Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

Hello Helen. I´m a Spaniard living in southern Spain (Granada, Andalusia if you want to search on a map). The Christmast begin in Spain with the national lottery of Christmast (december the 22nd), this a tradition for the adults and every body buy a ticket of the lottery for family with the christmast presents. December 24th is christmas eve and we have a family dinner joint together with different dishes (it depends on the region where you wanna live in Spain) and turrón etc, now a days we have papa noel/santas presents but not all the people do it (it´s a foreing costume, not ours). December 25th we get up so late we have a breakfast of chocolate with "churros" , in Catalonia the dinner of the 24th they celebrate on 25th. December 31 , another dinner with family but... sometimes with friends and could be a party even. This day the costume is only to have 12 grapes with the 12 tones of the bell of Puerta del Sol Clock in Madrid for finishing the year and wellcome the new one.January 1st, well jajajaaj once again we get up so late and once... chocolate with churros but in the street, there are some bars and pubs open early in the morning for serving it. January 5th Reyes Magos eve day , we have parades in all cities and towns and villages with sweets and sweets (paid by the councils, but tradition is tradition) all in the streets. That night you need to clean your shoes and leave some turrón and milk and water for the Reyes Magos (three kings of orient) and there camels. Is the moment for the parents put the presents for the family and the children. January 6th guauuuuuuuuu!!!!!!! day of presents in the morning. If you were good the kings take you a lot of presents if you were bad only coil (sweet coil you can buy on sweets shops) and with that ends the christmas in Spain.

Decoration: tipically we put the Belen,is a reconstruction of bethlehem town in biblical times with jesus , mary and joseph but we have christmast tree too (another foreing tradition).

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

On january the 5th you should clean your shoes and put with the turron and the milk (or chanpagne) for the kings.

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

Hola! Spanish young,
Thank you for this contribution.
If I were a camel, I'd rather have oats than turron! (No wonder camels have bad breath!) ;)
Granada is beautiful :)
Regards,
Carol

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

It's called a pinata where the kids hit it with a stick until it bursts and then sweets fall out. Also it is called the day of the kings 'Los Reyos', legend has it that the children are supposed to leave a shoe outside the door for one of the kings to leave a gift on the night of the 5th, apparently for a joke parents will sometimes leave a piece of coal in the shoe, this is to indicate to the child that they have been too naughty to receive a gift. Isn't that a fantastic idea - the fact that the only presents they would get would fit in a shoe - not like in the uk when the kids start writing their list from the argos catalogue in November!!!! Another tradition for the New Year is to wear something red for good luck which is why you will find racks and racks of red underwear in the ladies section at this time of year!

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

That's right starting the year with red underwear is supposed to give you good luck for the year.. but it has to be given to you, you can't buy it yourself.. you are supposed to burn your underwear the next day but most people don't do it.. it's a bit dangerous.. ;)

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

Ok, I didn't know about the burning it bit - but what a good excuse to get rid of the crass underwear hubbies usually buy!

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

I mean that you burn your red knickers.. not ALL your underwear! ;)

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

I know that - but they don't need to! Just imagine your other half buying you something really distasteful - you could tell them the tradition and get rid of it!

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

I always end up throwing them away.. you are not supposed to use them again..

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

No different from the Christmas stocking hung at the foot of the child's bed. Santa or Father Christmas fills it with a satsuma, pencil, stick of rock/toffee etc. The larger gift awaits under the tree...
Spanish children don't receive larger gifts? :rolleyes:

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

Spanish children don't receive larger gifts? :rolleyes:[/QUOTE]

Quite possibly, but I have Spanish locals as friends and they tell me it is totally different from the UK. Uk appears to be very commercialised but Spanish Xmas is more religious. Not so much emphasis on the whole gift thing. Am under the impression that the gift thing is much more important at communions and weddings than xmas. Maybe my village is behind the times?

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

Quite possibly, but I have Spanish locals as friends and they tell me it is totally different from the UK. Uk appears to be very commercialised but Spanish Xmas is more religious. Not so much emphasis on the whole gift thing. Am under the impression that the gift thing is much more important at communions and weddings than xmas. Maybe my village is behind the times?[/QUOTE]


It's true that we don't make a big issue of the presents, they are not very important and they are mainly for children.. but Xmas aren't as religious as they used to be either.. However we still make sure that Xmas is a family thing..

I forgot to mention that the price of typical Xmas foods gets ridiculous at Xmas.. not fair really, but the shops take advantage of the fact that we get an extra salary in December..

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

I have also been told that it is customary to send a hamper to your doctor or your solicitor for example. I don't know if this is true but it sounds like a bribe to me -can't remember if it was my doctor or my solicitor that told me......!!!!!!

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

:) I've never heard that.. it sounds like they would like it to be a tradition.. :rolleyes:

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

Well, whatever the differences, I am looking forward immensely to spending my christmas in Spain. Happy christmas to you all!!! :beer:

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

Quite possibly, but I have Spanish locals as friends and they tell me it is totally different from the UK. Uk appears to be very commercialised but Spanish Xmas is more religious. Not so much emphasis on the whole gift thing. Am under the impression that the gift thing is much more important at communions and weddings than xmas. Maybe my village is behind the times?[/QUOTE]

Hi,
Likewise, I could ask if my village here in the UK is behind the times.
We celebrate Christmas with a midnight mass/night watch... Carol singing in the church square...Nativity plays at the schools..."traditional" Christmas dinners served in the schools and elderly day care centres...
New Year's starts with the "Bells" and visiting friends and neighbours, wishing them health and prosperity. The "tall, dark & handsome" ;) man in the group must carry a lump of coal in his pocket (as he enters the home) - for good luck!
Many similarities, yet each country with their own traditions. It is an (adult) individual's decision whether or not to make it so commercialised. After all, Christmas is for the children first.

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

Merry Christmas to you too! :)

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

Agreed!

Where about in the UK are you? it sounds like a wonderful place

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

After all, Christmas is for the children first.[/QUOTE]

I agree, but the problem in the uk is all the adverts, expectations etc that the children are constantly bombarded with, also the shops are selling christmas back in September in some cases. It is refreshing in Spain that commercialism hasn't arrived - yet - and that the shops don't start selling christmas until December.

Possibly another thread here- but am I wrong in thinking that christmas should be about families and friends and not about gifts and commercialism? And that so far a spanish christmas is much more christmassy!!!

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

Hi again,
I'm in a very nice place, and we have quite a few Spanish visitors to our shores/greens. There's a clue. :D But, I'd be stupid not to know that we have our problems here, like other places.
Spain has many feast days, which are cause for celebration. That may be seen as being religious, but how many people truly understand the story behind it, or care? Another thread, perhaps...
Gift giving isn't a bad thing, really. Afterall, the 3 Kings did it! Let the emphasis remain on the giving rather than the receiving.
Yes, I understand your points about over-indulgence & commercialism. It's a pain, but, as adults, can we really blame anyone else?

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

Gift giving isn't a bad thing, really. Afterall, the 3 Kings did it! Let the emphasis remain on the giving rather than the receiving.
Yes, I understand your points about over-indulgence & commercialism. It's a pain, but, as adults, can we really blame anyone else?[/QUOTE]

No, you are quite right - and as an adult I now feel thoroughly ashamed! Shall just have to indulge in another brandy to make myself feel better - only joking! Hope you have a fab christmas! :beer:

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

Cheers! :beer:
Who said being an adult was easy!
Best wishes for an answer to your other post.

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

The south coast? I was inclined to thinking that you were in the Cotswolds..

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

Best wishes for an answer to your other post.[/QUOTE]

Thanks! ;)

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

This is a very muddled version of what actually happens. It is very commercial here and not as religious as has been suggested. For a supposedly religious country, very few actually attend church. 97 % of the population is catholic but a fraction of that actually go to church regularly. It is a hang up many have from "the old days" when the church was closely related to the old regime. If I had to choose between the words "commercial" and "Religious" for what a Spanish Christmas is like, I certainly wouldn't choose the latter. To be fair, the former is true but nowhere near the level of the UK. In most towns Xmas doesn't arrive until beginning of December but the cities get ready a few weeks earlier.

For a long time now, children recieve presents on Christmas Eve (not day) but it depends on the parents. As school stops around the 22nd and begins again almost immediately after Reyes {meaning Kings} (the far more common name for Epiphany/12th Night that the previous poster refers to as Tres Santos) together with the plethora of films and TV shows from overseas (mainly USA) that show Santa & kids celebrating the 25th means that parents prefer to give presents for Xmas, holding some back for Reyes. The reasoning being that if the kids are going to be away from school for two and a half weeks, they may as well enjoy their gifts. If they give them their gifts on the 6th and the Kids are back in school for the 8th, they have no time to enjoy the presents. They still give on Reyes so as not to lose the tradition but every year the focus shifts more towards the 25th. Check out the cities - totally geared for Xmas, almost like Reyes is an afterthought. Santa now shares equal space with the three kings in many "grottos".

Christmas Eve is a far bigger family celebration than Reyes. Although not an official holiday like the 25th, everywhere begins shutting its doors from about four onwards and you will be hard pushed to find ANYTHING open around eight. The family must be seated around the table by 21.00 for the Kings speech after which families normally tuck into their multi-course meal. Traditional things - depending on area and family - are Prawns and Ham and other canopes to start with Suckling Lamb a major favourite (wherever you are in Spain it is best to order in advance from your butcher as demand is high), lesser favourite is the cochinillo (suckling pig) the original poster mentioned. Game birds can be popular but generally if you don't go with the lamb, fish is normally served. All dishes are accompanied by a sort of roast potato (nothing like what the Brits are used to) which is either pototoes sliced and roasted in stock or very small rounded potatoes again roasted in stock.

Curiously over the last 5-10 years or so, supermarkets have been stocking Turkeys although I know of very few people who have tried it at christmas.
Each year I'm lumbered with cooking two sets of Xmas dinners as my family (in-laws and all) have acquired a taste for the traditional British Roast - they've even asked for it in blooming August FFS!!!!! They love Roasties, sausage meat stuffing and Gravy. So after slaving away on Christmas Eve to get the Spanish meal done (thankfully we alternate every year) I then have to do the Brit one on Xmas day (no alternating :( )

After the Christmas Eve meal winds down, it is party time for the "younger" ones as the bars and discos open up again around 1.30-2.00.
Xmas Day is for nursing hangovers - basically it is very similar to our Boxing day. Many shops will open up - the type that always open sundays etc..., and most bars will be open but a lot won't open until the afternoon. By 16.00, almost everything is like any other Sunday and life returns to normal.
New Years Eve is a repeat of Christmas Eve more or less - if you had Lamb on CE then you have fish now and vice versa. You must eat 12 grapes in time to the 12 chimes of midnight or you don't have any luck in the new year. Then From about 1.00 until you drop, it is party time and the town/city is as busy as it is in the middle of the day.

On the 5th Jan - Reyes Eve for want of a better phrase - there is usually a parade through the town where the kings throw loads of sweets to the crowd. Canny souls have been known to come with umbrellas so they can catch more!!!!

The 6th itself, unless you have young children is very much a non-event. After the excesses of Christmas and New Year, people just don't have the energy. There is a meal for the family, but it is not as obligatory as the Christmas and New Year ones. Many couples use it as an excuse to visit the family you didn't spend time with at Xmas. With my family in the UK it is never an issue for us.

The supermarkets are full of Xmas trees now and you can even buy the real ones but I don't recommend it. From the stories I've heard they don't retain the pines for very long.

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

The supermarkets are full of Xmas trees now and you can even buy the real ones but I don't recommend it. From the stories I've heard they don't retain the pines for very long.[/QUOTE]

Last year I bought a real one from a garden centre, approx 6ft for 10euros. The bottom of the tree was set in yeso which I found quite strange but the tree lasted for weeks, we even put it outside after 12th night and it was still going strong - maybe I was just lucky? :rolleyes:

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

Last year I bought a real one from a garden centre, approx 6ft for 10euros. The bottom of the tree was set in yeso which I found quite strange but the tree lasted for weeks, we even put it outside after 12th night and it was still going strong - maybe I was just lucky? :rolleyes:[/QUOTE]

I've never taken one here but know people who have and they have complained that it doesn't last long. However, as with all things that don't initially work well, maybe they have learnt from mistakes and are treating them now to make them last longer. However, I like my artificial one - it's very effective when it is up and you don't realise it is not real, unless you count the lack of pine smell. Should really buy some airwick Pine fresheners to pu underneath this year :)

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

Thanks Guardiana for that account which I totally agree with. I´ve been itching to correct a lot of posters and holding my tongue :)

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

Hola Spanish Young

Thanks for your reply, yes I know Granada very well beautiful city I think it
would be lovely at christmas time, would like to be there if I could get time off work. I wish my Spanish was as good as your English. I look forward to future Christmas's is Spain.

Have a nice Christmas

Helen

p.s. moderators's why don't you have some christmas icons?

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

Thanks Guadiana. I agree with Lis48. All over the board there's a lot of nonsense spouted portayed as fact. Like Lis, I've held my tongue so both of you have spurred me into posting for first time.

One thing you didn't mention in your xmas description was the xmas works parties. Today (suppose a bit like Britain) is the busiest day and trying to get a taxi tonight in Madrid is a bit like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Never understood it really but it seems that every compnay in Madrid wants to have their party on the Friday around the 15th. You'd think that some might decide to choose a different night :rolleyes:

Pain for me as I have to travel 700km just to get there. Thankfully Ryanair recently started cheap flights so don't have to drive.

Another thing I've noticed similar to Britain is the ever-increasing amount of gaudy xmas decorations. AND they come out earlier each year. Loads of places in my town had their decorations out by Dec 1st. And EVERYONE seems to have those "comical" (ahem!) Santas climbing up their balcony.

Totally agree - the word commercial is more apt than religious! :beer:

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

Must be a good party if you travel 700k to it ;) ;)

I look forward to reading actual facts now, rather than a lot of nonsense spouted portayed as fact.
Perhaps you could enlighten me on this ?

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

Ah yes, those! Could anyone reading this forum that has one of these Santas climbing up the balcony PLEASE remove them IMMEDIATELY! Otherwise we will have to call the police and report a crime against good taste.

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

All the cat burglars will be wearing Santa suits :D

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Hey, no need to get your red knickers in a TWIST over Christmas. Is anyone writing an essay about it? ;)

Re: shortage of taxis at this festive time.
Maybe this is because fewer taxi drivers want people (not directed at anyone specifically) vomiting in their cabs?

Re: climbing Santas.
A child fell from his/her 5th floor balcony trying to rescue it.

How about some cheerful news?

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

Well my daughter and I were just decorating the christmas tree and we heard some really loud Christmas music outside - Santa was coming down the road. How about that for being Christmasy

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

Like this, my sense of humour. ;)

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

I wasn't aware that my postings were nonsense, was under the impression they were facts. Thought this was supposed to be the opportunity to share experiences and facts as we have been told them. Perhaps Christmas is celebrated differently in villages than in cities. Not sure this forum is what I expected, not a lot of humour that's for sure. Maybe I have got my red knickers in a twist afterall. :confused:

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

My reply that you quoted was an answer to Fortaleza`s post stating about a lot of nonsense being posted as fact.
You are right and it is an opportunity to share experiences and facts, a lot of which are posted by Spanish members and expat members that are living in Spain, and I am sure know the facts of spending Christmas here.
I cant see why Fortaleza has got a problem with people as to the way they spend Christmas.
Its not really the ideal way to join a forum and then tell everybody they have been posting nonsense.

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

Quite, thankyou. Happy Christmas to everyone regardless of what they think of it and how it is spent. :)

Re: Differences between Christmas in Spain and UK
 

That's truly amazing, dazzle! Santa must be exercising the reindeer!