Hi there!
You know Christmas is coming and it's getting near.
I'm interested in how people all around the world spend not only Xmas day but the other celebration days too.
In Spain we have too many celebrations gathered all together in few days.
Before Xmas it's normal to make a Pesebre (Nativity Scene. Some people only put the main characters (Jesus, Joseph, Maria, the animals, the angel...) but some people really make huge (and I mean HUGE!) pesebres that look like an entire minitown.
I don't know how it is in the rest of Spain but in Catalunya there's the Fira de Santa Llucia that is like a street market but only about elements of the pesebre or related to Christmas.
-The 24th is what we call Nochevieja (literally Old Night). Family gather to have supper (at least that's my situation). Not holiday.
-The 25th is (obviously) Christmas (we call it Navidad) and, again, the family gathers to eat all together. We always eat canelons (canneloni. It's typical from Italy but also in Catalonia). Trés bien!. It's holiday
-The 26th is Sant Esteve/San Esteban. There are some families that gather again but my family don't. It's holiday.
-The 28th is 'El día de los Santos Inocentes'. It's something like the April's fool day. Supposedly in this day a king called Herodes ordered to kill all 2-year-old kids and younger just to get rid of Jesus.
-The 31st is Nochebuena (literally Good Night, meaning a night that is good). The family gathers and we eat 12 grapes in the last 12 seconds of the day. And then... party (as known as fiesta)! (Not holiday)
We enter in January then...
-The 1st is Año nuevo (NewYear). It's said that eating lentils this day brings good luck although I just ate them onceat this day. In this day we also tend to make imposible resolutions like giving up smoking, study every day, lose weight... It's obviously holiday since no one would go to work with a hangover!
-The 5th is la 'Víspera de los Reyes Magos' (which means the day before 'Reyes Magos'... Mmh.. Magical Kings? Magician Kings?... Something along those lines). In the afternoon a parade walks through the city throwing sweets to children. The parade it's about the 3 'Reyes Magos' and their servants. In some families the children receive their presents when they come back from viewing the parade. The children who receive their presents the 6th have to prepare this night a dish with turrón (nougat candy) for the Reyes Magos and water for their camels. Not holiday.
-The 6th is the real day of 'Reyes Magos' and it's when I always received my presents. The family gathers again and they give presents to each other. Holiday!
-The 7th it's not a celebration but it's holiday so children can play with their new toys.
This is how it is in general in Spain.
BUT! In Catalunya we have a really (and I mean really really REALLY) cool tradition which is the Cagatió or Tió de Nadal (the first name could be translated as Shitting Log and the second as Log of Christmas).
It's just a log with a funny happy face, two feet and a barretina (typical catalan hat). We have to feed him every night for a few weeksand cover him so he isn't cold at night.
Now comes the funny part: when he has eaten enough (the days can be different in each family) we have to kick him with sticks while singing typical songs of the Cagatió ordering him to poo. Obviously he doesn't poo what we do... you know. He poos little presents or candy.
However this is not the only tradition we catalans have about pooing! In our pesebres we always put a caganer (or shitting man) normally hidden. Then children have to find him. It's said that this tradition is fromthe 17th century! The typical caganer wears the also typical catalan clothes (that we obviously don't wear anymore ¬¬) with its red barretina. Now it's common to find caganers of famous and current people like Bush, the Pope and company.
Here you can see some pictures of both of them. [Note that the Cagatió isn't wearing a barretina in this pic ¬¬]
How are these days in your country??
