LA NAVIDAD EN ESPAÑA

ADVENT: This word comes from the Latin word Adviento, which means come. Since 1910 Advent is a liturgical time that begins on the Sunday nearest to Saint Andrews day (30 th November) and it lasts four Sundays. For example if the first Sunday were the 27 th November (Advent would last twenty eight days) or if it began on the 3 rd December (it would only last twenty one days) With Advent the ecclesiastical year starts in western churches. During that time, believers are urged to: Prepare themselves properly to celebrate Jesus anniversary incarnated as God. Prepare their souls to be a good dwelling place for The Redeemer through sacred communion and from grace In consequence they have to be prepared for his last coming as a judge, that means death and the end of the world. In the churches there are four candles that mean the four Sundays of Advent. Every Sunday the priest lights one candle, so on Christmas Eve the four candles are all lit. But actually, not everybody dont celebrates Advent, only priests and believers.

CHRISTMAS EVE As well as celebrating Christs birthday, Christmas Eve brings all the family together around a special table, decorated for that night, to have a special supper. The fast during the day of Christmas Eve, allows believers to eat a little quantity of food before the Midnight mass (celebrated at midnight on Christmas Eve), and this is the origin of that supper. Christmas Eve and Christmas day are the most important days at Christmas time. It depends on where they are celebrated, but both are very important. In Spain we dont usually give presents on Christmas Eve (not to the nearest family like parents, sisters or brothers, maybe presents are given to your grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins...)

For the supper, we usually prepare special dishes. The typical ones are:. To start the supper, we serve some starters such as Parma ham or smoked salmon, after that we often eat:. Lamb with red wine.. Red Bream, it is at Christmas when it is at its best, we usually drink white wine with it.. Shellfish ( prawns, lobster, crab...) accompanied with a sauce made with eggs, lemon and oil, called Mayonnaise.. As a dessert we eat Polvorones (a dry Spanish cake of a floury consistency),.. Mazapán (marzipan) and Turrones (Christmas nougat).. To end the supper, we toast with champagne or cider (to wish everybody good luck).

Christmas Adornment: Christmas Tree: In Spain, we decorate a fir (real tree or made of plastic) with shiny balls, bows, some dolls, and sometimes with a big star on the top. Crib: We recreate the place where Christ was born, with his mother (The Virgin Mary), with his stepfather Saint Joseph, and with a cow and a mule. Sometimes we put some shepherd, angels, and three kings (The Three Wise Men) in it. The Three Wise Men are very important in Spain, because they gave some presents to Christ. In the streets there are many coloured lights, and in the supermarkets you can find some typical Christmas plants like mistletoe and holly.

The Three Wise Men: This night (5 th January), is one of the most important and happiest for all the children in Spain, because on the morning of the 6 th January, they will have a lot of presents brought by The Three Wise Men. The children do the same as on Christmas Eve for Santa Clause, they prepare some food for The Three Wise Men, and water for their camels. The story says that they are three kings that are called: Melchor: He is a European king, that gave Christ some gold as a gift on his birth. Gaspar: He is an Indian king, and he gave Christ some myrrh to celebrate the day of his birth. Baltasar: He is from Africa and his present for Christ was incense. The legend says that they left their countries, to give their presents to Christ, but they got lost in the desert. When they found each other, suddenly a shooting star appeared in the sky, and it guided them to the place where Christ was born.

In Spain, every year a parade is organised to simulate the coming of The Three Wise Men. Everybody goes into the streets, because the kings throw sweets to the people that are waiting for them. It is a beautiful parade with lots of lights of different colours. After that, the children go back to their homes, to count the sweets, and to go to bed. That is when the parents put the presents on their kids shoes which have been previously left outside their rooms. In the morning, the children are very nervous (They dont usually sleep well) and they wake up their parents very early (They are very tired, because they have been a long time during the night organising the presents for their children). Tradition says that if you have been good during the previous year, you will have a lot of gifts, but if you have been bad, you will have coal. There is a joke about it, now the coal is made of sugar, and everybody wants it for the day of The Three Wise Men! After opening the gifts, all the family go to have breakfast. The typical breakfast is a large, round, cake called Roscón de Reyes that is very similar to bread, but it is sweet, and has some cream and crystallised fruit in it, delicious! It has a little gift inside. When you are small, if you get it, it means you will be lucky that year, but when you are an adult, if you get it, you have to pay for the cake. Children with a lot of imagination think that they have seen The Three Wise Men, but everybody know that it is impossible!

Special dates around Christmas time: The day of the Innocents: On this day (28th December), it is very common to play some practical jokes on your family and friends. The most typical joke is to make paper cut- outs, and stick them on their backs. The day of the National lottery: For a long time, we have celebrated the day of the National lottery, that is on 22nd December, and if you win the best price, you could be a millionaire.

Christmas recipe: This is a special recipe that is called Polvorones 1.Polvorones - Free Recipe Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup lard 1/2 cup sugar 2 large egg yolks 1 large orange 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups finely ground almonds Method: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a bowl, beat the butter, lard and sugar to a smooth light cream. Add the egg yolks separately, beating well after each. Very finely grate the orange peel and add the batter with the juice of the orange, then fold in the flour and the almonds. The dough should be quite crumbly. On a floured surface, roll out the dough 3/4 of an inch thick. Cut out 1-1/4 inch circles. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, until cooked but still golden. They will still feel soft but will grow firm as they cool. Store in an airtight container.

Christmas songs Los peces en el río Pero mira como beben los peces en el río Pero mira como beben por ver al Dios Nacido Beben y Beben y vuelven a Beber Los peces en el río por ver a Dios Nacer. La Virgen está lavando y tendiendo en el romero los pajaritos cantando y el romero floreciendo Pero mira como beben los peces en el río Pero mira como beben por ver al Dios Nacido Beben y Beben y vuelven a Beber Los peces en el río por ver a Dios Nacer. La Virgen se está peinando entre cortina y cortina los cabellos son de oro y el peine de plata fina Pero mira como beben los peces en el río Pero mira como beben por ver al Dios Nacido Beben y Beben y vuelven a Beber Los peces en el río por ver a Dios Nacer. Fun - fun – fun Veinticinco de Diciembre, fun, fun, fun. Como un sol nació Jesús, radiando luz, radiando luz. De María era hijo; un establo fue su cuna, fun, fun, fun. Veinticinco de Diciembre, fun, fun, fun. Como un sol nació Jesús, radiando luz, radiando luz. De María era hijo; un establo fue su cuna, fun, fun, fun.

From Spain with love, Raquel & Gonzalo wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year 2005