 Spain:A traditional Christmas treat is turron
[ 2008-12-23 13:20 ]
In Spain
Christmas is a deeply religious festival.
The Christmas season officially begins on December 8th.
Christmas Eve is known as the "Good Night". It is a time for family members to gather together to rejoice and feast around the Nativity scenes that are present in nearly every home.
A traditional Christmas treat is turron, a kind of almond candy.
December 28 is the feast of the Holy Innocents. Young boys of a town or village light bonfires and one of them acts as the mayor who orders townspeople to perform civic chores such as sweeping the streets.
Refusal to comply results in fines which are used to pay for the celebration.
Children receive gifts on January 6th - the feast of the Epiphany.
Children leave their shoes on the windowsills and fill them with straw, carrots, and barley for the horses of the Wise Men.
Their children's favorite Wise Man is Balthazar who rides a donkey and is the one believed to leave the gifts.
People say "Feliz Navidad" for Merry Christmas.
Santa Claus is called Papa Noel and some children will also receive presents from him on December 24th.
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