2. INTRODUCCTION
 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.

3. SPECIAL 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.

4. CATALAN CHRISTMAS
TRADITIONS
 “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.

5. HOME 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.

6. TYPICAL CHRISTMAS FOOD
 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.

7. CHRISTMAS IN
BARCELONA
 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.