Yes, it’s almost that time again, that perfect time of the year to celebrate with family and friends, reminding them that you care, with gifts and invitations. A time to enjoy the heart-warming, festive atmosphere you’re sure to find when you’re out and about in Spain. If you’ve decided to spend the Christmas holidays at your home on the beach, here are some helpful tips on what to do in these Mediterranean climes…
Christmas Markets
Without a doubt, one of classic places to visit over the holidays are our Christmas markets. You can find them just about anywhere along the Mediterranean coast. One special mention we can recommend is the traditional Medieval Market in Pulpí, which offers a wide range of handcrafted and gastronomic products. In Malaga, you can visit a whole string of Christmas Markets, a great place for fans of Santa Claus and his reindeer, with over 150 stalls offering books, hand-made objects and nativity scenes. In Majorca, look for the Christmas Markets in Puerto Portals and Plaza Mayor, where both children and adults can enjoy activities such as musical performances, children’s workshops, dances, acrobatics and cooking shows. Along the Costa Blanca, you might like the well-known Christmas Fair in Jijona, which is the town that makes typical nougat sweets under its own denomination of origin, including a wide selection of marzipan, crumbly sugar cookies called “polvorones” and of course the famous nougat, or “turron”.
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day
If you haven’t decided what to do on New Year’s Eve yet, how about celebrating the last night of the year in the traditional Spanish way, eating your 12 lucky grapes to the sound of each peal of the bell in the main square of your nearest town or city? Just walk to the centre of your nearest municipality and start the year off with grapes and toast with some Spanish Cava! The main squares are for partying and enjoying the night in an ambiance you’ll love. If you’re not a night owl, you can celebrate the last day of the year in the Australian way, and enjoy the New Year’s Concert. More and more people are opting to eat their lucky grapes at 12 noon, coinciding with the Australian New Year, washed down with tapas and drinks at midday. And culture lovers have another excellent option: starting off 2019 with classical music. If you’re near the southern stretch of the Costa Blanca, we recommend the concert held at the Auditorium in Torrevieja, offering a repertoire of classical music played by the Torrevieja Symphony Orchestra.
The Three Kings Parade
A few days later, Spain holds the traditional parade of the Three Kings, a night with lots of magic celebrated on Epiphany eve, the night of the 5th. This is undoubtedly the main attraction for the kids, who flock with their parents to the main streets of their town or city to enjoy a procession full of light and colour, with the famous Three Kings showering toys and candy on all. If you live near Costa Blanca north, we suggest you visit the parade in Alcoy. This is the oldest parade in all of Spain, having been held since 1885. It starts off with a children’s parade called “Les Pastoretes”, with children dressed up as little shepherds, who come with their flocks accompanied by “Les Burretes”, little donkeys carrying mailboxes in which children send off their letters to the Magi. Then come Casper, Balthazar and Melchior on camels with the royal pages (“els negres”) who deliver their gifts to children, using wooden ladders to climb onto the balconies and into the windows of their houses. On Orihuela Coast, you have another more contemporary parade option that finishes at La Zenia Boulevard, also including a procession and lots of gifts for the little ones.
What’s your favourite? Do you have a Christmas tradition you celebrate every year? Please tell us about it…
