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Spanish Christmas: IES SANTA ANA, THE CANARAY ISLANDS, SPAIN:
Spanish Christmas:
IES SANTA ANA, THE CANARAY ISLANDS, SPAIN:
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The main decorations in Spain are the Christmas trees, The Navity scenes, and the Christmas flowers.
Traditional decorations:
22nd of December is a special day. The most popular Christmas Spanish lottery is celebrated that day. The main prize is ‘El Gordo de Navidad’.
Christmas lottery:
24th December is Christmas Eve, ‘Nochebuena’ there is a big dinner with our families. Also, the Spanish King, gives a speech.
2014 speech
Important dates:
On 25th December there is another big meal with families.
At night, for some years, Santa Claus ‘Papá Noel’ gives you a present, although the main presents are on 6th January when the Three Wise Men come.
On 31st of December, ‘Nochevieja’ there is another great dinner.
At midnight we often celebrate this festival in the squares with music and food.
On 1st January, there is a lunch to celebrate the new year.
On the 6th January there is another lunch with all the family to exchange presents which the Three Wise Men have left.
Christmas meals: Christmas dinner (24 December): all
the families gets together, it's always a very hearty dinner consisting of a starter, main course, dessert and a lot of sweets as nougat and marzipan.
Starters: Prawns and shrimp are usual. Main course: some meat as lamb, pork,
turkey, stuffing, ... The next day is common to continue
meetings and family meals, the most common is the Christmas meal at noon.
New Year's Eve (December 31): It opens the year with fireworks, feasts and celebrations and typical 12 strokes accompanied by 12 lucky grapes are brought from ‘La Puerta del Sol’ in Madrid.
The Three Wise Men’s Day (January 6): A typical sweet that day is the King cake, ‘Roscón de reyes’, dried fruit cake bearing shaped rubies that adorned the robes of the Three Wise Men. All eaten with the hope of finding hidden surprises and be crowned king/queen of the home or be destined to pay this sweet the next year.
In the rest of the day we usually eat ham and drink good Spanish wines, white and red. The wishes are often toasted with champagne or cider.
The sweets are usually made with almonds, honey, sugar, chocolate and fruit. The star is usually the nougat.
Other traditional desserts are shaped marzipan figurines, the cakes and shortbread.
TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS MUSIC IN SPAIN:
Christmas carols are called ‘villancicos’ in Spain. They are songs that are sung during this celebration, especially by children. They are the main characters of these festivals. The Spanish families gather to eat and enjoy singing carols near the Christmas tree.
Originally, the carols are sung in any religious festival, but over the time they have become only Christmas songs, as we know and are sung today.
Examples of carols:
Campana sobre campana: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-RpCYGqWzc
Los peces en el río: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oxdXV7eA3Q
Spanish Christmas:
IES SANTA ANA, THE CANARAY ISLANDS, SPAIN:
