Christmas Traditions in Spain and Catalonia

Christmas in Spain is a magical time! In Spanish the word “ilusión” is used to describe the magic, hope, and waiting of the season and I think it’s the perfect way to say how everyone is feeling.

I’ve lived in Madrid, Spain, and traveled all over the country throughout the years. Last year I was lucky enough to spend some time in Barcelona right before Christmas, so here are some of the ways Spaniards celebrate Christmas.

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Christmas Decorations in Spain

In Spain, Christmas is a major holiday, but there are generally fewer decorations than you will see in other parts of Europe. For one thing, the vast majority of Spain doesn’t get snow, so a winter wonderland it is not. Decorations with snowmen and sleds would be a bit strange.

There are plenty of beautiful lights though! All of the major cities have light displays, often hanging above the streets or above pedestrian malls. Madrid even had their own light celebration of the pop icon of the famous Velaszquéz painting Las Meninas.

A giant Las Meninas figure lit up with white lights and snowflake designs on the skirt with three people looking at it

The decoration that is most common in Spanish households is the realistic nativity scene, or Belén (Belén means Bethlehem in Spanish, the city of Jesus’ birth). The scenes are usually more than just Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus, and include other animals and farms.

It is not Santa Claus that brings children presents but Los Reyes Magos (The Three Wisemen) on January 6. This day is also an official holiday and in large cities there is a massive parade. It marks the end of the long Christmas season. Because of commercialization and pop culture, Santa Claus (Papá Noel) is becoming more and more common as a Christmas figure.

La Cesta de Navidad: Spanish Christmas Baskets

An advertisement on the street for Christmas baskets with photos of wine and food

Another common tradition is giving a cesta de Navidad, or Christmas basket to friends, neighbors or employees. The baskets can range from 10 Euros to over 1,000 Euros and usually include wine, ham and meats, cheese, and Christmas treats in a natural, usable basket.

Also included are Christmas candies like turrón, a sweet nougat that often contains nuts and can be hard or soft. Bite-size marzipán shapes made of toasted almond paste are also popular.

Different types of turrón in clear packaging for sale

If you like this post also check out Christmas Traditions in Colombia.

Christmas Traditions in Catalonia

If you are looking to learn about some of the most interesting Christmas traditions in the world, the traditions in the Catalonia (Catalunya in Catalan) region of Northeast Spain are some that you have to learn about.

In my opinion, they are some of the most interesting and craziest of anywhere in the world because they involve, well, pooping!

The Fira de Santa Llúcia Christmas Market

Anblown up old photograph of people at the Fira de Santa Lucia decorated with pine boughs around it

The Saint Lucia Fair Christmas market happens every December in Barcelona. Dating back to 1786 they claim to be the oldest Christmas market of nativity scenes in the world. There are 200 stands in the Plaça Nova in front of the Cathedral of Barcelona.

In Catalonia, the nativity scene is also very popular. At the Christmas markets, many vendors sell figurines that you can put in your nativity scene. This includes the classic Christmas characters, but also includes various trees and shrubs, animals of all kinds, wells, houses, even carrots for a vegetable garden! These nativity scenes can be huge, taking up meters of space.

Learn more about these traditions in my video below. It’s in Spanish, so click on CC if you need it in English.

El Caganer: The Catalan pooping figurine

In Catalonia, there is an important figure in the nativity scene that is unique to the area. This figure is a young man dressed in the traditional white shirt and breeches with a red cap called a barretina. At first, he looks like an unassuming clay figure but at second glance he has his pants halfway down and has just pooped on the ground. He is appropriately called the caganer (ca-ga-né) (the crapper).

Important note: this word has different levels of vulgarity depending on which Spanish-speaking country you are in (less vulgar in Spain than in other countries), but it is generally not a word used by children.

Tradition says that he was placed in the belén to fertilize the soil, but in the past few years, he has become more of a pop icon. In addition to the small traditional version, there are larger versions of all sorts of politicians, cartoon characters, and celebrities that people can collect. It is supposedly an honor, not an insult to be made into a caganer.

If you are in Barcelona you can stop by one of the many Caganer shops and get one of these year round.

Tió de Nadal: The Catalan pooping log

This tradition takes the idea of a Christmas yule log a bit further. Families buy or create a Tió de Nadal (a Christmas log) with legs, a smiling face, and a barretina hat. In the days leading up to Christmas children “feed” the log and cover him with a blanket to keep him warm.

When Christmas comes parents stage an elaborate distraction. Children hit the log with a stick while singing a song encouraging the log to poop out presents and one by one they magically appear from beneath the Tió’s blanket.

As the Tió de Nadal has also become more of an international icon in recent years, you can buy Tiós of all sizes at Christmas markets or Euro stores in Catalunya. They are also known by the more vulgar name Caga Tió.

Tió de Nadal Ornament Craft

If you want to make a fun reminder of your trip, or if you are a Spanish teacher looking for a fun project for your students before break, you can make your own Tió de Nadal ornament.

Note: I first saw these years ago on a Facebook post in a Spanish teacher group, so I don’t claim credit for this idea, but I’ve done it with students and they turned out great!

If you want to talk about these traditions with your intermediate or advanced Spanish students, grab this lesson plan with worksheets for some Christmas fun!

Substitution: If you are on a tight budget you can get slightly smaller rounds and only use a black paint marker or even a black permanent marker.

I let students create freely and didn’t give them any specific instructions other than showing them the materials available. It’s a good idea to look at photos of a few different tiós before starting and to have a photo up on the screen for students to refer to while they are working. Using a white paint marker for the whites of the eyes really makes it pop.