Remember, remember, with the end of November, comes Christmas with mulled wine and more! This month I bring you a bunch of special posts about our favourite time of the year:
CHRISTMAS
Today we start with…
Browsing the net, I’ve been able to find some information on how Christmas in Spain is viewed from the perspective of other countries.
Believe or not, I was struck by the original things I encountered. Wanna know how they perceive us?
Most homes have a manger, like cathedrals and churches. These are complete with carved figures. Children think of the Three Wise Man as the gift bearers. Tradition has it that they arrive on January 6th, the date the Wise Men gave gifts to Jesus. The Spanish especially honor the cow at Christmas because it is thought that when Mary gave birth to Jesus the cow in the stable breathed on the Baby Jesus to keep him warm.
Holy cow! I mean, really?
The children of Spain receive gifts on the feast of the Epiphany. The Magi are particularly revered in Spain. It is believed that they travel through the countryside reenacting their journey to Bethlehem every year at this time. Children leave their shoes on the windowsills and fill them with straw, carrots, and barley or the horses of the Wise Men. Their favorite is Balthazar who rides a donkey and is the one believed to leave the gifts.
Mmm, barley, yummy!
I think all this info is badly in need of updating, don’t you think? What else can we find on the internet?
According to the BBC webpage, there is a quirky custom that is held in Catalunya and it goes like this:
In Catalunya there's a surprising addition to the crib: el caganer, which means, for want of a more offensive translation, the defecating shepherd. What's more, this scatological streak extends to a peculiarly-shaped local cake, la tifa, with sugar flies to top it all off!
Then you can also find this about the 6th of January:
The typical dessert of the day is called "Rosca de los Reyes" and is a home baked ring style bread decorated with coloured jellies to symbolise the jewels worn by the three Kings. Inside is hidden a small surprise similar to what we find in Christmas crackers. Anyone lucky enough to find the hidden surprise may be crowned King or Queen for the day!
All those years thinking that I was eating Roscón…
This is all we have time for, folks. Don’t miss out on our next issues of Christmas Specials.
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