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Christmas in Spain
Links for
Navidad
http://www.elhuevodechocolate.com/enlaces/enlace3.htm
http://www.history.com/minisites/christmas/
Christmas is a very festive and religious time in
Spain. Christmas Eve is known as “Noche
Buena.”
On Christmas Eve, as night falls and stars come out,
small oil lamps are lit in the windows of every
house. The Christmas Eve gaiety is interrupted at
midnight with the rings of the bells calling
families to “La
Misa Del Gallo”
(The Mass of the Rooster). The most beautiful of
these candlelight services is held at the monastery
of
Montserrat,
high in the mountains near Barcelona, which is
highlighted by a boy’s choir describes as performing
the Mass in “ one pure voice”.
El Gallo
After Midnight Mass and Christmas Dinner, streets
fill with dancers and onlookers. There is a special
Christmas dance called the jota. People dance in the
streets and in their homes to the sound of guitars
and castanets. It is time for family members to
gather together to rejoice and feast around the
Nativity scenes that are present in nearly every
home. A traditional Christmas treat is
“turrón”, a kind of almond candy.
 
Guitars
castanets
Other traditions include incredibly elaborate
“Nacimientos”
(nativity scenes), Christmas trees, and remarkable
sweets, candles, decorations and hand made Christmas
gifts. Christmas dinner is never eaten until after
midnight. It is a family feast, and often
highlighted with “Pavo
Trufado de Navidad”
(Christmas turkey with truffles; truffles are a
mushroom-like delicacy found underground). After the
meal, family members gather around the Christmas
tree and sing Christmas carols and hymns
Christendom.
Choirs
Turkey
An old Spanish verse says
…..”Esta noche es Noche Buena, Y no es noche de
dormir”
(This is the goodnight, therefore it is not meant
for sleep)
It is not Santa who comes to Spain bearing gifts,
but the Three Wise Men. Tradition has it that they
arrive on January 6th; the date of the
Wise Men gave gifts to Jesus. On the Eve of
Epiphany, January 5th, children place
their shoes on the doorsteps, and in the secret
night, the Three Wise Men pass leaving gifts.
January 6th, Epiphany is heralded with
parades in various cities where candy and cakes are
distributed to throngs of children.
The
three wise Men
Shoes are filled with straw or barley for the tired
camels that must carry their riders through the busy
night. By morning the camel food is gone and in
place of the straw or barley are presents. Shoes
also may be placed on balconies on the night of the
6th January in the hope that the Wise Men
will fill them with gifts.
Lear how Mexican people celebrate
Christmas
Los reyes magos
http://www.elhuevodechocolate.com/reyes_magos1.htm
Las Posadas
en México
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/christmas.html
Las Posadas
en México
http://www.nacnet.org/assunta/nacimnto.htm
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