Comida, cultura, lengua y viajes — Food, culture, language, and travel!

As with any part of the world, the Christmas season begins in mid-to-late November, and Spain is no exception. The similarities and differences between the United States and Spanish holiday traditions are pretty interesting, and I'll be updating some of the most prominent ones here for you.

It all beings with the smell of roasting chestnuts perforating the cool evening air. The street vendors begin lighting their small, homemade metal drums when the temperatures begin to drop in November. Now, we've all heard the song "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" crooned when the seasonal soundtrack switches over, but this was my first opportunity to try this famous delicacy. Castaños as they're called in Spanish, are a common Fall and Winter snack here, and are practically available on every street corner. The Spanish eat them both raw and cooked, and not without good reason; it turns out that chestnuts are delicious. They're also perfect for warming your hands when you buy a small paper cone to snack on while you walk around at night.

During Christmas time, most Spanish households decorate their dinner tables and cover them with every type of chocolate and typical Christmas treat that you can imagine. One sweet that makes a sudden appearance in supermarkets and pastry stores alike are called polvorones. A polvorón is a typical Christmas pastry, made of flour, butter and sugar and it's shaped like a thick biscuit. The name "polvorón" comes from the spanish word "polvo" or "dust" because of it's propensity to break apart easily into little bits and dissolve easily. Mantecados are very similar to polvorones and differ only in texture and ingredients. Both come in a variety of flavors, a few of which can be seen below: traditional, almond, toasted sesame seed, and chocolate.

Polvorones and Mantecados

And finally, I would be remiss if I failed to mention turrón, a thick chocolate bar similar to a crunch bar, but with a more smooth, malted chocolate. Suchard is the go-to brand seen below.

The Christmas tree is a long-held tradition in Spain just as it is in the U.S., and in modern times more and more people are switching to plastic imitation trees in lieu of the natural option. This is evidenced by the fact that in Granada, I searched high and low to find a tree in the city with no luck. I went to several Floristerías, and even spoke to the owner of one who said that she no longer offers real trees because of the lack of demand. As I am partial to having a live tree and the smell of pine indoors for the holiday, the consensus was to go to a vivero (garden center) outside of the city to find one. I happened to be in Marbella the next weekend and managed to pick out a 25€ tree in the middle of the spectrum of Charlie Brown trees (10€) and beautiful, large balsam firs (100€+). The tree I chose had already been wrapped up, and to my surprise, included the roots and dirt. I instinctively asked when they were going to cut it for me, but it turns out that in Spain the tree is not cut down like in the U.S., but rather planted in the house in a macetero (flower pot) instead of a tree stand. And so, after making a large mess of dirt and pine needles, I finally had my real Christmas tree:


The cities set up their Christmas lights long before December, and with good reason: they are everywhere. A lot of the plazas have tall trees made of lights, and chandeliers and snowflakes hang in the streets. Every tree in the center is covered in lights. Christmas stands are also set up in all the major plazas, where they sell candied fruits, roasted nuts, chocolate, meats and cheeses, and wooden toys and handmade crafts from all over the country. This is one of the best times of year to walk around the city and really experience the Christmas traditions (not to mention flavors and smells) of Spain.

 


As Christmas draws closer, and presents are wrapped and turrón is consumed, millions of Spanish children await the arrival of Papá Noél and Los Reyes Magos (the Three Wise Men) to bring them presents on January 6th. That's right, Spanish children wait a full twelve days longer for their presents. Christmas Eve is still on December 25th, but it's strictly about celebrating together with family over a delicious dinner. In modern times, because of the influence of the U.S. traditions, some Spanish families have started giving presents on the 25th too, but it's not as prevalent, and January 6th continues to be the date most families choose to exchange gifts.


For more Christmas traditions, see my second post here, which details more traditional Spanish customs.


Photo credits