Last Christmas in England
Bristol, 19th of December
It doesn't feel as strange as I thought it would preparing for our last Christmas as UK residents. We
always spend Christmas with my mum and her husband in Nottingham and we think we will probably still go home for the
festive season after we have moved to Spain so things won't be so different in future. Nevertheless it felt quite sad
buying our last Christmas tree for this house. To honour the occasion we chose a big tree which Fred covered with as
many decorations as it would hold!
Christmas in Spain - La Navidad
On Tuesday I went to my last Spanish class of the year and our teacher told us all about how Christmas and New Year are celebrated in Spain.Christmas Eve is celebrated with a big family meal, la cena de Nochebuena which usually consists of fish. The Spanish don't have Christmas cake, pudding or mince pies but do have a range of delicious almond based sweets such as el turrón which is Arabic in origin. After dinner many people go to midnight mass, also known as la Misa de Gallo or the mass of the cockerel because it used to go on for hours until dawn!Christmas Day is a family affair too with dinner in many areas consisting of roast turkey and even the dreaded brussel sprouts, colecitas de bruselas. December 28th is el DÃa de los Inocentes, the day of the innocents - the Spanish equivalent of our April Fool's Day right in the middle of the festive season!
New Year sounds like a great celebration with some interesting rituals. You are supposed to wear red
underwear (men and women!) and at midnight eat twelve grapes, one with each chime of the bells, with a glass of cava to
bring good luck in each of the coming twelve months. On January 6th is the day of the kings celebrated, el DÃa de los Reyes Magos and is the day when children get their presents. The day before
there are parades known as cabalgata de los Reyes Magos, sometimes including the three
kings on real camels!
No regrets ... well hardly
It sounds so good that we might have to stay in Spain next Christmas! Having new customs to look forward to experiencing makes leaving less painful than it might otherwise have been. For now, Feliz Navidad y un Prospero Año Nuevo to everyone.
Sent by: Sue
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