Late Photos of Reyes 2013 !

OK, I know I'm really late with this one, and we're well into the new year - hell, some kids' toys have probably already broken or ran out of batteries! It's just that I've never posted photos of the cabalgata dels Reis before, so wanted to at least put up a few pics for those readers who don't live in Barcelona and didn't get the chance to go or watch it on the TV.

It's a huge deal in Barcelona - like the kids' Christmas Eve for the rest of us - and the whole city stops to watch the parade, which starts down at the port with the mayor receiving the Kings (on a boat no less) before they begin their journey through the town preceded by loads of floats representing the different parts of the tale.

Kids write letters to the Kings in a similar way that they do to Santa Claus, and there are people collecting those late-comers with nets and post boxes - there's even a miniature sorting office of the postal service!

Obviously the 3 Kings of the East are accompanied by typical costumes, with some fantastic dancers and models of animals (not all photographed here by a long shot) along with cool toys or coal if you don't go to bed by midnight.

And all along the way, the participants in the floats and those surrounding them are throwing sweets out to everyone. It does get a little manic with sweets literally "raining down" on people - a couple of little babies near us were crying at the shock/emotion of it all!

It's great fun, and some people are so well prepared with stepladders adorning the corners of the streets in Eixample where we were, for example. I remember the first year going, seeing people wandering the streets all the way from Raval with stepladders thinking "what the hell is he doing at half past six on Reyes, with a stepladder?!" only to realise later, they're the best prepared for the little ones!

Happy (belated) New Year everyone and my sincere best wishes to everyone  - I hope this year is better than 2012 in every way, even though it all points to maybe not being the case. Be happy, be healthy, and be good.

BarGelona 2012-13 Christmas Ice Rink

This Christmas, the same as last year, Plaça Catalunya has been converted into a festive Ice Rink called BarGelona - the play on words there in Catalan, "gel" is "ice". Unconfirmed reports last year suggested that the installation of the rink was to stop another camp-in of the 15-M indignados who had spent so much time there in the spring, and not just an impulse to encourage Christmas shopping and spending to boost the economy. Either way, it must have been a success, as it's back.

 The rink is sponsored by local companies and banks, and is a little different to last year in the layout and organization. In a similar way to last year, there are plenty of vouchers flying around the shops and bars easy to pick up but this year seems like a better deal. Last year, you got 2 x 1 for 30 minutes skating and this year it's 50% off instead, so for 4,50 € you get an hour's skating time (but I'll get to that later).

I went with my kids and some other from their school last Friday, and there was very little wait to get your skates and get on the rink. You must take gloves - otherwise you have to buy some - and kids have the option of helmets (all free) and there are free lockers to drop off bags, coats, etc. as you can get quite hot skating around. I assumed before we arrived, that time would be regulated every hour -i.e. they blow a whistle on the hour and swap those who have been on with those waiting, in a similar way to last year. So, we got booted up with our skates and were patiently waiting for it to come around to the hour. Then we noticed that other people behind us just got their skates, and went straight on the rink, so we thought as there was only 20 minutes to go before the hour mark, they're probably just turning a blind eye to the time - you can see from the photos, it wasn't heaving. 

Well, we skated for 2 hours, and could have gone on for longer, I reckon, as no-one asked us for our tickets  or seemed to be controlling the time, and we only left as my daughter was really tired. So great value for money too! AND on the back of the tickets we were given to skate, there was a voucher for a free snoog-scarf from Banc Sabadell which I picked up this morning, too!

There is a refreshment area at the back with a bar, waffles, hot chocolate, etc. and plenty of room to sit down and take photos for those who aren't skating. There's also a smaller rink for the little ones who can practice with the big heavy plastic penguins - apologies for the photo being so blurry, I was trying to catch the action!

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Christmas Tree Shopping in Barcelona

Christmas is my favourite time of the year. Even more than the summer. I'm just a big kid at heart, and my memories of Christmas as a boy in England are all very very happy ones, so I love to get my kids in the mood as well. We've had the tree up since the 1st December, and we've been making mince pies this week whilst listening to Christmas music non-stop (in English, obviously). The kids have got various Christmas concerts and plays next week and I've written before about how cool it is to be a kid at Christmas in Barcelona.

So one of the things that's always presented a problem is buying a tree. It's not Christmas without a proper tree. Carrefour (the big one near IKEA, not the one on Las Ramblas) used to sell them  - not very good quality but did the job - but stopped, so you're left with the option of florists around the city, or the Christmas market. And here begins one of the problems - it's like 80-odd Euros for a bloody tree!! They may have even gone up since the last time I looked, AND they're already cut, so no root, no pot. Bah, humbug.

So I began doing a bit of research online and asking around, and nobody seemed to be able to suggest anything. And then I came across Catalunya Plants. We bought our tree there last year (but I used my phone as a GPS to get there, and ran out of battery so couldn't take any photos) and it was great - when I took it down after the Epiphany, it hardly shed any needles, and I reckon I could have planted it somewhere and it would have been fine again for this year. It's a 20-minute drive from Barcelona located in Sant Vicenç del Horts.

So they have two kinds of trees - ones that have been cut and potted, and ones that are specifically grown to be re-planted in your garden or whatever and ones that are just to be used for the Christmas period and then recycled. I go for the latter, and it's a bargain at 35€.

One of the best things about going to this place is that they also have a great kids play area with bouncy castle, swings and slides, picnic area, and a kind of mini farm, where you can go and have a look at the animals. It really is lots of fun, and all free as you walk around. My kids loved it and there were plenty of other young families around just passing the time and not necessarily buying plants or anything. They have a small pet shop with gerbils, hamsters, rabbits, fish, etc.  near towards the back too and a really good Christmas section (I took a pic, but it came out all blurry) so it's a really great place to go and stock up on stuff if you're just starting out too.

Here's the funny Ostrich - not at all shy, and good job the fence is high!

Very cool Buck and there are a few Deer dotted around too - this is in the middle of the farm part.

Goats just next to the Ostrich.

My son Jack doing Vitaly the Tiger from Madagascar 3. If you haven't seen it, go!

Pretty cool slides in the entrance of the kids play area.

Ponies!

Well Hello Mr Turkey!! Or is it a Mrs ?! hehehe!!

Peacocks!

As you can see, it's a lot of fun and a great place to go and enjoy the animals.

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Nativity Scene at Plaça Sant Jaume

As is becoming customary with me, I'll take the kids to see the Christmas lights, Christmas Fair, often the Three Kings, and always the Nativity Scenes in the centre of the old town, too. The Plaça Sant Jaume is the usual place for the scene to be installed and each year takes a different form. Last year's scene was like a scale model Bethlehem with lights being projected onto the Town Hall in the background.

Well, this year's scene is perhaps a little more traditional  - as in old fashioned - and seems to echo the style of the abandoned frescos painted on the cielings of churches around Catalunya in the day - many of which can be seen at the MNAC over at Plaça Espanya. The paintings of Jospeh, Mary & the Kings are almost icon-ic and for me the whole faux-stone church is trying to evoke that.

For my ignorance, there may well be a very informative piece all about the designer and painter somewhere around the Plaça Sant Jamue, so I apologise if that's totally wrong!! haha!!! Well, anyway, I like it this year a bit more than last year - although there's no place for the classy dinner table with the caldo de galets like last year...shame!

And just as you're admiring the scenes and taking a few photos, there's your caganer out the back, looking like a mix between Edvard Munch's The Scream and a cardboard Muppet. Hang on a minute.....

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below about this year's decorations, and if anyone else has anything to suggest, please leave a comment, too!

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BarGelona - Skating at Plaça Catalunya

As I mentioned last month, Plaça Catalunya has been converted into a Giant Ice Rink, called BarGelona (Gel is "ice" in Catalan), and although I took these photos the day before it was due to open, I haven't had time to actually get down there yet - so didn't want to wait much longer for the post. Obviously it's a great place to go with the kids, and that has been my intention, but as winter comes, so do coughs and colds, and we've been putting it off - I'll try and update this post with some pics when we manage to get.

Anyway, the rink is open until the 8th January, so plenty of time to go and enjoy the experience. It's open pretty much all day from 10am till 9pm, and weekends until 11pm (full timetable here) and the price is 8 Euros for 1 hour or 6 Euros for 30 minutes. This includes skate hire and you have to wear gloves. However, many of the local shops in and around the city centre have 2 x 1 tickets which makes it a great price at 4 Euros for the hour. I got some from a local shop in Sant Antoni, for example, if you want to have a shop around - don't be afraid to ask either - the shops get a wad of tickets to give out for those kids of things.

Anyone been yet?! Let me know in the comments - I think it's a great idea, and as I say, I haven't been yet, but will report back when I get the chance!!

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Christmas Market in Barcelona - Giant Cagatio!!

Every year the Feria de Santa Lucia brings a bit of Christmas Cheer to the city - it's a very long running tradition, and what started as a small market now takes up pretty much the whole of the Plaça in front of the city cathedral in the gothic quarter. Christmas tunes are playing from speakers just enough to keep things merry and not annoying (unless you work there, I imagine!) and it's great to just have a wander around and experience the different traditions and customs which Catalunya has embraced for Christmas.

As well as real Christmas trees (very overpriced, sorry) and decorations there are nativity scenes, ornaments, caganers, cagatios, and lots of plants and floral decorations. Into it's 224th edition, it's a must-visit for anyone visiting the city and even the residents here - especially those with children.

 And this year, there's yet another reason to get yourselves down there. Yes, it's a giant Cagatio!! The Barcelona council and getting good at making giant Christmas characters (see my linki for last year's enormous Caganer in Maremagnum!).

I happened to be there last weekend and it was just about to re-open for the afternoon "show" and there was a huuuuuuuggggge queue of people up towards the bridge of sighs - so we gave it a miss, but for those in fine voice for the song (oh, yes, people, he's got his own song!!). Also, this Saturday and Sunday you can see the traditional Sortidas de la Carassa - like the Christmas beast - from 12:30 onwards. The Fair is on until the 22nd December, so get yourselves down there to pick up a gift or those last minute decorations for your place!

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Barcelona Shopping Night Kicks Off Christmas

I wasn't sure I'd be writing practcally the same as I wrote last year regarding the expectations of the nation (practically) on two upcoming events - the Christmas shopping campaign and the Christmas Lottery - but it appears that not a lot has changed in 12 months (save a president). Press releases all week have been praising the sales of the lottery tickets as per usual, and despite the cyber Monday plodding along yesterday and the fact that the 23rd December is the best day for retail in Spain, the initiative to get people digging deep early starts tomorrow night in downtown Barcelona.

Yes, for those fortunate few with rather deep pockets, many of the city's most exclusive (read expensive) shops open from 20h till "the early hours" of the morning to participate in the shopping night. Don't be fooled by the link, people, the site is in Catalan or Spanish, not English. There are also many of the chain stores dotted along the same streets (this year Caspe and Rossello join in, too) to pick up some late night bargains, too, don't worry ;o)

Heavily concentrated around the city's most chic street, Paseig de Gracia, almost all of the shops and hotels have activities going on to entice the locals into the shops. Bands, cooking, Tapas, etc. all co-inciding with the turning on of the Christmas lights, too. Similar to last year, you can get a Passport to travel around the shops - only this time you can download one from their facebook page, and tying in nicely with my recent post on Android apps for visiting Barcelona, the shopping night even have their own andriod app too.

If you're coming to Barcelona this winter, check out BCN Rentals for their selection of last minute barcelona deals. And for a quick llok into the neighbourhood where the event is happening, see this guide to Eixample.

Christmas Ice Rink at Plaça Catalunya ?

A recent post in La Vanguardia has reported that Barcelona council has given the green light to "considering" turning Plaça Catalunya into an ice skating rink, similar to the famous New York rink in front of Rockerfeller Plaza. The idea would need a pretty quick implimentation as the plan would be to co-incide with the traditional turning on of the Christmas lights and the annual late night shopping event this coming 30th November. It also reports that it would be a good incentive for those looking to vote for Barcelona for the Winter Olympic Games of 2022 as well.

The idea is to create a rink of around 800m2 with an artificial tree in the middle which would be paid for by the private sector - some companies such as Damm breweries (who else?!) have come forward in support of the idea. I think it would be really cool, and despite the usual criticisms in the comments on the vanguardia site, I'm all for it. I'm still very traditional when it comes to Christmas and love the lights and the festivities, and to be honest I think for the space that Plaça Catalunya occupies, it's a bit of a white elephant and could be put to much better use.

Of course, there's another reason why the rink has been proposed - to stop another occupancy of the Plaça Catalunya like in May from those in the 15-M movement. Christmas is always a time that the shops and city as a whole like to enjoy a bit of a peak again after the summer slump, so anything that could potentially disturb that  (i.e. a manifestation) is something the authorities will want to avoid.

What are your thoughts? Do you think it's a good idea, or it might look a bit limp compared to other cities ? I remember being in Brussels close to Christmas one time and there was a rink there that was pretty small, but really popular. Let me know in the comments.

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Happy New Year!!

OK, so I'm a few days late, but hey, it's still worth saying. While the majority of Europe has got slowly back into the swing of things starting yesterday, for some Spanish kids tonight is what they've been waiting for since school broke up. Yes, the 3 Kings of Orient arrive tonight - on a boat, of course - all the way from Bethlehem and parade around the town on floats throwing sweets to children and bringing their presents like Santa Claus.



As regular readers will know, I have two children and we'll be doing our best to stifle the yawns and cries to keep them up tonight to go and see the "cabalgata". I'm all for embracing the local culture, and despite the Epiphany going largely unnoticed in my homeland of England, it's a big deal here (if my memory serves me correctly, most English households actually take all their decorations down today). My only qualm is that it starts so bloody late!! OK, maybe my family don't follow exactly the same routine as other kids in Barcelona, going to bed at 21h onwards, but they're 5 and 3!! They flat out refuse to do "siestas" (don't blame them, never been a siesta man, even when I've wanted to!) and end up being knackered at about 19:30!! So today is the first time we'll be venturing out to the parade, wish me luck!!

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The Spanish Christmas Lottery

One of the many thnings I love about spending Christmas in Spain is the Christmas Lottery draw also known as "El Gordo" - or "The Fat One". And for pure entertainment value. The very first year I came to Barcelona, I remember turning on the TV in the morning and almost every single channel (no TDT, guys) was broadcasting the draw. And I had absolutely NO IDEA what was going on. I was absolutely baffled.



I was 16 when the National lottery first started in the UK, so obviously went along and bought my ticket. Simple process, you fill in one of those sheets with the 6 numbers you'd like to choose and then get your ticket. So you choose all 6 numbers. And it's highly unlikely that there are more than, say, another person who has chosen those same numbers as you. So the expectations and dreams you might have of becoming a multi-millionare (and probably not having to share it with anyone) made part of the draw....er, part of the draw.

Now, I still don't think I fully understand how the bloody hell the Spanish Christmas lottery works, but it most certainly grips the nation like nothing I've ever seen before. Tickets go on sale in JULY, and there used to be a pretty famous bald bloke who would adorn your bus shelters around the cities with catchphrases such as "Could it fall here this year?" and the like. Wacky stuff in the heat of summer, seeing snow, Christmas trees and that bloke blowing angel dust towards you.

Tickets are known as "decimos" or "tens" as there are at least ten of each number and cost a whopping 20 Euros each. There are seemingly hundreds of prizes ranging from the refund of your ticket (usually goes straight back into the New Year Draw known as "El Niño"), and then varying amounts up to the big one of 3 million Euros. No, that wasn't a typo. The "fat one" is only 3 million Euros. OK, OK, I know "only" is perhaps the wrong word, but I mean none of your 110 Million EuroMillion malarkeys. Given the sheer amount of prizes, there's a 15% chance of winning some kind of prize, so maybe the "great" odds are what so many people play.



Part of the reason I (now I understand it) love the day, is the whole performance. Big old Bingo cages are rolled out and loads of little wooden balls are tipped into them, so no complaints about technology here. Starting from early morning, two balls are dropped out at a time with one being the ticket number and the other being the prize. Sounds pretty simple, right? Well, the funny bit is that kids from (I'm guessing a posh school called Sant Ildefons) SING the numbers out. Loudly. For about 4 hours.

Obviously, Spain now has the Euro as their national currency, but it used to be the Peseta - so numbers were huge (although not as huge as the Lira, to be fair, which was just silly). So 1 million pesetas was only 6000 Euros. Given that the Spanish lottery ticket number is a 5 digit number, the whole singing thing is an absolute tounge-twister for a recently-arrived foreigner (see first paragraph)!!


I could write a whole other post about improving your chances of winning by buying your ticket from the Catalan Town of "Sort" - where a huge majority of the tickets are printed. They have their own witch (Sort means "luck" in Catalan) too, and people flock from literally miles and miles around to buy directly from Sort. And you can still "choose your numbers" - apparently favourites this year have been the date that Spain won the World Cup, or the minute that Iniesta scored, etc. So if you're in front of a TV (or Radio, for that matter) then be sure to tune in on Wednesday 22nd December.

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Nativity Scenes in the Old Town

Well, it's less than 2 weeks to Christmas. Nearly the end of 2010. I don't know about you, but for me, the year seems to have flown by. Let's hope 2011 is a hell of a lot better for the whole country.

Nothing gets me more in the mood for the Christmas time than the traditions. I love the Christmas songs on loop in the supermarkets - Frank singing "Let it Snow" and it's 19ºC outside - the fake snow in the windows, the lights being turned on, etc. I even had a special delivery of Christmas crackers for my tree delivered in November (gotta have crackers, people, with really bad jokes) - thanks Uncle Tony!! So, whilst I'm also one for embracing the wacky traditions that other cultures may have, I'm also happy to queue up to look at other "normal" stuff, like the Christmas market, and the Nativity scene currently in place in front of the town hall.



The back drop of the scene has projections - like a giant Advent calendar - of the typical Catalan traditions and there's a great meal laid on of the traditional escudella amb galets. You'll have to forgive the quality of the pics, guys - wife's iphone as we hadn't planned on heading there - but I thought they were worth sharing.



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The Christmas Shits - Big Time!

Now I know this sounds like bad timing...less than a month to go for Christmas, and I'm already ploughing in with the negativity like a proper modern day Ebenezer Scrooge. Or for those of you more savvy readers, you might have an inclination as to my intentions from the rather large image just below.



Yes readers, I think the Catalans win hands down for hilarious Christmas traditions compared to any of their European neighbours (although I'd happily welcome this into a competition per say, so feel free to leave comments informing me otherwise). Now, after my first faux pas with the describing of Christmas traditions in Catalunya and Marta very graciously correcting me, I won't even attempt to translate what is known as the "Caganer" - you can read my original post here. It's basically a fun way of representing the giving of Christmas, but in a more natural way - giving back to mother earth and all that. Good stuff.

So, the cheeky Maremagnum marketers have thought of a great way to get the tourists talking this early winter, with the installation of a huge Caganer right in the centre of the mall itself. Genius. Cue stage left, right and centre bemused tourists, giggling teenage girls, lots of mobile phone cameras and the elder generation walking all the way around to see if it really has got an enormous pile of...yes, indeed it has. Only it's not steaming. Now THAT would be Genius!! Hahaha!!

Not only has the installation at Maremagnum got the people muttering but you can also make your own caganer on the 11th, 12th, 18th and 19th December too!! And if that's not enough, you can download a cut-out caganer from that link above to have a practice!! Marvellous! Every Nativity Scene should have one! Definitely worth a look if you're in town.

Coming to Barcelona this Christmas? Check out the option of Barcelona apartments as a great change to stale hotel rooms. And for a heads up on the city sights, see this great Barcelona guide.

Christmas Market in Barcelona

OK, so maybe I'm leaving it late to blog about the Christmas fair in Barcelona as it's already been going since just after advent started (28th November) but I'm just starting to feel Christmasy and wanted to do a bit of research instead of the usual comment with a terrible photo from my phone!



Tha Catalans certainly have some strange Christmas Traditions. From the Cagatio to the Caganers, it's great fun at Christmas - and even more fun for the kids. There are also the typical things associated with Christmas such as trees, decorations, Nativity Scenes and lights and if there's anything you might be missing for your home, then like many cities around the world this month, Barcelona has it's Christmas fair. The Fair is right in front of the Cathedral, in the heart of the gothic quarter.

The fair is called the "Fira de Santa Llúcia" and is the oldest themed fair in the world, dating as far back as 1786!! So this year marks the 223rd edition of the fair and is a must-see for anyone visiting the city this winter. Expect to see the usual christmas plants such as poinsettias and misteltoe, Christmas Trees of different sizes, and wreaths galore. The fair also has musical stalls with traditional instruments, jewellery, hand made goods, etc. but perhaps the most interesting artefacts are those ornaments for the Nativity scene.

The official website (link above) has some great little tidbits of history, such as the wave of yellow fever sweeping through the city in 1860 not halting the fair, and that the fair was known as a "girls" fair, where young girls would go along to the fair in their best dresses accompanied by their mothers looking for suiters!

The fair has over 270 stands and is well worth a trip down to see it. Make sure you get some chocolate and churros for the browse around, and choose your favourite caganer!! FC Barcelona striker Pedro might be a surprise addition if they don't already have one, with him scoring last night he's become the first player in history to score in all football competitions in one season. Congrats Pedro!

Have you been to the Christmas market yet? Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and what you think of the funny traditions over here! And if you're coming to Barcelona this month, be sure to check out apartments for rent in Barcelona for any last minute deals.

Christmas Lights - Pasta on the Streets

This month sees the start of the Christmas campaign around the city, with the city lights due to be turned on on the 28th November. With retail world-wide expecting a decent Christmas, it's important to draw in the crowds with a decent illumination display this year - something that many complained about last year.

High on the Barcelona residents' naughty list, was the lack of lights on major avenues such as Paseig de Gracia and Diagonal, and the incredible price of 214,000 Euros for 4 solar/bicing-powered "Christmas Trees" that looked straight out of a "todo a cien" shop.

Well, it looks like the mayor's office has sat up and taken notice. So as well as the aforementioned Passeig de Gracia/Diagonal commerce splashing out on 90,000 Euros to line the streets with close to 300 lamps, we'll have some festive inventions dotted around the city, too! The above image is one of those inventions and, yes, it is a huge piece of pasta, not a sea shell.



Catalan Traditional Christmas lunch is a thoroughly delicious broth-type soup called Escudella de Galets - the Galets being the pasta. It's a great soup with a load of ingredients (although I must admit will never convert me from my traditional Turkey Roast and Stuffing!). I think they look really cool, and can't wait to get out and see the creations. Apparently there are other such sculptures such as turkeys, chickens, bottles of cava and roscones (traditional biscuits) which will be distributed around the city, and hopefully get everyone in the mood to spend their Christmas cash. And according to this article citing a survey from Deliotte, the average family will be spending around 735 Euros on the festivities this year, which although is a 19% decrease in last year, I think sounds a lot?! Or am I totally out of touch?! Feel free to leave comments and let me know!

Thinking of coming to Barcelona this festive season? Try these apartments for rent in Barcelona, for an alternative to a hotel. And for a quick look at the best sights, see this Barcelona Guide.

Everything set for a Night of Magic!

I was walking with my family the other day along Las Ramblas, and we saw a couple of model Camels and people entering the Gallery Space around half way down Las Ramblas, and I remembered of the tradition so we stepped in to take a look.

Similar to the way kids around the world write a wish list to Father Christmas, kids in Spain write to "their Majesties the Magic Kings" and instead of visiting a Santa's grotto, often just leave the letter to be posted. However, bigger cities often organise a similar kind of thing to the grotto, with the Kings collecting children's letters, and ensuring they have been good little boys and girls.

The weather was threatening to put a literal dampener on celebrations for the night tonight, but so far the rain has held off, and I hope it does! It's not supposed to be great tomorrow, the last thing the majority of kids' parents want is their kids getting a cold 2 days before school term is about to re-start!
It was great to see the innocence in the young kids faces as they observed the throned king from the small queue of kids in front of them, unable to believe their luck! My 2 kids were too young to really know what was going on, although Jack wanted to join the queue of kids just to get a sweet that one of the other Kings appeared top be giving out! When I explained that he'd then have to sit on the King's knee and drop off a letter, he suddenly changed his opinion and we made a sharp exit!

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Why Being a Kid in Barcelona at Christmas is So Cool.

Christmas is all about the kids, right? You know the feeling as a youngster, the wait up until Christmas Eve with unbelievable excitement. you've wittled your Christmas list down to maybe 45 serious contenders for the big present, but that changes each time the adverts come on TV, and you've marked out in the TV and Radio Times those un-missable Christmas specials and network premieres of the movies you'll want to watch again. The house is decked with Boughs of Holly, Christmas cards, and the smell of pine from the Christmas tree, begging to be moved away from the radiator. And Christmas night finally arrives, with the I don't want to go to sleep/I need to go to sleep dilemma.

OK, well maybe back in the UK. Here in Catalunya, they do things differently. The Christmas celebrations last for ages!

First of all, the 25th of December is no big deal. sure, it's a public holiday and if you happen to wander down Las Ramblas at lunchtime on Christmas Day, then you'll probably be the only people there. I'm not sayng it's completely overlooked, but it's not the big day. Kids stuff themselves with sweets on Christmas Eve with the delights that the Cagatio has (how should I put this) "deposited" them, so are hardly ready for a full turkey with all the trimmings. no, no, the week of festivities continues as the children look forward to the "cabalgata dels Reis Magos" - the arrival and procession of the 3 "Magic" Kings.

The traditional Bible story of the birth of Christ tells of the Epiphany or the arrival of the 3 wise men, who folowed the star and brought the baby Jesus gifts of Gold, Frankinsence and Myrrh. So it's very fitting that Catalan children wait until the arrival of the kings to receive their Christmas gifts - even if they do have a lot less time to play wit the new toys as school starts usually the day after.

In Barcelona it's also a public holiday, and children and adults alike crowd the cordened-off streets with paper crowns and flags, waiting for the arrival of the kings (who make a spectacular entrance on speedboat, of course, not camels) who then follow a route all the way around the city, throwing tonnes of sweets to the children hanging from balconies or following the parade. It's a televised event and really a thoroughly good laugh.


Late on, everyone trudges home, happy and content, and the children usually crash out in bed after leaving their shoes out for the kings with a gift, and something for the camels. Presents are left for the good children and a piece of coal for the not-so-good. the following day is a holiday with toys galore, leaving Mum and Dad to try and squash and cram all the empty boxes and wrapping paper into the recycling bins downstairs, and wonder why they didn't get enough batteries from the Chinese shop this year.

If you're lucking enough to be in Barcelona for "Kings Day" on the 6th January, try and rent a Barcelona Apartment with a balcony to witness the parade (on the night of the 5th) yourself from the comfort of your own home away from home. I assure you, you've never seen anything like it!

Strange Catalan Traditions at Christmas - Part 2

Now, after my recent post on weird Christmas traditions in Catalunya for the Festive Period, and then reading this one, you would be forgiven for thinking that the Catalans have a bit of an obsession with poo. Yes, you read right.

Another perfectly normal tradition in the Catalan household is to have below the Christmas tree, a decorated log. Not a chocolate log, but a proper, wooden log with his little wooden face, and red cape. I give you the "cagatio" - (crapping uncle?!).


The idea of the cagatio is that young children "feed" the cagatio in the run up to Christmas, and then on Christmas Eve night, children line up with their sticks, and beat the cagatio, and he...well, he poos out sweets, of course! There's a traditional song to be sung at the same time:

"Caga tió, caga torró d’avellana i de pinyó, no caguis arengades que són massa salades, caga torrons, que són més bons. Caga tió sinó et darem un cop de bastó."


The translation is more or less that the cagatio has to give them sweet "turrons" of almonds and pine nuts, nothing salty, otherwise they'll hit him with the stick. Turrons are like sweet bars kind of like marzipan, and are very traditional at Christmas time.

Whatever you want to think about these Catalan Traditions, I find them really funny and a light-hearted look at the Christmas period, and a great way to celebrate and have the kids involved, too!

For more information on the Catalan Capital, see this Barcelona Guide. Also, as an alternative to a hotel for your next visit, try Apartments for rent Barcelona for more freedom and space.

Strange Catalan Traditions at Christmas - Part 1

Christmas in Catalunya, and Barcelona in Particular, is not all that different to other Western cultures, with the festive period being a celebration and reflection of the ending of the year, anticipation of the coming year and a reason for families to get together and eat, drink and be merry. Spain is traditionally a predominantly Catholic Nation (although you wouldn't know it nowadays!), so Catalunya enjoys the typical traditions of Christmas - Christmas trees and decorations, winter scenes in shop windows, and of course the traditional Nativity scene. However, if you look closely at the Catalan Nativity scene, you might be more than a little surprised to find an extra character in there - and I'm not talking about another donkey or sheep. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present you with....the Caganer.

Dating as far back as the 18th Century, The Caganer (Literally the "Shitter" in Catalan) is not a joke and is a very serious traditional part of a Nativity scene - I think the idea behind the presence of the traditional country labourer crouched over, reflects the need to re-fertilise the earth for the coming crops and harvest. Fine idea if you ask me, odd way of presenting this, right?!

Either way, it doesn't matter what I or anyone else thinks about the Caganer, who has been around for years and is here to stay. In fact, so popular has the Caganer become that he now takes the form of a famous politician, football player, or anyone who's become particularly famous that year in Catalan culture, or who has grabbed the world's attention. So it's completely normal to have a traditional Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus, accompanied by the shepherds, oxen and of course, Carles Puyol - Captain of FC Barcelona. Or perhaps Ivan de la Peña from rival locals RCD Espanyol. You get the picture.

No Christmas Market Stall is complete without the varying rows of Caganers on sale, and they always seems to be someone buying one. One of the great new additions for Christmas 2008 is of course, new US President, Barak Obama!!

Christmas in Barcelona is a great time to visit, with bustling shops and markets such as the Christmas Market in the Gothic Quarter, mild weather and fantastic food. Look into finding a self-catering apartment for rent in Barcelona, to really live like a local.