The first cold snap has arrived requiring jackets to come out of the closet and heaters to be turned on for the first time this winter. Many streets throughout the city are being strung with lights for the upcoming holiday season, but they won't come on for another week or so.
Just like in the States, Christmas in Catalonia kicks off after a long weekend – Constitution day (6 December) followed by the Day of the Immaculate Conception (8 December) with 7 December being the un puente or bridge.
The main Christmas fair in Barcelona is La Fira de Santa Llùcia (Lucia) located outside the Gothic Cathedral. Inaugurated in 1786, hundreds of small wooden stands sell Christmas decorations, ornaments, reefs and trees to the many, many people strolling around checking out the scene.
I remember as a kid back in the States, getting and decorating the tree was the centre of attention. However, here in Spain, the nativity scene with hand crafted figurines and well-built mangers takes centre place and is prominently displayed throughout the market.
The Catalan addition to the picture of Mary holding the baby Jesus with Joseph, the Angel and the Three Kings looking on between an ox sheep and a mule is el caganer, or the shitter. Traditionally, el caganer is a peasant, who with the aid of a pipe and a paper, is planting a pine. In recent years, this pose has also been given to certain celebrities and political figures such as Obama, the Pope, and Messi.
Preparing el Caganer Obama
Another unique Christmas tradition is the El Gordo, (The Fat One) or the biggest lottery in Spain which is held on the 22 December.
El Gordo is the biggest lottery in Spain and dates back to 1812. It is designed to give as many people as possible a windfall just before the holidays.
If you walk into a tobacco shop or anywhere that sells Christmas lottery tickets, you're likely to see a witch riding on a broomstick hanging from the ceiling, or a sign with her picture on it. Called La Bruixa d'Or or La Bruja de Oro or the Golden Witch, she hails from a small town called Sort (luck in Catalan) in Lleida and is famous enough to warrant its own Facebook page.
The lottery itself is famous for going against the grain and spreading the prize money rather than give the whole lump sum to one person.
It’s also interesting to note that the town of Sort is home to the most winning numbers in Spain. Perhaps, there is something to a name or maybe it's just that more people buying from one location immediately increases the probability or it might even be as Xavier Gabriel says, a golden witch from outer space who sprinkles lucky dust. Who knows. But if you want to partake, here's the link to the official page.
Another event to look out for is Christmas Eve, la noche buena (the good night) when kids in Catalonia gather around a cagartió (a small wooden log with a smiley face paint on one end and sometimes smoking a pipe). They feed the cagartió, lightly tap it with a stick as they sing a song so it can literally crap out candies and small presents similar to what we call stocking stuffers. The most common is a turrón, a large bar of almond nugget.
On Christmas day in Spain, people don’t exchange gifts. Instead the day is reserved for a big meal with family and friends. The typical dish in Catalonia is escudella, which is a slowly-cooked soup that uses the various blood sausages or butifarra found in the region and a base of broth and la pilota (pepper, ground cinnamon, chickpeas and bread crumbs), plus other ingredients depending on a family's recipe.
On St. Steve, 26 December, Spaniards eat canelones that are made from leftover meats, ham and chicken covered in a tomato sauce.
The Day of the Innocence, or Spain's April 1st is celebrated on the 28 December and is a time for pranks.
Gift exchange comes after the New Year on Los Reyes Magos (The Magic Kings) or 5 January. There's also an elaborate parade full of beating drums and flashing sparklers that's well worth going to. Follow the Three kings from the port to Montjuic mountain as they toss out fruit flavoured candy to the waiting kids and eager grandparents, making it like a little person's Mardi Gras that marks the end of the Christmas season in Spain and all public holidays until Easter!
4 December 2009
Jeremy Holland / Expatica
Written by an American expat, From Barcelona, is a blog dedicated to the city, the life and the people of the capital of Catalunya (Catalonia).
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Christmas season here runs much longer and includes more than just gift exchange with your loved ones, explains blogger Jeremy Holland.
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