Celebrating Christmas and New Year in Spain is like a treat. It serves various traditional, cultural, and religious services starting from mid-December to the first week of January. Visitors can enjoy tasty food, mulled wine, freshly baked cookies, melodious festive songs, and experience the world’s best concerts. You taste traditional sweets like marzipan and turron, an almond, and honey confection during the annual events. The weather here is cold, and December is the ideal time to plan a trip to celebrate Christmas.
Here are a few interesting things to do on Christmas and New Year in Spain for endless fun and happiness.
Explore the Christmas Market
Spain hosts plenty of Christmas markets in major squares, selling handmade gifts, ornaments and tasty food items. One of the great places to explore in the festive season is Barcelona, home to unique Catalan Christmas customs. Popular Christmas markets in Spain begin the decorations at least two months before the festival and they are as follows –
- Fira de Santa Llucia, Barcelona
- Feria de Nadal de la Sagrada Familia
- Dulce Navidad, Madrid
- Mercado Santo Tomas, Bilbao
- Mercadillo Navideño Plaza del Pilar, Zaragoza
- Christmas market in Estepona, Malaga
- Mercado de Navidad, Granada
- Feria de Belen, Seville
- Feria de Atracciones de Navidad, Valencia
Most U.S Airlines, including American Airlines, offer exclusive discounts on Christmas and New Year to popular holiday destinations. You can also check out the terms and conditions of the American Airlines change flight policy on the official site.
Go out for the best holiday dinner in Spain
There are plenty of amazing restaurants and cafes offering palatable dinner arrangements. Tourists can enjoy the biggest meal at festivals till the first week of January. In the past, pavo trufado, turkey stuffed with tasty truffles, was served at restaurants. It was a popular dish to try during Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Additionally, Lobster and roast food items are also great to taste. Most families try the soup, fish stew, seafood, cheeses, hams, pates, lamb, or a suckling pig. In addition, popular holiday dishes to try in Spain include Andalusian stew, Catalan escudella, garlic soup, and cream of almonds.
Head to the Nativity Scene on Christmas and New Year’s Eve
Spain is set up, also known as Belenes in Spanish, meaning “Bethlehems.” One of the habits of the inhabitants is the preparation of a small Nativity scene at the beginning of December. The practice is represented by figurines of the Holy Family and a manager along with the Baby Jesus. Moreover, the large nativity scenes are seen in the festive markets, selling the prettiest stuff. The traditional caganer represents a Catalan peasant wearing a red cap, and most of his modern incarnations are of politicians.
Eat twelve Grapes at Midnight
There is a tradition and superstition of eating twelve grapes at the stroke of midnight on New Year in Spain. You cannot skip the activity and take one grape for each stroke of midnight. It was all started by some farmers around 1000 years ago when they had too many grapes after the harvest. Moreover, everyone inhales the seed and makes funny faces as it is quite difficult to find seedless grapes. Portugal is the nearest to Spain; you can book tickets to the closest airport, Madrid-Cuatro Vientos Airport. Suppose you have booked Air Canada tickets and want to learn about the conditions of changing flights before departure. Read everything about the Air Canada change flight policy to enjoy a hassle-free experience this holiday season on the site.