January 5 is a very exciting day for the youngest members of a Spanish family. For many, January 1 is a day to sleep in and recover from the night before. During the last 12 seconds of the year, everyone eats 12 grapes so that luck will be on their side for the whole year to come.Īfter midnight, the new year begins and people go out to celebrate it in style. People gather in plazas or homes to eat the 12 uvas de la suerte ( 12 lucky grapes). While Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) is celebrated as a family, Nochevieja (New Year’s Eve) is celebrated with friends.Īfter dinner and time for socializing, Spaniards spend the final moments before the clock strikes midnight preparing to ring in the new year. We’ve finally made it to December 31, the last day of the year. On this day, don’t believe everything you see or hear - chances are good that somebody’s pulling your leg. Today, it is celebrated as a kind of Spanish April Fool’s Day when people play pranks ( bromas o inocentadas) on each other. This is another Catholic tradition that has evolved over time and been adapted to the modern world. On December 28, Spain celebrates el Día de los Santos Inocentes (Holy Innocents’ Day). The streets fill with children trying out their new roller skates, bikes, and remote control cars.Įven after December 25, there are still plenty of Spanish Christmas traditions to uphold before the end of the year. Especially in families with young children, this day is a time to show find out what Papá Noel brought everyone. Some regions of Spain have their own traditions: in the Basque Country, it’s Olentzero who leaves the gifts, while children from Cataluña and Aragón receive gifts from Tió de Nadal.Īt this point, Christmas has only just begun! December 25 is Christmas Day.Įven after the enormous Christmas Eve dinner, on Christmas Day the family comes together to eat again, but not as much as the night before. In many homes, especially ones with children, Nochebuena is a very exciting night: it’s when Santa Claus (in Spanish, Papá Noel) brings gifts to all the children who have been good during the year. Church-goers celebrate the birth of the Son of God by singing famous and traditional Christmas carols accompanied by guitars, hand drums, and tambourines. Usually, members of the extended family gather around a feast of meat, wine, typical foods not eaten at other times of the year, and all kinds of desserts.įor devout Catholics, there’s an important event after dinner: it’s time to go to a special midnight mass called the Misa del Gallo. Once the lottery prizes have been announced, the holidays have officially started, and everyone starts making final preparations for the big celebrations.Ĭhristmas Eve, or Nochebuena in Spanish, is celebrated on December 24 and is generally a family affair. In the months leading up to this event, many Spaniards buy lottery tickets and wait to see if their number will be lucky that year. That’s the day the winning numbers of the hugely popular Spanish Christmas Lottery are drawn and announced in song by schoolchildren on live TV. CHRISTMAS IN SPANISHĪlthough Christmas Eve isn’t until December 24, Christmas always comes to Spain a few days early, on December 22. But the holiday season doesn’t end there! January 6 is a very important holiday in Spain called el Día de los Tres Reyes Magos (known in English as Epiphany or Three Kings’ Day). December 31 is New Year’s Eve, or Nochevieja in Spanish, the time to say goodbye to the year that’s coming to an end and welcome the new year. According to Catholic tradition, Christmas is celebrated on December 25 in honor of the day Jesus was born. Spanish holidays are a mixture of Christian and pagan traditions. During this time of the year, everyone strives to fill their days with happiness, joy, and family harmony, although some are more successful than others. Each year between December 24 and January 6, Spain comes alive to celebrate Christmas, or Navidad in Spanish.
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