Christmas

For Spaniards the Christmas season (Navidad) is split into three main events: Christmas Eve (Nochebuena), New Year's Eve (NocheVieja) and the feast of the Ephiphany. 

Christmas Eve is a time for the family, who gather for the main Christmas meal late in the evening maybe after attending midnight mass.  Santa Claus is a modern addition and the children may receive a few presents during the evening.  Christmas Day is a quiet time reserved for recovering from the night before.  There is an old Spanish verse - "Esta noche es Noche-Buena, y no es noche de dormir"  (this night is a good night, and is not meant for sleeping!)

New Year's Eve is known as NocheVieja ('the old night' - the last day of the old year).  It is party time and one tradition is to eat twelve grapes, one on each stroke of midnight, to bring good luck for the year ahead.

The main celebration of the season is the feast of the Epiphany when the Three Kings (Los Reyes) bring presents for the children, and is the day when gifts are exchanged.  On Three King's Eve, Spanish children put out straw, food and water for the royal animals and leave their shoes to be filled by the three kings.  Naughty children will only find a lump of coal in their shoes and most children will receive a lump of black coated sugar as a reminder of this terrible fate!  When the children go to bed they leave barley in their shoes for the wise men's camels.