As I am writing these lines, on December 22, the Spanish Christmas is about to begin. It is unofficially but generally accepted as the date that sets the starting signal for the Christmas celebrations. So now: Feliz Navidad! Merry Christmas to all of you!
The day begins at 9:00 am, together with the start of the Christmas lottery drawing (sorteo de lotería de Navidad) in Teatro Real in Madrid. The children of San Ildefonso school are, as usual, ready to give away the most important prize of the Spanish national lottery, el Gordo (“the fat one”) which, in figures means 4.000.000 euro to one number. This event is broadcast by all the main TV channels in the country and also followed on the radio by millions of Spaniards holding-their-breath.
Those who won today have a reason to party. Those who did not also have ahead several days of celebration to put themselves together. December 24 is what we call Nochebuena (Good Night) and, although it is a workday, most of the people will be showing their Christmas spirit from morning. It is not uncommon to start drinking around the midday with friends and colleagues.
The Nochebuena dinner is the most important event of the holiday in most Spanish households. Still most people would gather with their relatives around a more-than-well-supplied table at home, while bars and restaurants are, in general, closed. But not for long: we are in Southern Spain after all, many people go out partying after the dinner! Others, the most traditional ones, would go to church and attend the Midnight Mass or Misa del Gallo (“Mass of the Rooster”).
The presence of Santa Claus (here Papá Nöel) is widely spread nowadays in most of the Spanish territory, but if you are in the Basque Country, you will not see reindeers, bright stars or any white bearded old man dressed in red. They have their own traditions, more connected to country life as it used to be in the olden days.
In Euskadi, the holiday begins on December 21, on the Saint Thomas’s Day, with country-style open markets all over the region. Children go to school in their traditional country outfit, the baserritarra costume (baserri is the name for the country house o caserío; baserritarras are the people who live in it). Following this fidelity to rural traditions, children will not receive presents from Santa, but from Olentzero, a drunken old charcoal dealer who lives in the mountains and comes down to the village on December 24. On the evening of this day, we can see street parades with Olentzero along the main Basque cities, Olentzero being incarnated by a real person or represented by a figure that will be afterwards burnt in a fire. This outcome shows the connection of Olentzero and the winter solstice, when the long cold winter days are left behind and the new season begins.
If you happen to be in Catalonia, you will see completely different things during Christmas holiday, like the Tió de Nadal (“the Christmas Log”). The most extended practice is getting home a log or thick branch at the beginning of the month, feed him food every day and cover him with a blanket so he does not get cold. When the Nochebuena arrives, the children of the house hit the tió with sticks while they shout at him “¡Caga, tió!” asking him–literally–to “shit out” candy and presents.
But the Catalonian love for scatology does not end here. They have their own contribution to the nativity scene which consist of a figure of a payès (Catalonian peasant) pooping in the surroundings of the stable in Bethlehem. This figure would be placed in a hidden spot in the Nativity setting so visitors must try to find him. The tradition of the caganer (“the shitter”) seems to go back until the XVII century but it became largely popular in the 1800s. Despite the controversial opinions about this character, it has continued to be an important element of the Catalonian Christmas. In the last few years it is common to give the caganers faces of current politicians, famous sportsmen or other celebrities, and these figures have become real collector pieces.
Catalonians will continue their celebrations through December 26 (San Esteve Day), which is a holiday in this region but not in the rest of Spain. People gather once more around the table, this time to eat cannelloni made of the leftovers from the previous banquets.
A couple of days later, on December 28, we celebrate el Día de los Santos Inocentes, which is practically the equivalent of the April fools’ day in the sense that it is the opportunity to make jokes on everyone and call them “innocent” in a funny way. What is officially commemorated on this day is a sad Biblical story: the killing of all children under two years old in the area of Bethlehem by the king Herod.
And after several days of normal life after the Christmas, we arrive to the last night of the year or Nochevieja (Old Night). Anything goes on New Year’s Eve: gathering with the family again, going out for dinner in a restaurant or spending the night with friends in a countryside cottage. It is definitely the busiest night of the year when it comes to partying and drinking, but only after midnight. At exactly 00:00 every single Spaniard will be eating the twelve luck grapes (las uvas de la suerte), tradition that goes back to around the year 1880. According to one theory, this practice originated in Alicante, whose farmers popularized it as a way to market the leftovers of their grape harvest. A good Spanish way to end up the night (or start the New Year’s day morning) is to take chocolate con churros while the sun is rising.
After the New Year’s Day the Christmas spirit has almost completely faded, being replaced by the promises of becoming a regular at the gym and losing those three extra kilos before March. But there is still something more to celebrate. On January 5, we will welcome the Three Wise Men (Los Reyes Magos) with a big street parade for children and adults. During the night these three men from the East are bringing presents for all well-behaved children. Those who did not behave during the year will get only sugar charcoal. El Día de Reyes breakfast is served with roscón de reyes, a delicious big brioche ring topped with dried fruits that hides a couple of tiny figures inside the dough. All for good luck for the New Year…
Author: Rosario Mérida
