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Spain is located eastern Europe and made up of primarily mountains and plateaus. Spain's main export is cars with it bringing in about $34.4B. Spain celebrates many holidays such as holy Monday, Christmas, new year's, Labor Day, National Day of Spain. but more interesting holidays or celebrations that Spain follows is the running of the bulls which is known around the world. Spain also has several delicious and famous holiday foods including, "Suckling pig", Marzipan, and olvorones and Mantecados. Spain's is red and yellow with a symbol representing several kingdoms. Spain's flag represents the merging of multiple parts of Spain into a single country. (sources Spain - Farming, Crops, Fisheries | Britannica, Spain (ESP) Exports, Imports, and Trade Partners | The Observatory of Economic Complexity (oec.world),Flag of Spain | History, Colors & Coat of Arms | Study.com,Traditional Spanish Christmas food — idealista

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1: All saints day! all saints day is celebrated in November 1st an is meant to celebrate the dead. This day is celebrated by bringing flowers and candles to the graves of loved ones. All saints day originated 609 AD and started by Pope Boniface IV in Rome.

2: Fiesta de la Trashumancia! This holiday is celebrated in the capital city of Spain, Madrid. It commemorates the ancient tradition of transhumance involving moving livestock from one grazing ground to another. This event was started in 1994 by the "Association of Transhumance and Nature" to recognize the country's traditions.

3: Constitution day! This holiday marks the day the constitution was approved by the Spanish people. This holiday started on December 6th 1978 and has been celebrated ever since then.

4: Immaculate Conception! This say celebrates the "immaculate conception" of the virgin marry. held on December 8th it is common to see statues of the virgin marry throughout the streets. This holiday was formed in 1854 by Pope Pius IX.

5: Christmas! Many people go to a "midnight mass" on Christmas eve, known as "La Misa Del Gallo (The Mass of the Rooster)" because it is said that a rooster crowded the night Jesus was born. Many people also celebrate this day with a big meal and party. Christmas in Spain comes from the traditional Christan holiday with some added local traditions like mentioned above.

sources: November Festivals in Spain - Best Spanish Fiestas (spainguides.com),All Saints' Day: The history and traditions behind the holiday | CNN, Once a Year, Thousands of Sheep Take Over Madrid (nationalgeographic.com),What Is Constitution Day in Spain? - (barcelona-metropolitan.com),Bank Holidays Spain: The Feast Of The Immaculate Conception - Sanitas Health Plan Spain, 8 Spanish Christmas traditions you probably never knew about (trafalgar.com),Christmas in Spain - Spanish Christmas Traditions - don Quijote

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Traditions: One big difference about Spain is that there is no Santa. Because of this the 3 kings are celebrated in Spain instead of Santa. On the night of the kings parade floats travel throughout the streets throwing sweets at kids. Another tradition is the "midnight mass" that was shown before. This tradition takes place on Christmas eve at midnight. Midnight mass is a time to get together with friends and family.

Food: A popular holiday food in Spain is "Roscón de Reyes". This traditional food is a sweet bread shaped like a doughnut topped with candied fruit.

For the wealthier folks a very special and beloved dish is the "suckling pig". The dish is a big whole roast pig with served with things like onions, apples, or potatoes.

sources:8 Spanish Christmas traditions you probably never knew about (trafalgar.com), Traditional Spanish Christmas food — idealista

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Every country has their own special Christmas traditions, and Spain is no different. The country loves to celebrate the festive season with lots of unique customs - and some of them may surprise you. From a huge national lottery to a December Fool's Day and a pooping log, here are 8 of our favourite Spanish Christmas traditions. ¡Feliz Navidad!

1. El Gordo - The Fat Lottery

One of the most exciting Spanish Christmas traditions is playing the lottery. Almost everyone takes parts in the Spanish National Lottery at Christmas time, making it the biggest lottery in the world. It's so big, it's called 'El Gordo' or 'the Fat One', because of the huge cash prizes of more than 2 billion euros.

It's been held every year since 1812 and it's a tradition for the winning numbers to be announced live on TV on the morning of December 22nd. As the winning numbers are called, they're sung out by a choir of school children. It's also common for friends and coworkers to buy a share of a single ticket together and split the winnings. In 2011, an entire town shared a single ticket and won, splitting the share of 950 million euros!
RELATED CONTENT: 12 Photos that Will Make You Want to Visit Spain This Year
2. The Three Kings

One of the most unique facts about Christmas in Spain is that there's no Santa Claus. Forget Saint Nick - in Spain, it's the Three Kings or the Three Wise Men (known as Reyes Magos - Melchior, Gaspar and Baltazar) who bring the gifts to good children at Christmas time. They also don't come on Christmas Eve. Instead, towns and cities hold huge Three Kings parades ('cabalgatas') on the night of January 5th, where the Kings parade through the towns on floats and throw out sweets for the kids. It's one of the most wonderful Spanish Christmas traditions you can't miss!

When the families return home, they leave out their shoes for the Kings to fill with gifts during the night. If it's too long to wait for pressies, don't worry. These days, some kids in Spain also open a few presents on Christmas day too, so you can have double the fun!

That's also not the only version of Santa Claus in Spain. In Galicia, a mythical coal miner called El Apalpador feels children's stomachs to see if they've been eating well and leaves behind little treats like chestnuts and sweets. The Basques also have their own, more rugged, version of Santa - the mythical giant Olentzero. He wears peasants clothing, smokes a pipe and brings gifts for children on Christmas Eve, in return for food and alcohol.
RELATED CONTENT: Northern Spain Holidays: Discovering the Green Side of Spain
3. Portal de Beléns

Portal de Beléns, meaning 'stable of Bethlehem', are the incredible nativity scenes found across Spain at Christmas time. They're more than just a few figurines in a stable - these are huge and elaborate nativity scenes, with houses, markets, farms, rivers and all kinds of characters.

You'll see them in traditional households, shop windows and town squares in the lead up to Christmas, and you'll spot handmade figurines like baby Jesus and the Three Wise Kings in Christmas markets all over Spain. You can even watch living Beléns, where real actors and animals recreate the Nativity scene.
EXPERIENCE IT FOR YOURSELF: Treasures of Spain and Portugal
4. The Caga Tió

In Spain, you rock around the Christmas... log! It's of the most curious of all Spanish Christmas traditions and it's found in the Catalonia region. Caga Tió, meaning pooping log, is basically a wooden log dressed up with a face, legs, blanket and a barretina (Catalan hat). Children feed the Caga Tió small pieces of bread or orange peel each evening in the lead up to Christmas.

On Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, they sing the Caga Tió song, whack the log with a stick and ask him to poop out turrón (sweet nougat) and other treats for them. Once the song is finished, they take off the blanket to discover all their hidden sweets.

5. Midnight Mass

With Catholics making up over half of the country's population, the Christmas church services are a very important part of Christmas in Spain. Many people go to a Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, known as La Misa Del Gallo (The Mass of the Rooster), because a rooster supposedly crowed the night Jesus was born. Many families also eat the main Spanish Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve (Nochebuena) just before or after Midnight Mass. It's a special time for families to get together, give thanks and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
RELATED CONTENT: 12 of the most useful Spanish phrases to learn before your trip to Spain
6. El Arrastre

You'll find the Spanish Christmas tradition known as El Arrastre (The Drag) in the coastal city of Cádiz. It's held on January 5th, the day before the Three Wise Kings arrive. Children string empty cans on a piece of rope and drag the cans around, making a ton of noise to remind the Kings to leave the children gifts that night. There's also a story that the racket will scare the mythical giant who tries to cover the sky in a cloud of smoke to stop the Kings delivering the presents!
EXPERIENCE IT FOR YOURSELF: Best of Spain
7. Roscón de Reyes

Christmas cake is one of the favourite Spanish Christmas foods, but in Spain, they don't enjoy it until Epiphany on January 6th, to celebrate the arrival of the Three Wise Kings in Bethlehem. On this holy day, they bake the Roscón de Reyes, a sweet bread-like cake, filled with whipped cream and topped with candied fruits and crushed almonds.

A fava bean and a small figurine are hidden inside the cake. Whoever finds the figurine in their slice will be blessed with good luck for the whole year, but if you get the fava bean, you have to pay for next year's cake! It's a fun Spanish Christmas tradition and a wonderful way to top off the festive season.

8. Dia de los Santos Inocentes

While you might think it's time to relax after Christmas, in Spain, it's time to watch your back! Dia de los Santos Inocentes is the Spanish version of April Fool's Day, but it's held on December 28. It's the day for playing harmless pranks or dressing up in funny wigs, glasses and hats, and once you prank someone, you shout "Inocente, inocente!" And when we say watch your back, we mean it... One of the most popular pranks is to tape a drawing of a stick figure on someone's back!
What are your favourite Spanish Christmas traditions? Let us know in the comments below!

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8 Spanish Christmas traditions you probably never knew about

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A big Christmas lottery, a December Fool's Day and three parading Santas... Here are 8 of the most unique Spanish Christmas traditions.

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Spain has very interesting ways of celebrating the holidays. From unique traditions to delicious dishes, Spain has rich culture regarding the holidays. How Spain celebrates is extremely different from how my family celebrates the holidays. One way the traditions differ is in food. While Spain has delicious homemade food and tons of family bringing and eating several dishes while in my family we usually have store bought pie or cinnamon rolls. Another different way Spain celebrates the holidays is traditions. Spain like in our family does have an exchanging of gifts but not to the level as in our family. Spain focuses more on family and community rather than just the gifts. A unique tradition in my family that is everyone gets to open on gift on Christmas eve. Spain has something similar but instead of opening gifts they have a huge party called midnight mass. Overall Spain's traditions differ but in my opinion for the better. With its focus on community, friendship, and family over gifts is a great way to spend the holiday!

sources: My own experiences

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(Barcelona-Metropolitan.com), 26 Nov. 2022, www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/features/history/what-is-constitution-day-in-spain/#:~:text=The%20national%20holiday%20marks%20the. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.

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