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A typical El Gordo ticket

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El Gordo ("The Fat One") is a national Christmas lottery organized by the Spanish government, taking place on December 22nd every year. People often divide the cost of one ticket among an entire group to pay for a chance to win. Since 1812, it has become a Christmas tradition in Spain that is highly anticipated and unites the entire nation.

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How is El Gordo different from any other lottery?

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How is El Gordo different from any other lottery?

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El Gordo is special not only because it takes place during an important time of year in Spain, but also because it is the world's biggest lottery, with an estimated 75% of adult Spaniards participating every year. Unlike other lotteries, El Gordo encourages its players to work together and share, and the odds of winning are much higher than those of other lotteries.

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Another aspect of El Gordo that makes it distinguishable from any other lottery is the way the winning numbers are announced. The announcement is televised, and children from the San Ildefonso School in Madrid even select and sing the winning numbers!

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The balls, which are drawn by a large machine called bombos

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Bombos

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Gifts are not really given on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day like they are in the U.S. in Spain, and when they are, they aren't given by Papa Noel (Santa Claus). Instead, the children of Spain are given gifts by the Three Kings on January 6th. On the night of January 5th, children stuff their shoes with straw, carrots, and barley, and put them on a windowsill for the Three Kings to put their presents in.

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Papa Noel is one of the many names Spanish speaking countries use for Santa Claus. Here are some common ones and some places where they are used:

Papa Noel - Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Spain, and Peru
San Nicolas - Honduras and Venezuela
Colacho - Costa Rica
Viejito Pascuero - Chile

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In short, though in some Spanish-speaking countries Papa Noel is included in Christmas celebrations, he comes in forms different from the Santa we know, and sometimes isn't even Santa at all! Most often, children receive presents from the Three Kings, because they were the ones who brought gifts to Baby Jesus when he was born. Santa Claus plays a more central role in other countries' Christmases, but is still somewhat significant to Spanish-speaking countries for giving gifts on Christmas Eve, but not as significant or celebrated as the Three Kings.