Jamie Fehr

The actual day commemorating Christ’s birth has come and gone here on the South Coast of Spain. Here’s the recap along with a breakdown of the official Spanish Christmas calender.

My Christmas

It didn’t feel like Christmas until my coworker Brandon and I stole a Christmas tree from the office on Christmas Eve and set it up at his house and put our (still wrapped) presents under it. Christmas just isn’t Christmas without a tree and someone to open presents with. I know those aren’t the official main points of the season but I would have been really sad if I didn’t have at least that.

Aside from the tree stealing, Christmas Eve was mostly uneventful; I called some people back home, drank a little wine, ate some Christmas Cookies and watched Home Alone. Home Alone I believe is the internationally recognized Christmas away from home reminisce movie of my generation. I felt so much more “in the spirit” after seeing it and other people I have talked to agree that it’s what got them feeling “it” when they spent Christmas in a foreign country.

I retired for the evening at Brandons house and woke Christmas morning to a phone call from my parents. It was appreciated, but I was tired and they were tired so the conversation was really short. I went back to sleep some more and then a little later in the morning we all (Brandon, Kirsten, Tim and I) gathered together to open presents. The loot was exceptional and after the unwrapping ceremony I returned back to my house with arms full. Later on, we all went to our Spanish teachers house to eat some lunch and then we went off to see one of the most detailed Nativity scenes I have ever seen.

Spanish Christmas

Their holiday calendar is really different from the one in North America. Today is the 26th and in all reality, things are still just warming up, the three magic kings are on their way.

• December 6th and December 8th
  Bank Holiday and Dia de la Imaculada (The Immaculate Birth)

  These two days are important for a few reasons: One, they mark the most known Puente of the year and in Seville there is the dance of the sixes at the cathedral.

  Puente is the spanish word for bridge and what it means in this context is that since the sixth and the eighth are national holidays, they just bridge over the seventh and make a good vacation out of it.

  Baile de los seises, or dance of the sixes happens a three times a year in front of the athedral in Seville. One of these times happens to be December the eighth to celebrate the immaculate birth. It’s a big event that gets national television coverage and I wanted to go see while I was in Seville but I was working. So all I have said is what I’ve heard.

• December 22nd
  The Christmas Lottery

  The Spanish national Christmas Lottery is one of the biggest lotteries of the world and the draw happens every year on December 22nd. It’s an event that’s televised nationally and while I didn’t watch it (I wanted to sleep in that day) I am told that there are children who practice all year to sing the winning numbers on national television as they’re drawn.

• December 24th
  Christmas Eve/Noche Buena (Good Night)

  This day is traditionally more important on the Spanish calendar than Christmas day. On the Christmas Eve families traditionally get together and eat the meal and then at midnight there is a midnight mass and afterwards I hear there generally is some rowdiness and rambunctiousness but I wasn’t actually downtown on Christmas Eve to find out for myself.

• December 28th
  Dia de los Santos Inocentes (Day of the Innocent Saints)

  This is the Spanish April fools day and I hear that there is no prank or “broma” that’s off limits. I need to get planning.

• December 31st
  New Years Eve/Noche Vieja (Old Night)

  It’s the last night of the year and while partying is till all hours of the night is more or less cultural in Spain also, something that does make this night unique here is the grapes. Every New Years Eve, before the clock strikes twelve you prepare twelve grapes (I’m told that in the stores you can buy packages of twelve peeled, seedless grapes for specifically this event) that you start eating when the clock starts chiming and if you finish before the clock you are to have good luck in the coming year, or so they say.

• January 6th
  Epiphany/Dia de los Reyes (Kings Day)

  This day celebrates when the three kings showed up to bring Jesus gifts. I’m told that here in Malaga these three kings show up in a boat in the harbor on the fifth, are paraded through the streets and then after everyones gone to sleep they bring presents to all the good little boys and girls. I guess Santa has started contacting out labour.

And that does it. I’ve enjoyed Christmas and Christmas is different here are my two main points for those of who might like a one sentence summary.