La temporada navideña en España
What is the holiday season like in Spain?
December 16, 2024
Do you ever wonder how the Christmas season is spent in other, Christian parts of the world? This week students in Spanish class will explore how the unique traditions of Spain shape the holiday season into one that reflects on nativity, celebrates gift giving and shenanigans, and prepares them for the upcoming year. Here’s a look into what EJSHS students will learn about this week while studying the holiday season in Spain.
Nativity scenes are a big deal in Spain. They’re usually erected on December 1 and are typically life-sized renditions of Biblical portrayals of Joseph, Mary, and Baby Jesus’s birth and life. They’re displayed in store windows and include a lot of intricate details. It’s seen as an honor to those people who get to participate (pose) in nativity scenes.
The unofficial/official kickoff party for the winter holiday season is the Christmas Lottery, held every December 22. It is thought to be the biggest lottery in the world, giving away around one billion euros each year. The drawing is broadcast live on tv (similar to our weekly lottery drawings) and groups of friends and coworkers often buy tickets and attend the drawing together.
On Christmas day, one or two small gifts might be opened, but the majority of time is spent as a family, eating and drinking and celebrating the religious aspects of the day. It is also common for kids to visit their neighbors and sing songs to them in exchange for a sweet treat like hard or soft nougat popular throughout Spain.
New Year’s Eve in Spain is celebrated in a unique way. Friends and family meet in homes or attend celebrations in the town squares of bigger cities. At midnight people engage in eating grapes. Legend has it that anyone who can eat twelve grapes will have good luck all next year–one grape for each month. Each person is supposed to eat a grape for each time the bell tolls.
The real fun begins, as far as gift-giving, on the Day of the Epiphany, or el día de los reyes Magos. On January 5, parades are on display in Spanish cities. Those on floats dress as the Three Wise Men and throw out candy to families watching the procession. The next day, January 6, is the official day for big quantities of gifts and they are los reyes Magos, not Santa Claus, who make a magical appearance in the homes throughout Spain to shower children with gifts of food and toys.
As students in Spanish classes prepare for finals and impending family time this week, it is Señora Hall’s hope that they ponder the unique ways cultural celebrations in Spain signify the coming of another year and celebrate the pinnacle holiday for Christians in the world.
