{"id":2896,"date":"2011-12-06T09:59:01","date_gmt":"2011-12-06T08:59:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/taylorwimpeyspain.com\/?p=2371"},"modified":"2012-06-04T08:33:18","modified_gmt":"2012-06-04T08:33:18","slug":"christmas-in-spain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/taylorwimpeyspain.com\/blog\/christmas-in-spain\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas in Spain"},"content":{"rendered":"

Christmas is all but upon us. A time for traditions, celebration, gifts and, above all, joy. Come and spend Christmas in Spain and discover how we celebrate here, with the day of the \u201cSantos Inocentes\u201d (28th December, with April Fools\u2019 style tricks), living cribs, family dinners, Three Kings\u2019 parades, New Year\u2019s grapes\u2026 A host of customs that you will love and will ensure the most exciting of holidays.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Christmas<\/a><\/p>\n

Should you decide to spend you Christmas in Spain you will find a country transformed. At this time of year, all the streets and shops here are decorated with coloured lights and Christmas trees, and the cities are filled with bustle and happiness. Would you like to know which celebrations are not to be missed, and everything that you can do? Take note.<\/p>\n

Dates not to be missed<\/h2>\n

The first special date is\u00a022 December<\/strong>\u00a0with the draw for the\u00a0Christmas Lottery<\/strong>\u00a0– almost everyone in Spain takes part and prizes are celebrated in style out in the streets. The next big days are definitely the most family-oriented and are\u00a024 and 25 December<\/strong>:\u00a0Christmas Eve and Christmas Day<\/strong>. Normally, families get together for dinner and lunch on these two days, and prepare\u00a0traditional dishes<\/strong>\u00a0such as\u00a0lamb<\/strong>\u00a0andsea bream<\/strong>\u00a0along with seasonal\u00a0desserts<\/strong>\u00a0such as\u00a0turr\u00f3n<\/strong>\u00a0(rich sweet made with almonds),\u00a0polvorones<\/strong>(crumbly shortbread) and\u00a0marzipan<\/strong>. You can find these delicious menus at a large number of restaurants and hotels across Spain, and discover the country\u2019s gastronomy in the best way possible. You may also be interested in attending\u00a0Midnight Mass<\/strong>\u00a0on Christmas Eve, very popular amongst Catholics to commemorate the birth of Jesus.<\/p>\n

\"Christmas<\/a><\/p>\n

The most entertaining day comes on\u00a028 December<\/strong>\u00a0with the\u00a0Day of the Santos Inocentes<\/strong>, when people play pranks similar to those of April Fools\u2019 Day. For this, the best thing is to buy novelty items at street markets such as the one at\u00a0Plaza Mayor Square<\/strong>\u00a0in\u00a0Madrid<\/strong>. People say goodbye to the year with the\u00a0New Year\u2019s Eve<\/strong>\u00a0celebrations on\u00a031 December<\/strong>. To get involved, don\u2019t forget to buy 12 grapes in advance. Why? According to Spanish tradition, everyone has to eat one grape in time with the striking of the clock at midnight. If you manage to eat them all on time, you will have a New Year full of luck. Although the New Year is broadcast on television, you will have an amazing time if you head for the main squares of towns and cities, normally the location of their clock towers. One of the most emblematic places to experience the celebration? Following the clock at\u00a0Puerta del Sol Square<\/strong>\u00a0in Madrid. There you will find thousands of people decked out with hats and squawkers joyfully toasting and welcoming in the New Year. Later on you can join one of the many parties held until dawn at hotels, bars and clubs throughout Spain.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

To ensure smiles on the children\u2019s faces at Christmas, nothing better than the\u00a0Three Kings Parade<\/strong>\u00a0held on5 January<\/strong>, the day before the feast of the Three Kings. In Spain it is the three Wise Men of the East, Melchoir, Caspar and Balthazar, who bring Christmas presents to children who have been good. Three Kings Parades, with their page-boys, camels and all kinds of weird and wonderful characters, make their way though the streets of villages, towns and cities all over Spain, to then leave gifts and toys at the houses. They are all spectacular, but special mention should be made of the one in\u00a0Alcoi<\/strong>, in the province of\u00a0Alicante<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Christmas is all but upon us. A time for traditions, celebration, gifts and, above all, joy. Come and spend Christmas in Spain and discover how we celebrate here, with the day of the \u201cSantos Inocentes\u201d (28th December, with April Fools\u2019 style tricks), living cribs, family dinners, Three Kings\u2019 parades, New Year\u2019s grapes\u2026 A host of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[135,161,599],"class_list":["post-2896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spain","tag-christmas-lottery","tag-day-of-the-santos-inocentes","tag-three-kings-parades"],"yoast_head":"\nChristmas in Spain -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, 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