees,
The Navity scenes, and the Christmas flowers.
Traditional decorations:
4. 22nd of December is a special day. The most popular
Christmas Spanish lottery is celebrated that day. The
main prize is ‘El Gordo de Navidad’.
Christmas lottery:
5. 24th December is Christmas Eve, ‘Nochebuena’ there
is a big dinner with our families. Also, the Spanish
King, gives a speech.
2014
speech
Important dates:
6. On 25th December there is another big meal with
families.
At night, for some years, Santa Claus ‘Papá Noel’ gives
you a present, although the main presents are on
6th January when the Three Wise Men come.
7. On 31st of December, ‘Nochevieja’ there is another
great dinner.
At midnight we often celebrate this festival in the squares
with music and food.
9. On the 6th January there is another lunch with all the
family to exchange presents which the Three Wise Men
have left.
10.
11. Christmas meals:
Christmas dinner (24 December): all the families gets
together, it's always a very hearty dinner consisting of a
starter, main course, dessert and a lot of sweets as
nougat and marzipan.
12. Starters: Prawns and shrimp are usual.
Main course: some meat as lamb, pork, turkey, stuffing, ...
The next day is common to continue meetings and family
meals, the most common is the Christmas meal at noon.
13. New Year's Eve (December 31): It opens the year with
fireworks, feasts and celebrations and typical 12 strokes
accompanied by 12 lucky grapes are brought from ‘La
Puerta del Sol’ in Madrid.
14. The Three Wise Men’s Day (January 6): A typical
sweet that day is the King cake, ‘Roscón de reyes’,
dried fruit cake bearing shaped rubies that adorned the
robes of the Three Wise Men. All eaten with the hope of
finding hidden surprises and be crowned king/queen of
the home or be destined to pay this sweet the next
year.
15. In the rest of the day we usually eat ham and drink good
Spanish wines, white and red. The wishes are often
toasted with champagne or cider.
The sweets are usually made with almonds, honey, sugar,
chocolate and fruit. The star is usually the nougat.
Other traditional desserts are shaped marzipan
figurines, the cakes and shortbread.
16.
17. TRADITIONAL CHRISTMASMUSIC IN
SPAIN:
Christmas carols are called ‘villancicos’ in Spain. They are songs
that are sung during this celebration, especially by children. They are the
main characters of these festivals. The Spanish families gather to
eat and enjoy singing carols near the Christmas tree.
Originally, the carols are sung in any religious festival, but over the
time they have become only Christmas songs, as we know and are sung
today.
Examples of carols:
Campana sobre campana: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-
RpCYGqWzc
Los peces en el río: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=3oxdXV7eA3Q
