Festivals: Christmas in Spain

Xmas in Spain

Christmas is a celebration. We celebrate it with a special sweet called turrón, bars made of almonds, sugar and honey. We decorate the Cristmas tree with a large and beautiful star on top. Bárbara D. Carmona Guillermo, ESO 1 D

I celebrate Christmas with my family in our village. We eat ham and potatoes. We go to the main square at night. I stay at my grandparents' house. I love the presents.

Iago Álvarez Souto, ESO 2B

Christmas holidays are the 24th, 25th , 31st of December and the 1st, 5th and 6th of January.The 24th at night we celebrate the birth of Jesus, and the 25th in the morning we got the presents Papá Noel left under the Christmas tree.

Laura Riveiro Lago, ESO 1B

The End-of-Year (New Year's Eve) is held to express that a year is over and another one starts again. We eat twelve grapes, no more no less, as they mean every month in the year.

Bárbara, ESO 1 D

The 31st of December is Nochevieja -it is the last day of the year. At twelve o'clock, we eat one grape for every twelve strikes from the clock.

Laura R. L., ESO 1B

Later, the night between the 5th and the 6th of January the Three Kings (Reis/Reyes Magos -wizards) come and bring presents to every home. We leave our shoes in the living or hall to get their presents and some water for “the camels to drink”.I like Christmas because the family meet together.Then holidays finish and school starts again.

Laura R. L. and Bárbara, ESO 1B

Listen to some famous Spanish carols here http://www.hoy.com.ec/especiales/2008/navidad-2008/villancicos.htm

Listen to some Galician carols in http://www.galiciadigital.com/images/especiales/especiales/nadal/vilancicos.php

http://vello.vieiros.com/nadal2001/panxolinhas.html

http://www.galiciadigital.com/images/especiales/especiales/nadal/musica/01-nopendello01.mp3

We're singing it at the school hall!

In Spain people decorate their houses with a Christmas tree and a bethlehem, and on the streets there are many coloured lights. Our holidays are three weeks, being the special days:Nochebuena / Noiteboa (Christmas' Eve, the 24th),Navidad / Nadal (Christmas, 25th),Nochevieja / Noitevella (New Year's Eve), Año Nuevo / Aninovo (New Year) and January 5th is the night of los Reyes Magos / os Reis Magos (the Three Kings), when we have got presents and the family meet you again -it is very very happy and funny. I sing songs with my family. Christmas are very good.

Andrea Casado, ESO 1D

On the party days we eat and sing carols with the family. On the street there are many Christmas lights and at home we also put a Xmas tree with lights and many adornments: balls in different colours and garlands.

Laura Falagán, ESO 1D

Christmas time in Spain is lovely. There is snow in some places, but it is not always a white christmas.We decorate our houses with christmas trees. All the families get together and have typical christmas meals, such as "turrón", "polvorones" -recipe... We give and get presents especially on 6th January, called "Dia de los Reyes". We also celebrate "New Year's Eve" and we eat twelve grapes. We don't have to go to school and we play a lot with friends.This is the Spanish Christmas and I love it.

Antonio Serrat Seoane, ESO 2C

Hello! This is María, from St. Tomé Secondary School in Vigo, Spain. This is a small text about Christmas, how we celebrate it, and things like that.On Christmas the Town Council puts lights on the streets. People usually set a Christmas tree at home and also a belén (Bethlehem). A belén is a miniature village with figurines representing the newborn Jesus, Mary and Joseph, and more people from the christian Bible.On Christmas Eve families eat dinner together. Then, after having eaten (a lot), they go home, usually really late. What do we eat? Well, usually sweets like mazapán and turrón. For dinner, seafood or meat are usually eaten.Also, traditional songs are sung, like Los peces en el río (Fish in the river).Presents are given to children, too. Normally, the Reyes Magos bring them. Father Christmas is not very popular here.

María Bolaño, ESO 2D

I am Eva, I'm from Vigo and there I live. At my home we celebrate Christmas on the 24th of december. That night we have a great meal and have dinner in the living room, and we watch tv, but we must go to bed very early, because Papá Noel (Father Christmas) is going to come and bring the gifts. Those gifts are the presents that previously we had asked for through a letter to Father Christmas. Next day morning we have all the gifts near the Christmas tree. That night we have e.g. quails for dinner and turrón, mazapanes, polvorones, ... as dessert.The streets have got lights in all colours and they have shapes like reindeers, stars, Father Christmas, etc. My home is decorated with the Christmas tree, garlands, colour lights, small dolls as snowmen, etc.Children sing Christmas carols called villancicos.

Eva Álvarez Regueiro, ESO 2D

Christmas is one of the most important festivals in the whole world. Here in Vigo we celebrate it eating with with our relatives. We have turkey, and the 12 grapes, which is a singular tradition in Spain. On January the 6th we open the presents that the Three Kings have brought us.I love this time of the year because we have holidays at school.

Alejandro Iglesias, ESO 2C