Celebrating Christmas in Barcelona Like a Native
Fascinated with spending Christmas in Barcelona? Hold studying for extra on what to anticipate.
Because the lights are up throughout town, and the Barcelona Christmas markets are out in full impact, there isn’t any higher time to go to the Catalan Capital! On this weblog, allow us to introduce you to among the greatest Christmas traditions in Barcelona that can absolutely put you within the festive temper.
Winter is a good time to go to Barcelona. Temperatures are fairly gentle at round 15 levels, and there may be little or no rain within the colder months. Winter is due to this fact a good time of yr to rise up to some sightseeing. There are smaller crowds at fashionable vacationer locations such because the Sagrada Familia and Las Ramblas, in addition to much less busy public transport, making it simpler to get from level A to B.
With the gentle climate, in the event you’re searching for someplace to have a good time a white Christmas in Spain, Barcelona most likely isn’t the place for you.
Nevertheless, if you wish to have a good time Christmas with blue skies, surrounded by carollers, inspiring non secular buildings, and unbelievable Christmas markets, with out feeling the necessity to shiver your approach by all of it, Barcelona is the place for you.
Celebrating Christmas in Barcelona like a neighborhood makes all of it that rather more thrilling, so let’s speak you thru all the things it is advisable know methods to have a good time Christmas like a neighborhood right here in Barcelona.
See additionally: Information to Experiencing the Better of Christmas Across the World
Native Christmas markets in Barcelona
A big a part of spending Christmas in Barcelona is visiting the numerous Christmas markets.
See additionally: New Yr in Barcelona
La Fira de Santa Llúcia
This is without doubt one of the largest, most well- identified and oldest markets within the metropolis, this yr will likely be its 235th version, filling the world outdoors of the well-known Gothic Cathedral with over 283 stalls promoting all the things from collectible figurines to crops, to crafts and even Simbombes.
At this unbelievable market it’s essential to make sure you hold a glance out for the cheeky ‘caganer’ determine, which is a standard catalan figurine along with his trousers down, he’s mentioned to carry luck by fertilising the earth.
This place dates all the way in which again to 1786, happening on the day of Santa Llúcia, December thirteenth, it is a historic and thrilling place so that you can try this winter!
Opening dates: November thirtieth till December twenty third 10:00-21:00
La Fira de Nadal de la Sagrada Familia
These Christmas markets are barely smaller than the Santa Llúcia markets, however they’re positioned proper outdoors the unbelievable Sagrada Familia, which it’s essential to go to in the event you haven’t earlier than (it’s one of many high Barcelona points of interest).
They’ve a bit of all the things right here, however most significantly they serve unbelievable tasty christmas treats, akin to roasted chestnuts, baked candy potatoes and churros with thick scorching chocolate!
Opening instances: November twenty fourth to December twenty second 10:00- 21:00
La Fira de Reis
This Christmas market in Barcelona surrounds the thought of the celebration of the three kings in Spain (don’t fear, this will likely be additional defined shortly), the day during which the Spanish give out their most important presents.
Stalls on the Fira de Reis promote primarily child’s toys and presents, making it a reasonably preferrred place to go discover a Reyes reward for everybody who it is advisable purchase for.
Opening instances: twenty first December- sixth January 10:00- 21:00
Conventional Spanish Christmas Meals
Escudella
Escudella is a standard christmas hotter, a type of stew which accommodates all the things. It has hen, beef, pork spine, ham bone’s bouillon, veggies; carrots, potatoes, cabbage. It’s a reasonably hypercaloric dish, however there’s nothing unsuitable with that when it’s chilly outdoors!
The right dish to heat you up this winter.
Sopa de galets
Sopa de galets embody enormous items of pasta, with which one will fill your spoon. The galets are the big items of pasta that are full of veggies or meats. The soup itself is a standard soup made with bouillon, making it a really comforting chilly winter dish.
That is normally eaten as a primary course as a part of Christmas day lunch, on the twenty fifth of December.
Canelons
Canelons, or Cannelloni, is one in every of Catalonia’s favourites, normally eaten on the day of Sant Esteve, celebrated on December twenty sixth. This dish contains Cannelloni filled with both hen or meat and bechamel sauce, the distinction between this and your conventional Italian Cannelloni is that this dish doesn’t use tomato sauce.
Conventional Spanish Christmas Treats
Turrón
Turrón is without doubt one of the most well-known Spanish Christmas meals that you will discover in Barcelona, in addition to being present in Italy and elements of South America. It dates again to the sixteenth century, and is loved everywhere in the Catalan capital through the vacation season. Turrón tastes virtually just like malteser chocolate, it’s made with honey, sugar, egg white and toasted almonds or different nuts.
This chocolate is extraordinarily tasty and might be present in simply your common grocery store at any time throughout Christmas.
Mantecados and Polvorones
Mantecados and polvorones might be discovered throughout supermarkets and shops within the months main as much as Christmas. They’re little baked and crumbly Christmas cookies served with “Moscatel”. The distinction between mantecados and polvorones is the form, polvorones are oval and mantecados are spherical. They’re each just like shortbread, however simply are inclined to crumble way more simply.
These candy treats are tremendous fashionable all through Catalonia, you’ll discover them all over the place!
Crema Catalana
Crema Catalana is just about the Catalan recipe for a Crème brûlée, first present in Catalan books within the 14th century. The recipe contains using custard cream, over which sugar is poured and burnt with a scorching iron rod to create the trademark burnt crust.
This differs out of your common Crème brûlée by each its cooking technique & consistency, in addition to its cinnamon and lemon zest flavour versus your typical French vanilla.
Conventional Christmas enjoyable in Barcelona
Allow us to introduce you to some Catalonian Christmas traditions chances are you’ll encounter in your travels.
El Caganer
As you wander across the metropolis you’ll probably come into contact with a small figurine, with a naughty facet. El Caganer is a bit boy who, in the midst of the nativity, pulls his trousers down and does a poo. While this may occasionally appear odd at first to the common vacationer, this humorous character is vastly fashionable in Catalonia. In reality, he’s seen as a logo of prosperity, fertilising the soil of the land along with his poop! In Catalonia, households typically play video games with El Caganer and conceal him within the nativity scene for the others to seek out, type of like a ‘The place’s Wally?’ of kinds.
One can find his presence everywhere in the metropolis, and positively at each market you attend. Stalls typically promote celeb variations of the favored figurine, so make sure you look out to your favorite soccer gamers, and politicians doing their enterprise this festive season!
Tió de Nadal
The Tió de Nadal is one other ubiquitous image of Christmas time in Catalonia. This Christmas log, also referred to as Caga Tió, has a vibrant pink nostril, smiley face and an cute pink hat on its head. As custom goes, the hole log is introduced out on the eighth of December and, from then on, fed each day till the twenty fifth. When the day lastly comes, the log is crushed by the kids of the household till it poops (we’re sensing a theme right here!). After the Tió de Nadal has pooped, the kids will discover items for them to open, quite just like the Santa Claus stocking custom.
Because the log poops, the kids sing a track translated as:
Caga tió, hazelnuts and nougat, in the event you don’t wish to poop I’m going to hit you with a stick, very exhausting, very exhausting
This yr there will likely be a big Tió de Nadal outdoors of Barcelona Cathedral from the 3-18th of December. So what are you ready for? Go and see him for your self!
Nativity scene on the Museu Mares
What higher technique to get you in Christmas mode than seeing the nativity scene up shut and private? This yr, on the Museu Mares, go to the infant Jesus in a ravishing setting and fully freed from cost. You’ll be able to go to from 10am-7pm from Tuesday to Saturday and from 11am until 8pm on Sundays and holidays. What enjoyable!
Seek the advice of the Council’s website for further information on timings and where to find the Museu.
La Fira de Santa Llúcia Market
Everyday from 10am till 9pm, visit Barcelona’s oldest and most popular Christmas market. The Fira de Santa Llúcia is the perfect place to soak up the Christmas atmosphere. With plenty of stalls selling handcrafted gifts, as well as food stands and live music, this is not one to miss! The market is such fun for all the family, with activities taking place to entertain visitors of all ages. Our tip? Buy come yummy churros and get stuck in! There is so much to see, from the art and jewellery, to the giant Tió de Nadal. What’s not to like?
Take a look at the market’s programme right here to see what’s on.
Barcelona is house to among the largest procuring centres in Spain, and through Christmas there are a load of nice gross sales and offers to get you within the Christmas temper. These locations are additionally completely joyful to wrap your items for you.
See additionally: The place to Discover the Finest Classic Retailers in Barcelona
The Diagonal Mar
A procuring centre cut up into three flooring, to accommodate their 200 shops and 17 cinema screens, and even a bowling alley. This is without doubt one of the largest in Barcelona, and is recognised as an environmental mannequin because of their promoted values of environmental sustainability.
That is the right place to your Christmas procuring as all the things is in a single place, in addition to this the procuring centre is simply beside the Parc Diagonal Mar and Museu Blau, two very preferrred places for spending the day as a household.
Glòries Purchasing Mall
The Glòries shopping center is situated within the Plaza de las Glorias Catalanes, surrounded by the unbelievable Torre Glòries (an enormous skyscraper which adjustments color day and night time, it’s unbelievable!).
This place has 75 main shops, eating places and cinemas, with loads free parking, charging factors, they usually actually have a children membership play space!
Las Arenas Purchasing Centre
For procuring like an actual native, why not go to a procuring centre that was once a bullring! They’ve over six flooring, 115 outlets, a health centre, 12- display cinema, occasions corridor and several other bars and eating places. They actually have a enormous terrace during which you may get a 360° view over Montjuïc.
Celebrating the Three Kings like a Native in Barcelona
In direction of the tip of December most individuals world wide start to chill out and finalise their Christmas celebrations, nonetheless right here in Spain, that isn’t the case. The primary week of January is without doubt one of the most fun instances to go to Barcelona. Individuals in Catalonia, in actual fact, will nonetheless be shopping for items and getting ready their Christmas dinners, while you’ll be able to nonetheless admire the gorgeous Christmas lights throughout town and put together your self for the arrival of The Three Kings or Los Reyes Magos.
These biblical characters come to Spain on the fifth and sixth of January to present items of presents and candy treats to the kids. On January fifth there’s a parade devoted to the three kings during which the Kings themselves arrive on the Av. Del Marquès de l’Argentera and journey 5km across the metropolis, ending on the Montjuïc Magic Fountains.
Historically, locals in Barcelona will depart meals out for the three kings and water for his or her camels, and a pair of sneakers outdoors their doorways or home windows for the three kings to fill with items after the three kings parade. The morning of the sixth will present for the kids an array of items, so long as they’ve been nicely behaved!
One other enjoyable technique to have a good time Christmas in Europe…
Take a look at this wildly terrifying, but extremely enjoyable Austrian custom the place Krampus’ (half-goat, half-demon) run by the streets of Graz through the Christmas season, punishing kids who’ve misbehaved this yr.
