(To hear a traditional Spanish Christmas carol, haz clic AQUÍ)
(For a quiz about Christmas, haz clic AQUÍ)

To say 'Merry Christmas' you say 'Feliz Navidad.'
Father Christmas is Papá Noel.

The first celebration of Christmas is on 8 December. This is called El Día de la Inmaculada and it is a celebration of when Mary discovered that she would give birth to a special son.  Processions, singing and celebrations in church take place.

Most houses will have un portal de Belén (a Christmas Nativity Scene).  You can just say belén for short.  
The belén can be very beautiful and elaborate.  It is a model of the stable with La Sagrada Familia (The Holy Family of Mary, Joseph and Jesus), los pastores (the shepherds) Los Reyes Magos (The Three Kings) and los animales (the animals). 
Very often, Spanish children will sing Christmas carols (villancicos) whilst admiring el belén.

On the 22 December there is a very famous Spanish Christmas lottery and it is nicknamed El Gordo (the fat one) because of the enormous size of the prizes.  The prizes are very large sums of money and most Spanish people buy tickets.

(An image of a Spanish Christmas Lottery ticket.  This was not a winning ticket!  Wikimedia Commons.)

Christmas Eve is very important in Spain.  It is called Nochebuena (The good night) and it is a very happy occasion.  Families eat a special meal on the night of 24 December.  This meal is called La Cena de Nochebuena. There are many foods prepared for this meal.  Lamb, fish, lobster and turkey are a traditional choice.   A sweet nougat called turrón, an almond pastry called un polverón, marzipan, shortbread (mantecado) and sparkling Cava wine are also popular.
The traditional foods at Christmas vary according to the area where you live.
After the meal, some presents are given.  Christmas presents given on Christmas Day are called las estrenas. There are lots of parties too. 
Many people will go to Midnight Mass (la Misa del Gallo).

 
(Photo of chocolate con churros: a chocolate drink and long, thin fritters to dunk.  A popular snack at Christmas time. This plate of churros was served in La Chocolatería San Ginés de Madrid.  
Wikimedia Creative Commons License.  Author: Barcex. )

Christmas Day is a day for the family.  A special meal takes place at around 2p.m. and more presents are given. 

The 28 December is the equivalent of April Fools' Day in Spain.  People play tricks on one another.  It is called El Día de los Santos Inocentes.  It is in remembrance of all the babies and young children under two years of age from the town of Bethlehem who were killed by King Herod's soldiers at the time of the birth of the Baby Jesus.

In the area of Alicante, on 28 December, it is the tradition for people to throw flour at each other!  Everyone becomes completely white!  This fun tradition is called 'Els Enfarinats.'

 The 6 January is the most important day of Christmas in Spain.  This is known as The Day of The Kings (El Día de Reyes).  This is the day when children receive most presents.  The Three Kings arrive during the night of 5 January and leave presents for the children.  Children leave letters for the Kings, (addressed to Los Reyes Magos de Oriente), telling them the gifts that they would like to receive.  They place their shoes outside on the balcony, outside their bedroom door, in the dining room or beside their bed - hoping to find them filled with treats and surrounded by presents in the morning!

Children also leave bowls of water outside on the balcony for the Kings' camels, just in case they are thirsty!

  Every town has processions on the 5 January.  Sweets are thrown from the passing floats.

 
(Image shows the Three Kings giving Spanish children presents in a shopping centre. Wikimedia Commons.)

On 5 January, a special cake is prepared all over Spain.  It is called Roscón de Reyes.  It is a ring-shape and is covered in coloured jellies.  The jellies represent the sparkling jewels worn by The Three Kings who followed the star to find the baby Jesus in the stable in Bethlehem. 
Inside the cake, there are little lucky charms.  The Spanish belief is that if you find one of these charms in your cake, it will bring you good luck for the new year.

(Photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Some more Christmas words in Spanish are - María y José (Mary and Joseph), el Niño Jesús (the baby Jesus), Belén (Bethlehem), el ángel (the angel), el burro (the donkey), la estrella de Belén (the star of Bethlehem), el pastor  (the shepherd), el pesebre (the manger), el portal de Belén (the nativity scene), el villancico (the Christmas carol.)

  The last night of the year is called La Nochevieja (the old night).  At New Year, it is the tradition to eat twelve grapes at midnight - one grape for each stroke of the clock.  Those who eat the twelve grapes believe they will have twelve months of good luck - one grape is eaten for each month.  The grapes are known as Las uvas de la suerte (the lucky grapes.)

The most important place to be at midnight is in Madrid in La Puerta del Sol (the main square in the centre of the city).

To say 'Happy New Year' you can either say 'Feliz año nuevo' or 'Próspero año nuevo.'

i Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo !