Spanish Christmas is the best time of the year in Madrid! Granted, I’m a Christmas-cheer type of person, so for me Christmas is the best time of year anywhere (see related post here). But in Madrid, holiday beauty and tradition abound. Streets blaze with Christmas lights, markets and shops bustle with people and good food awaits at every turn. Of course, the chance to win absurd sums of money in the Christmas lottery also cranks up the holiday cheer. Read on for my five favorite holiday traditions in Madrid.
Spanish Christmas Traditions in Madrid
1 Las Luces de Navidad (Christmas Lights)
One of my absolute favorite things about Christmas in Spain is the city decorations. Madrid spends weeks (and arguably a little too much money) decorating all the major plazas and boulevards. The lights are so famous they even have their own viewing bus. (Pro-tip: it’s a fun game to suggest booking seats on the viewing bus as an activity to your boyfriend and watch the horrified expression blossom over his face).
Starting in late November, lights go on every evening at 6 PM. It’s wonderful to stand out in one of the major plaza and wait for the city to flip the switch.
El Gordo (The Spanish Christmas Lottery)
The El Gordo lottery is one of the largest jackpots in the world, with more than two billion euros paid out last year. No wonder the name translates to ‘The Fat One’! The process of buying tickets before the December 22 drawing puts a little pep in everyone’s step around the holidays. You can buy tickets at any Lotería Nacional office starting in the summer. However, if you are looking for a specific number you need to check with the lotería nacional online to see where the number is sold.
Pro tip: When you buy your lucky number, a single ticket is called a ‘decimo’. Basically, because you are buying a 10th (decimo) of an overall number when you buy a single lottery ticket. Learn more about El Gordo here. But, the most important takeaway is this: the largest jackpot awarded during the drawing is 400,000 euros. ¡Que locura!
Turrón (Nougat)
Spanish people don’t exchange fruitcake or cookies. Instead, they buy these delicious bars of nougat or chocolate that are known collectively as ‘turrón’ and swap them back and forth all throughout the holiday season. Best cut into slices with a sharp knife, turrón is delicious and comes in a huge variety of flavors. One of the best and most ubiquitous turrón shops in Spain is Turróns Vicens.
Chocolate y Churros (Figure it out)
I worry sometimes that the chocolate and churros tradition in Spain is dying a sad, slow death. But during Spanish Christmas chocolate and churros come out in full force. In the evenings after viewing the city lights or finishing a round of holiday shopping, Spaniards flock to iconic churrerías including San Ginés and Valor. There is nothing that warms you up faster after a cold evening out on the town than ingesting 1000 calories worth of fat and sugar. Delicious! (Click here for a list of the best churro spots in Madrid).
Roscón de Reyes (Big doughnut/bread roll of kings)
Last food thing, I promise. But roscón is worth knowing about for two reasons. First, the etymology of the phrase is so interesting. A rosca is a doughnut or bread roll. The suffix -òn in Spanish means ‘big’. And ‘de reyes’ means ‘of the kings’ in celebration of three kings day. The desert is popular in other cultures as well and was the precursor to the ‘King Cake’ served in New Orleans during Mardi Gras.
Okay, stop scrolling. Second, it’s important to know about roscón because it’s delicous! This light, doughy cake is topped with seasonal fruits and available in plain or cream-filled varieties. Traditionally, roscón is baked with a baby Jesus figurine hidden inside one of the pieces. In some cultures, the person who gets the figurine needs to take it to church during the month of February to have it blessed. At the very least, it’s usually considered good luck for the year.
Happy holidays!