How do you celebrate Christmas in Spain?
Christmas is also a big and important family festival in Spain. However, the way the Spaniards celebrate this festival differs through many traditions from our way of celebrating Christmas. Do you know the big Christmas lottery "Sorteo extraordinario de Navidad" or the Spanish Christmas specialty "Turron"? Find out here how Christmas is organized in Spain.
What you need:
- Tickets for the Christmas lottery
- Nativity scene
- Turron (Christmas dessert)
- Ume of fate
- Shoes, straw and water for the camels
- Rosco de Reyes
The Christmas lottery - the starting shot for Christmas in Spain
If you want to celebrate Christmas traditionally in Spain, you absolutely have to take part in the Christmas lottery.
- For the biggest lottery in the world world you have to buy tickets like all Spaniards traditionally, it is the starting signal for Christmas in Spain.
- Everyone there also follows the public drawing on the radio or on television.
The 24th December - "Noche Buena" - Christmas in Spain
- Instead of our usual Christmas tree, the nativity scene is the symbol of Christmas in Spain.
- A lavish festive meal is served on Christmas Eve in Spain and the turron, the Christmas sweet pastry, is a must. It consists of roasted almonds, honey, sugar and eggs.
- After dinner, the ume of fate comes on the table - full of small gifts and rivets. One guest moves after the other until each guest receives a present.
Spanish Christmas dinner and other traditions
The Christmas season begins in Spain with a special lottery drawing. Instead of …
The 28th January - An important date for Christmas in Spain
- The day of the innocent children was originally a reminder of the child murders ordered by Herod. In Spanish it is called "Dia de los Inocentes".
- On this day, Christmas is celebrated in Spain just like the 1. April, all day long, funny pranks are played on other people.
The 5th January - the wise men move into Christmas Spain
- On this day, many nativity scenes take place in Spanish villages, with the entry of the wise men as the main attraction.
- For the 5th January also includes a big Christmas parade in Spain.
- The children receive sweets from the kings.
- On the eve of Epiphany, the children provide shoes, straw and water for the camels (similar to how they do it with their boots for Santa Claus).
The 6th January - the real Christmas in Spain
- Unlike in Germany, one celebrates on 6. January the high point of Christmas in Spain.
- The actual giving of presents takes place in Spain on March 6th. January and only then does Christmas peak in Spain.
- There is also a big feast on this day. The dessert is served with the “Roscos de Reyes” - a ring-shaped cake in which a figure has been hidden. If you find this figure in your piece of cake, you are king for one day.
How helpful do you find this article?
