Christmas in Spain is a time for family togetherness, rest and, for many, a time for reflection. This period of the year is one of the main celebrations of Christianity and is celebrated every 25th December commemorating the birth of Jesus. But Christmas is celebrated in Spain beyond religion. These are very important dates, when there are usually dinners, parades and other Spanish Christmas traditions. Let's see some of them.
Some typical Spanish Christmas traditions
Lights and decoration of the streets. Since November you can already see that the streets are illuminated with Christmas lights. Moreover, shops also decorate their shop windows. The decoration at home is the nativity scene and the Christmas tree.
Dinner on christmas eve and lunch on christmas day In general, Christmas in Spain is celebrated with good lunches and dinners. With the rich gastronomy of the country you can enjoy dishes such as lamb, seafood, ham, etc.
Carols. It's time to sing carols as a family. With the tambourine, the guitar, or whatever instrument, it is very common to sing Christmas carols.
Drink grapes on New Year's Eve. A Spanish Christmas tradition is to say goodbye to the year by drinking twelve grapes. From the centre of Madrid, the clock marks when to drink the grapes, in the last seconds of the year.
The parade of the Magi. It is a very special moment for children. It takes place on January 5th and it goes through the streets of the city with music and lights. This year it will not be possible to do it because of the covid.
Eating sweets is also a typical Christmas tradition in Spain. The most common are "turrón", "mazapán" and "roscón de Reyes" (already in January).
Christmas lottery draw on 22nd December. This is the date that officially starts Christmas in Spain.
