Guide to Celebrating Christmas in Spain

Celebrating Christmas in Spain is a real treat, especially if you plan on staying into the New Year. This is because Christmas day is traditionally celebrated on January 5 instead of December 25. On this day the Three Kings come into every home to leave presents for the children by the fireplace. So, on December 25 they are visited by Papa Noel as a minor celebration that leads up to the main way of celebrating Christmas in Spain. This means that if you really want to celebrate Christmas in Spain, you will need to be able to stay there until January 5.

With Spain's Christmas being held on January 6, this is a public holiday. On this day everyone is busy celebrating Christmas by feasting on seafood, ham and a traditional cake that is made out of almonds, sugar, flour and turron. This is preceded by a night filled with a parade during which the Three Kings arrive in each town. They arrive on the backs of horses or camels and as the floats go by sweets are thrown to the children who line the streets. Then after the parades are over, the adults spend the rest of the night celebrating Christmas in Spain at the tapas bar.

You will find that celebrating Christmas in Spain is not very commercial. While the streets are trimmed with lights, only the larger stores decorate their windows with Christmas trees and reindeer. Families don't put lights outside of their homes either. Some of the other things that are difficult to find whenever you are celebrating Christmas in Spain include cards, turkey, festive wrapping paper and Christmas trees. If these things are going to play in important part of your celebrating Christmas in Spain, then you are going to have to bring them with you yourself. However, it is still well worth celebrating Christmas in Spain because you will get to enjoy warm, sunny weather instead of the depression that usually occurs after the holidays are over.

Something else that you can enjoy is if you stay near Gibraltar, on the Costa del Sol, you can always make use of your passport to drive over and pick up some treats at the supermarket. Some of the supermarkets there sell turkey and mince pies that will help you whenever you are celebrating Christmas in Spain. These are only found in areas where there are a lot of ex-pats though so you may wish to be safe and bring your own long with you.