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5 things you might not know about Christmas in Spain

Each country has their own festive traditions, and Spain is no different. There are many unique customs and traditions that you will come across at Christmas time. 

Read on for 5 things you might not know about Christmas in Spain… 

1. The Three Kings are more popular than Santa Claus

While Santa Claus does still visit Spain, and many children will receive presents on the 25th December, it’s Los Tres Reyes Magos (The Three Kings) who Spanish children write their Christmas letters to. The three kings, called Melchior, Gaspar and Baltazar, visit homes on the evening of 5th January, leaving presents for children who have been well behaved – and coal for those who haven’t! 

There are Three Kings celebrations across the country on the night of January 5th, where the Kings parade through the towns on horseback throwing sweets to the children. It’s a great tradition to catch if you are in Spain in early January. 

2. Everyone takes part in the Christmas lottery 

If you see long queues on the streets in the approach to Christmas, there’s a good chance that it’s people queuing up to buy their tickets for the Spanish lottery. The Spanish Christmas lottery, known as El Gordo or ‘The Fat One’ is held on the morning of December 22nd and marks the start of Christmas.  

El Gordo is the biggest lottery in the world in terms of total prize money, the biggest winning ticket is worth €4 million in total, with many other numbers winning prizes of smaller amounts. An estimated 75% of the Spanish population buy a lottery ticket at Christmas with each Spaniard spending an average of €70 euros on El Gordo lottery tickets!   

3. You might find a bean in your Christmas cake 

Rather than a cake on Christmas day, the Roscón de Reyes is a cake traditionally eaten in Spain on the 6th January to mark Epiphany and celebrate the Three Kings. The Roscón is a round cake with a whole in the middle that you will see in most supermarkets and bakeries around Christmas. It is usually filled with cream and decorated on the top with candied fruits. 

Traditionally a small figurine and a bean are baked inside the cake. The person who gets the figurine will have good luck for the next year but the unlucky person who finds the bean has to pay for the cake! 

4. Watch out for Dia de los Santos Inocentes 

The Spanish version of April Fool’s Day is called Dia de los Santos Inocentes and is held on December 28th, so watch out between Christmas and New Year! On this day people play harmless pranks, and after pranking someone, you shout “Inocente, inocente!”  

Watch your back – literally, because one of the most popular pranks is to tape a drawing of a stick figure on someone’s back! 

5. 12 grapes are eaten on New Year’s Eve 

On New Year’s Eve, known in Spain as Nochevieja, many people will crowd the town square to count in the new year. The difference in Spain is that they will be armed with green grapes! Whether celebrating out, or at home with family, each person will have 12 grapes, one for every strike of the clock. If you manage to eat all twelve grapes in the 12 strikes before midnight, you are guaranteed good fortune for the New Year. 

Did you know about all of these Spanish Christmas traditions? 

Where ever you are celebrating Christmas and New Year, the team here at Benigest wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

¡Feliz Navidad y un Feliz Año Nuevo! 

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