Historians aren’t sure about whether this truly happened, but at some point during Medieval times the mourning for this infanticide among Christians turned into celebration. Holy Innocents’ Day has biblical origins, and gruesome ones at that. The day marks the Massacre of the Innocents as depicted in the New Testament, when Herod ordered the murder of all children in Bethlehem under the age of two, fearing that the newborn Jesus Christ everybody was talking about as the Messiah would replace him as King of Judea. This is Spain’s April Fool’s Day – pranks or ‘inocentadas’ take place all over the country, there are spoof reports on Spanish television programmes and there’s even an annual charity event called “Gala Inocente, Inocente”. More than just a stable with animals and figurines, the Spanish beléns can be huge scenes, complete with many different houses, farms, rivers and marketplaces.ĭecember 28th marks el día de los inocentes (Holy Innocents’ Day) in Spain. The goal, when the clock strikes midnight, eat each grape, one by one, in 12 seconds.īelenes are elaborate nativity scenes – it is the Spanish word for Bethlehem. People gather in plazas or homes to eat the 12 uvas de la suerte (12 lucky grapes). For each grape, you make one wish for the new year. Spaniards spend the final moments before the clock strikes midnight preparing to ring in the new year. The release of the Christmas lottery advert symbolises the launch of the festive holiday in Spain, and Spaniards around the world are able to relate to the heart-warming stories these videos capture. Taking place on December 22, it has been held every year since 1812, and the winning numbers are sung out by school children. The Christmas Lottery is so big that it has been given the nickname ‘El Gordo’ or the ‘Fat One’, because of the huge amounts of cash you can win. The Spanish National Lottery is a big deal at Christmas time, and almost everyone plays it, making it the biggest lottery draw in the world. Come Christmas time, the log is expected to ‘poop’ presents for children and their parents, much to the amusement and amazement of younger spectators. You’ll find Caga Tió for sale in Christmas markets across the two main provinces from which he originates, Catalonia and Aragon. The Caga Tió – or Tió de Nadal (Christmas Log) as he is sometimes called – is a smallish wooden log, covered in a blanket and usually given a warm, smiley face. Some regions of Spain have their own traditions: in the Basque Country, it’s Olentzero who leaves the gifts, while children from Cataluña and Aragón receive gifts from Tió de Nadal. In many homes, especially ones with children, Nochebuena is a very exciting night: it’s when Papá Noel (Santa Claus) brings gifts to all the children who have been good during the year. Usually, members of the extended family gather around a feast which although differs depending on where you are in Spain will almost certainly include jamón (Spanish ham), marisco (sea food), cordero (leg of lamb), pescado (fish), fine wine and all kinds of desserts. Below we’ve listed some that you may just need to adopt whilst living here in Spain.Ĭhristmas eve is celebrated on December 24th and is of huge importance, it is generally a big family affair.

Today, Christkind is depicted by a crowned woman in white and gold who drops gifts under the tree on Christmas Eve.If this will be your first time celebrating Christmas in Spain then it is high time to learn about typical Spanish Christmas customs or traditions as they might differ from those to which you are already accustomed. Rather than basing the deliverer of presents on a Catholic saint, that honor was given to Christkind, an angelic figure. He also travels with Krampus, a scary looking character who handles the children who’ve been bad.Īnd then there’s the gift-giving character who is divorced from Catholic saints that came about during the lifetime of Protestant leader Martin Luther in the 1500s. Heilige Nikolaus wields a staff and looks like a bishop. This depiction is closer to the Catholic association with Saint Nicholas, and he comes every year around the original saint’s death day of December 6. There’s also Heilige Nikolaus ( heilige translates to 'saint'). The depiction is similar to Saint Nick in the US, and he has similar present-giving tendencies.ĭer Weihnachtsmann isn’t the only Santa Claus-like figure in Germany, however. Much of Germany knows Santa Claus as Der Weihnachtsmann.

Spanish word for santa claus