Tradiciones Navideñas()

Adeste, fideles, laeti, triumphantes,
Venite, venite in Bethlehem:
Natum videte Regem Angelorum:

Venite adoremus, venite adoremus
Venite adoremus Dominum.
En grege relicto, humiles ad cunas,
vocatis pastores approperant.
Et nos ovanti gradu festinemus.

Venite adoremus, venite adoremus
Venite adoremus Dominum.
Aeterni Parentis splendorem aeternum,
Velatum sub carne videbimus
Delum Infantem, pannis involutum.

Venite adoremus, venite adoremus
Venite adoremus Dominum.
Pro nobis egenum et foeno cubamtem,
Piis foveamus amplexibus:
Sic nos amantem quis nos redamaret?

Venite adoremus, venite adoremus
Venite adoremus Dominum

Spain’s traditions during the Christmas season revolve around many of the same activities as in the rest of the world. Just like anywhere else, families in Spain gather together to enjoy and celebrate.
The elements of this exchange are very similar among all cultures: food, drink, song, dance, the exchanging of gifts, and other acts of generosity. But in Spain, Christmas is also a very unique holiday, with beautiful traditions and customs that reflect the true character of the Spanish people.

Make click here and you could have got a nativity cut out.

One symbol of Christmas that still maintains much importance throughout
Spain is the Nativity scene.
These scenes occupy squares in cities and small towns throughout
the country, and can also be seen in the doorways and entrances
of many Spanish homes, as well in storefront windows, and
they can be quite elaborate.

click here and you can read the carols

In many small towns, during the nights just before Christmas, plazas might even have a live Nativity scene, with actors and actresses playing the parts of Mary and Joseph and the three wise men as well as live animals that are often associated with the birth of Christ, like lambs, sheep, and donkeys.
Also during the days leading up to Christmas, one might hear the voices of children singing in the streets, especially in the villages and small towns of rural Spain, where they still participate in the age old tradition called the "aguinaldo". Even though not as popular in recent times, in years past one could hear children singing Christmas carols in their neighbourhoods, outside the homes of their neighbours or next to a Nativity scene. In exchange the neighbours typically give the children a piece of candy or a few coins.

The most important dates:

December 22, Christmas Lottery Winners are Announced.

 On December 22, two important events take place. Students are released from school for their winter vacations, and perhaps more importantly, they announce the winning number of the famous Christmas Lottery in Spain. This lottery, by far the biggest in Spain, is a tradition practiced by many people who long to win the grand prize, which would make them instantly rich. This tradition is deeply embedded in these holidays, dating back to 1763, when Carlos III initiated it. Since then, not one year has passed without it, and it now is the symbolic moment in which Spaniards begin to celebrate the Christmas holidays

 

Spanish National Lottery website

December 24, Christmas Eve:

Christmas Eve in Spain, called “Nochebuena”, just like in many parts of the world, is celebrated with two very important traditions, eating an enormous meal, and going to Christmas mass. There is a wide variety of typical foods one might find on plates across Spain on this night.
Each region has its own distinct specialties. Among typical dishes served on Christmas Eve and during the days that follow are roast lamb and suckling pig , foul like turkey or duck and an enormous variety of seafood, including shrimp, lobster, crab, and various types of fish like hake, trout, sea bream, sea bass, and so on.

 

Making click over the images you can read the recip

For dessert, there is quite a spread of delicacies, among them are turrón and marzapan, desserts made of honey, egg and almonds that are Arabic in origin, as well as polvorones, a sweet bread kind of like elephant ears, and a variety of nuts and dried fruits. To drink, one must have a glass of cava, the Spanish equivalent of champagne, although the Spanish think that cava is much better. 
Making click over the images you can read the recipe.

After the meal, many Spaniards after the dinner
goes to midnight mass, known as “La misa del Gallo”,
or “Rooster Mass”, named such because the Rooster
is known as the first to announce the birth of Christ.
December 24, Christmas Eve.
 
Christmas day is more or less a continuation
of what began the day before. People spend
time with their families, they eat another large meal,
although not as big as the one the day before, and in many families,
children enjoy the gifts that they have received from “Papa Noel”,
the Spanish equivalent of Santa Claus. The custom of giving gifts
on this date is not as popular as it is in many countries, as
Spaniards traditionally wait until Three King’s Day to exchange gifts.
December 28, Day of the Innocents.
 
December 28 marks a day of celebration exclusively Spanish
called the Day of the Innocents. Although the roots of this
day are bloody, in modern times, the customs practiced on this day
are very jovial and fun. The anniversary of the murder of many
children committed by Herod in Judea, . On this day, people play
inocentadas (pranks or practical jokes) on friends and relatives:
people make jokes hoping that the victim believes the false thing.
When people get caught, the joker says: "Inocente, inocente!"
("Innocent, innocent!"). The newspapers and other media
are in on the joke as well, reporting false news for the people to figure out.
December 31, New Year's Eve.
Of course, the celebrations that take place on New Year’s Eve, or Nochevieja, in Spain, are quite an impressive spectacle.  In all main squares of Spanish cities big and small, one can see a similar scene, and it will undoubtedly include  bells and grapes.   When the clock strikes 12, the  bells sound 12 times, and at this moment, all Spaniards eat 12 grapes, one for each toll of the bell.  According to tradition, those who eat the grapes will have 12 months of prosperity in the new year.  Families and friends stay together for this celebration which marks the end of one year and the beginning of a new one, and in the case of most Spaniards this means a lively celebration will be hold  until morning when we eat churros and chocolate  or Garlic soup
Every year, the Spanish television channel broadcasts the clock striking twelve live from this unique square to the rest of Spain.
 
January 6, three wise men.
While most of the world has already begun packing up the Christmas ornaments, throwing out the tree, and finding a place for all of their gifts, Spaniards are continuing the celebration. January 6, Three King’s Day, is the long awaited day in which the three Kings bring their gifts. On January 5, children go to a parade where they see the three kings arrive to their city, and take the opportunity to ask them for gifts. Later, before going to bed, children leave their shoes out in a visible spot in the house or on their balcony, y go to bed hoping that when they wake up they will find gifts left by Mechior, Gaspar, and Balthasar. For breakfast or after lunch, families often have the typical dessert of the day, the “Roscón de los Reyes”, a large ring shaped cake that is decorated with candied fruits, symbolic of the emeralds and rubies that adorned the robes of the three kings.  Somewhere inside the cake there is a surprise, and the person to find it will be crowned King or Queen of the house for the remainder of the day.

7th January

 The day after receiving their gifts children return to school, their parents go back to work and Christmas in Spain is over for another year.

¡Feliz Navidad y próspero año nuevo!

Buon Natale! Felice Anno Nuovo!

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!

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