1:CHRISTMAS IN SPAIN
 
As we head into the Christmas period, we thought that this month would be entirely appropriate to give some information on how the Spanish celebrate Christmas.

 

It can be stated that Christmas in Spain is certainly not as materialistic as it is in the UK, with decorations in shops and businesses appearing much later and, in some places, only after 1st December. The celebrations revolve around the extended family, with the main focus being on the children. This leads to another big difference, in that presents are given on the twelfth night during the "Three Kings” and not on Christmas day, as in the UK.

 

Every town, small and large, will have festive street lighting.  This usually reads "Feliz Navidad” (Merry Christmas) or "Bon Nadal” (Good Noel) Noel meaning Christmas: period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6.

In the UK we have Christmas pudding and many countries have their own traditional dessert.The traditional dessert in Spain, which ironically is of Moorish origin, is Turrón, which was invented by the moors in Jijona, a small town in Alicante Provence, around the 15th Century.  Even now, over 500 years later, Jijona´s economy is still focused on the production of Turrón.

Very popular in Spain, particularly at Christmas time, and readily available in local supermarkets, where there will be a large seasonable display of the various types. Known as torró in Valencian or torrone in Italian, it is mostly consumed as a traditional dessert for Christmas in Spain, Italy, and Latin America.  However,  there are other varieties in various parts of the world, such as in the Philippines.

The first important ingredient for Turrón is the honey, produced by bees from the wild flowers that grow on the mountain sides all around the town of Jijona. The second is the almonds, from many of the orchards in the area. The actual sweet- makers are known as Turróneros and production is based on the availability of almonds, from the middle of June to the beginning of December.

Turrón is available in two basic types, soft Jijona or Turrón Blando, which is a smooth substance, similar in consistency of peanut butter. Or hard Alicante or Turrón Duro, which is a thick almond nougat sweet.

There are also many other different flavours of Turrón, and new varieties include chocolate, kiwi, and egg yolk. Similarly there are different qualities, the best being "Suprema” and soft "Suprema” must contain at least 60% almonds and hard "Suprema” must contain at least 64% almonds.

This Turrón recipe is taken from the original Spanish below: - For every pound of honey, mix in a well beaten egg and let it sit for 24 hours. Then cook the honey, constantly stirring until it is cooked thoroughly. To check that is cooked, put a drop in a bowl of cold water and, if after it has cooled it crumbles, it is cooked.  If not, then it needs further cooking time. Then mix in the almonds, or toasted or skinned hazelnuts, or basically whatever nut you prefer. Pour out and cut into strips, or pour into a cake tin. We have not tried this out ourselves, so please let us know how you get on.

Receta para hacer turrones - Para cada libra de miel una clara de huevo muy batida y junta con la miel. Y batida mucho, dejarla reposar un día. Y al otro día, cocer la miel meneándola siempre sin parar hasta que esté muy cocida. Ver se ha si está cocida de esta manera: echad una gota de miel en una escudilla de agua fría, y si después de estar fría se desmenuza, es cocida y si no, no. Y como esté cocida, echad dentro piñones, o almendras, o avellanas tostadas y mondadas. Y esté un poco al fuego. Y luego quitadlo, y hacer piñas o tajadas, lo que más quisiéredes, dello.

2:NEW YEAR IN SPAIN
 
As spring follows winter, New Year follows close on the heels of Christmas and the Spanish also have their own particular customs when it comes to celebrating the start of the New Year.

One of the most notable is the tradition of eating 12 Grapes in 12 seconds as the clock chimes twelve times at midnight. Families all over Spain watch the television coverage from the clock tower in Puerta del Sol in Madrid, where every year the presenters remind everyone how to eat the grapes and ensure that the grapes are prepared correctly. In the run up to the New Year, it is possible to buy small tins from the local supermarket, with each contacting 12 seedless grapes, peeled and ready to eat at Midnight.

Unfortunately, most people do not manage to eat them all in twelve seconds, and there follows lots of half chocking, half laughing families trying to hug and kiss each other with a mouthful of grapes.

Like all traditions, this one had to start somewhere, and the story is that one year, when there was a very large grape harvest, the King of Spain decided to give everyone grapes to eat on New Year´s Eve. Whether this is true or not, is not really as important as the tradition.

The Twelfth Night is always considered to be the end of the Christmas period in many countries and, in the UK, it is the time to take down the decorations for another year, and to start looking forward to the coming of spring. In Spain, it is the reason for another celebration.

As mentioned at the start of this article, "The Three King” is when the Spanish traditionally give out their gifts and, although we have covered the Three Kings before in December 2007, we feel that it warrants mentioning again here.

Twelfth Night in Spain is a religious festival known as Epiphany, or The Three Kings. This is the celebration of the three Wise Men or Kings Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar, visiting the infant Jesus bearing the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. This is the day that presents are given, but in the main only to the children. Typically, this will be done in a parade and this example is for the Town of Calpe, although most towns have a similar celebration.

Approx 11pm, weather permitting, a boat carrying the Kings arrives at the beach and, waiting, will be three ornate carriages drawn by teams of horses. Each carriage will be loaded with numbered presents. These have been previously arranged by present givers and each number relates to a specific child. The Three Kings then parade through the town streets which are lined with the people of the town. Each king will have a musical band and supporters. During the parade, sweets and other trinkets are thrown to the crowds from support vehicles and children and adults alike will be busy collecting all they can and filling bags brought just for the purpose. The Kings reach the main square at the top of the town and, after music, singing and a blessing by the Priest the presents are given to the children. Finally, the night ends with a spectacular firework display. Now and only now, can Christmas be said to be over.

3: CALL US AT LOCAL UK RATES
 
It is how possible to contact Hot Property on either of two separate London numbers at usual UK rates. The numbers are 0208 432 9616 and 0208 090 7178. These numbers are direct to our office here in Spain. We do not have a call centre, so rest assured that you will be speaking to one of the dedicated staff based here.