Spanish culture: Ten questions about Christmas in Spain

A few days ago we received an email from an American girl who asked a series of questions about Spanish Christmas for an assignment she was doing in school. Below are the answers we gave her. We have taken the liberty of writing our response in a dialogue format to make it more personal to the reader. All the issues raised appear to be very simple but nonetheless very relevant to Spanish culture and can be used in class as an intercultural “ELE” support.

Ten questions about Christmas in Spain.
(For MaryJoe)

MJ: “Hello, I have a few questions about Christmas in Spain, could you help me to find out more please?”

dQ: “Sure, go ahead”.

MJ: “Well, here's the first question: What kind of gifts are given at Christmas?”

dQ: “In Spain, we generally speak about Christmas in the plural so as to differentiate the 25^th  of December from the 6^th of January.  The 25^th of December is exclusively a religious holiday. Gifts for children include toys, technology, mobile phones and maybe some clothes. Dad almost always receives a hideous tie (just kidding!)”

MJ: “Thank you. Next question: Does the whole family decorate the Christmas tree together?”

dQ: “In Spain, the Christmas tree tradition is spreading more and more, but what is more popular is the Nativity Scene: depicting the birth of Baby Jesus with figurines representing the Holy Family, the Three Kings, the Shepherds, the Angels and the Animals...

The family work together to construct the Nativity Scene (or the Portal of Belén as it is referred to by Spanish people). Children must place the figures of the three kings away from the scene and advance them a little bit each day until the 6th of January, when they finally reach the manger where the baby Jesus lays.”

MJ: “Can I ask a personal question?”

dQ: “Yes, of course.”

MJ: “How do you feel at Christmas? Are you excited and happy, or does it signify a problem?”

dQ: “Let's see, for religious people it is an exciting and joyful festival, so of course they are very happy because it commemorates the birth of Jesus. For the rest of us, it is a time to be with our families, which is something that Spanish people especially love to do: the whole family around the table, twenty or thirty people shouting and singing carols. Christmas also signifies a few days off school and work. Of course there are people who are lonely for different reasons and feel sad... but the overall picture is of joy, anticipation (with the Christmas lottery, for example...) and happiness, especially for children. I'm not exaggerating when I say that Christmas is a holiday that focuses on children, they are the center of attention.”

MJ: “So is Christmas in Spain more focused on religion or Santa and gifts?”

dQ: “Oh, oh... do not talk about Santa! For us, and thanks to globalization, the "commercialized" Christmas Figure is Papa Noel, who comes on the night of the 24^th December and leaves gifts for children. Spain is a country with a long Christian tradition, and more specifically, Catholic, so for many people the holidays are a time of reflection and religious celebration. An example is the Midnight Mass called Misa del Gallo (literally rooster’s mass) on the 24^th December (Nochebuena for us) where believers gather in the church and celebrate a very special Mass with carols and a very cheerful atmosphere. It is also true that you can see a change in the sense of secularization of morals and there is a large group of people who do not celebrate Christmas as a religious thing but as a celebration of family and children.”

MJ: “Thank you. A question that makes me very curious: what is it like to have two holidays at Christmas (the 25^th December and the 6^th January)?”

dQ: “For children it is perfect because hopefully they can get presents on the 25^th December and the 6^th January, the Epiphany, el día de Reyes (Kings Day). The action of giving gifts on Christmas Day is something that has been introduced into the customs of the Spanish quite recently, the tradition is Kings Day, but television and movies from the U.S. have influenced the way that Spanish people think and behave.”

MJ: “Are there different types of gifts on both holidays?”

dQ: “Kings Day is a special tradition: when a child has not been good during the year, instead of receiving gifts, the Three Kings give coal. Nowadays, you can find coal confectionery in shops, to play a trick on the little ones who first see only coal and are scared, but then discover the gifts...”

MJ: “Coal confectionary, how strange! Speaking of food: What is your favorite thing to eat at Christmas time?”

dQ: “In the different regions of Spain's, there are various special dishes for the holidays, but I think the most popular dishes on Christmas Eve, which is the Christmas meal of choice for us are: baked fish and / or roast lamb. For dessert in Spain we have some confectionary from the Arab tradition: nougat called turron, hard and soft (with almonds, honey...) and shortbread, which are only consumed at Christmas time.”

MJ: “How do the Three Kings dress?”

dQ: “The Three Kings generally appear as rich princes from the east (kind of Arab in style) and on the afternoon of the 5^th of January, there is a parade through the streets with camels, page boys and mountains of candy being thrown into crowds of  wide eyed children.”

MJ: “How do people decorate the inside and outside of their houses?”

dQ: “Another curious thing about globalization is the Christmas decorations: colored garlands, poinsettias, figurines of Santa Claus climbing up the balcony, the Christmas tree (natural or artificial) with lights and colored ball-balls and a star on top ... But the most traditional and I would say that the most general is the Portal of Belén, as I said before.”

MJ: “Thank you. And finally: Do children hang stockings?”

dQ: “In your country children usually hang stockings from the fireplace, because Santa Claus slides down the chimney to leave gifts. In Spain we have a small problem: Most houses don’t have a fireplace, so children usually put their clean shoes by a window on the night of the 5^th of January with some nougat on a plate for the Three Kings to eat and bit of grass or straw and some water for the camels.”

dQ: “How’s that? Have I answered all your questions or do you have more?”

MJ: “No I think you’ve told me everything I need to know! Thank you very much.”