INTRODUCCTIONINTRODUCCTION Catalonia is in the north-east part of Spain and has a

distinct language, culture and traditions of its own. The Christmas feeling in Catalonia starts to emerge around mid-November when shop windows fill with toys and gifts. The streets are decorated with the typical motifs and Christmas lights.

SPECIAL DAYSSPECIAL DAYS 22nd December - All over Spain people never stray far from a TV or radio

as the Christmas lottery is drawn over a period of many hours. Everybody buys tickets for this lottery in the hope of winning El Gordo.

24th December - Christmas Eve is called Nit de Nadal in Catalan and it is the most important family gathering of the year.

25th December -On Christmas Day all the family join in the house of one of the members and young children do “caga tio”. They have a big meal together, dance, sing carols… They spend a happy time in family.

28th December - This is the day of Sants Inocents (Holy Innocents) and is when people play practical jokes on one another.

31st December - New Year's Eve is known as Nit de cap d’any. It is a big celebration all over the country. Until midnight people tend to stay at home and on the stroke of midnight it is traditional to eat 12 grapes, one on each stroke of the clock to bring good luck for the new year.

1st January – Is the first day of the new year and usually all the people are sleeping.

5th January -There are “La cavalcada de reis” in Catalan, all over Spain this evening where sweets are thrown from the floats to all the people who come out to watch.

6th January - Is when the Three Kings arrived in Bethlehem. For Catalan children this is the most important day of the year when they wake up to find that the Three Kings have left gifts for them in their house.

CATALAN CHRISTMAS CATALAN CHRISTMAS TRADITIONSTRADITIONS “El Pessebre”is a representation of

the Nativity Story. As in several countries, the Catalans have a Christmas tradition of creating a Crib Scene with the Shepherds, the three kings, Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus.

Look out for the “caganer”, a small statue of a Catalonian peasant, wearing traditional red hat (a barretina,) and, sitting, with trousers half down, in a "toilet" position, often smoking a pipe or reading a newspaper! Tio de Nadal or Caga Tió : We

celebrate the magic log . We take a wood log and we put eyes, mouth and one nose and we cover it a blanket. After we hit with a stick while we sing a song. When we finish the song we look under the blanket and there are some candies.

HOME DECORATIONSHOME DECORATIONS Christmas trees are common in the home but again they

don't appear until the second half of December. Also in the home there, miniature nativity scenes called Pessebres which depict life in the village where Jesus was born. The Pesebre always include the baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph as well as the Three Kings, Baltasar, Melchior and Gaspar.

TYPICAL CHRISTMAS TYPICAL CHRISTMAS FOODFOOD One of the most typical food at

Christmas Day is chicken, cannelloni and “escudella” (traditional soup with meat).

Typical desserts during Christmas are: “Torró”, “Neules” and “Polvorons”

Adults also use to drink cava. Moreover, there is a special round cake

for the Three Wise Men Day. This cake hides a little figure of a king and a broad bean inside. Who gets the figure will be the king during the day while who gets de bean has to pay the cake.

CHRISTMAS IN CHRISTMAS IN BARCELONABARCELONA

Christmas Market in Barcelona: The “fira de Santa Llucia” runs from early December until Christmas Eve and can be found outside the Cathedral, in Plaça de la Seu and Plaça Nova. Here you will find all sorts of hand made gifts, intricate nativity scenes and the Caga Tió log.