WISE MEN ADORATION by Murillo
I always have mixed feelings about Christmas in Spain!
In many ways, it is great to be in Spain and somewhere that (in most Mediterranean areas) tends to have spectacularly fine weather. Certainly, for anyone interested in the outdoors life, Christmas in Spain can be terrific.
As a rock climber it is normally bliss – and most years I have spent Christmas in Spain rock climbing, in little more than a tee shirt and shorts. This would be unthinkable for my friends in the UK who would be nothing less than envious to see me climbing perfectly dry rock, whilst bathing in temperatures that have been known to reach 20 degrees or more.
Indeed, the weather over Christmas in Spain can be a compelling reason to come to Spain over the Christmas holidays. Long walks, fishing, riding, boating, cycling and so on can usually be done in conditions that can mimic a UK summer’s day.
Of course, much depends upon where you go in Spain with the Mediterranean areas blessed with the best weather, particularly the coastlines of the Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol. There, whilst the early mornings and nights can certainly be chilly, the days are often wonderfully sunny with temperatures soaring under the azure skies for which Spain is so famous.
Needless to say, Spain is so vast that weather conditions can vary spectacularly – so, do not take great weather for granted!
The north west of Spain has an Atlantic climate with harsh winters and anywhere around the Pyrenees can mimic the worst of North European winter weather. Meanwhile, inland temperatures in Spain are often extreme with Madrid, for example, having winters as cold as its summers are hot. That said, if you like the cold, there is usually good skiing in the Pyrenees and also, surprisingly, in the Sierra Nevada of Granada – which is in the far south of Spain.
So, Christmas in Spain can be delightful and deliver a welcome break from the long, grey winters of Northern Europe. It is a great place to escape to and, having felt some sun on your back, you are bound to return home feeling refeshed.
But what of us expatriates living in Spain? What is Christmas in Spain like for us?
Well, as I have written before, I tend to find Christmas in Spain a little surreal – particularly given the (in North European terms) unseasonal weather. That is not to say that it is not a festive period in the North European sense. It is. In fact, the full commercial force of Christmas has long been a part of Christmas in Spain – with Christmas lights up everywhere and Father Christmas’ dangling from the sides of flats and houses.
Equally, there are no shortage of parties and celebrations, whether you are an expatriate or Spaniard. In fact, most expatriate communities are often vibrant, at the best of times, and become even more so over Christmas in Spain.
However, things are a little different from the UK with no Boxing Day (a bank holiday in the UK) immediately after Christmas day. Everyone seems to go straight back to work, with the next holiday New Year’s day. This is followed by the very important celebration of the Three Kings (los Tres Reyes) which is on the 12th day of Christmas. Los Tres Reyes (the three wise men) celebrates the arrival of the three kings to Christ and is a day upon which further presents are given out – together with colourful street processions that wind their way through the streets of most towns and villages. A must-see for anyone in Spain!
Is there anything negative about spending Christmas in Spain?
I think the one thing that most ex-patriates would agree upon is that, above and beyond everything else, Christmas is a family time – a time for all the family to come together. This, of course, is something this is invariably difficult to achieve if you are living in Spain and is perhaps the only downside to celebrating Christmas in Spain.
Mind you, for some families, I suspect, it may be a blessing – not to suffer yet another argumentative day together with over excited children, grumpy relations and false joie de vivre…
RELEVANT INFO: Life in Spain – Christmas in Spain is a rather odd experience and La Tienda for Spanish Xmas food and wine
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