Christmas seems to begin earlier and earlier each year. It seems that no sooner do the skulls, witches and vampires for Halloween leave the shop windows do we see Santa Claus, Rudolph and the elves appear. Then as soon as Saint Steven’s day arrives, the shops are full of the January sales! Well, Barcelona in Spain is different. OK, so maybe the decorations do start to spring up a little after Halloween, but Christmas festivities in Barcelona go on for much longer than just 26th December.
Christmas is a traditional time for families, and this is no exception in Barcelona - you will only find tourists filling the restaurants over Christmas as families gather and celebrate the ending of another year. Turkey is not the tradition either – rather a broth made from meats and poultry with pasta shells called “Sopa de Galets” which is fairly laborious and time consuming, but delicious! This is followed usually by seafood (lobsters, bogabante), and traditional sweet breads and pastries with pine nuts and of course several bottles of Cava!

Each Spanish home is decorated with the traditional Nativity scene, although there is perhaps a figure that not everyone would recognise. The “caganen” is a figurine of a man crouched over and, ahem, “fertilising” the earth. This tradition stems from the literal meaning of re-fertilising the earth for a new year and a successful crop. Indeed. The analogy of defecation doesn’t stop there. A permanent fixture in every family’s household is a “cagatio” – basically a decorated wooden log, complete with face, which children feed in the upcoming weeks to Christmas. The “cagatio” is then beaten with sticks and “deposits” sweets and goodies for children to enjoy.

Perhaps the biggest joy for Children, however, is the wait for the arrival of the “Reis Magos” or the 3 Kings on the Epiphany. This is a magical day for Children with the “Magic Kings” arriving by boat (no camels here, people) to the port and then performing their “cabalgata” or parade throughout the city, throwing tonnes of sweets to the faces of glowing children who wave their flags and don their paper crowns. This is a huge event, which is televised and the city basically closes off to traffic as the streets of Barcelona are filled with parents and children alike. This tradition re-creates the brining of the gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh to Jesus in the stable and is also when the children receive their presents, too. In a way, this makes more sense, as this was really the day of presenting gifts, not the 25th December, or the birth of the baby Jesus. Shops stay open till late and it’s also tradition in Catalunya that you must buy something on the day of the Kings, so shops often run out of stock due to the Christmas rush and this tradition. The day ends fairly late and tired but content children trudge home to sleep off the excitement and wait only a few days before the New Year festivities begin. Barcelona may have some strange traditions when it comes to the festive season, but one thing’s for sure - it’s great to be a kid in Barcelona at Christmas!

About the Author:
David writes about Self-catering apartments for rent Barcelona and www.bcn-rentals.com/apartments-for-rent/barcelona-old-town-2.html" target="_blank"> Barcelona apartments for groups.

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