A traditional Christmas in Valencia with helpValencia! What a combination ahahah. We need to get into Christmas spirit; therefore, we have planned unusual blog posts for December. Christmassy posts and Christmas carols are our way o celebrate our favourite month of the year. For all our affectionate readers, in January we will be back with our columns about neighbourhoods, public transports and events. For now, Santa Claus is coming to town!
Back to today’s topic. Our journey will make us discover… sound of bells… Christmas traditions in Valencia. This is our very first blog post about Christmas and we are so excited! You must have seen the face of our graphic designer when I have told her to look for a Christmassy picture… she was simply enthusiast. How can you spend a Spanish Christmas in your shared flat? Let’s discover it together.
Will you spend your Christmas holidays in Valencia? This is a very good reason to decorate your shared flat and organize a Christmas dinner with your flatmates. Actually, this is why we always suggest our readers to live in shared flat: you will never be alone! Even a Christmas without your family turns into an unforgettable experience. The proof is in the pudding!
Back to our Christmas traditions… Are you ready to discover them?
Loteria
This is something very Christmassy and very important here in Spain. They begin to sell the tickets very early, we would hazard that we have seen it already on October. The Spanish National Lottery is actually a big deal and you should try this experience at least once… The line is infinite, but the prize is big!
Christmas decorations
Well, it is not exactly something Spanish. Nonetheless, we must admit that when it comes to decorations, they are very very good. And, needless to say, we enjoy walking through the streets of Valencia and have a relaxing evening with our friends…
Nativity Scenes
They are called Beléns and they are elaborate nativity scenes. Some of them are real masterpieces, plenty of details such as rivers, marketplaces and decorated buildings. Actually, they are not traditional just in Catalonia; you can find them all over Spain and Italy, too. What can you do for Christmas? Well, you can have a look at some of the prettiest nativity scenes in the city centre! Our suggestions? The one built by the city council or the one in the Cathedral…
Misa del Gallo
It is the traditional Midnight Christmas Mass and they have called it in this way because the cockerel has been (it is said so) the first creature to witness Christ’s birth. It may be interesting leave our shared flats and go to the Misa del Gallo… Should we meet in front of the Cathedral?
Christmas dinner
Christmas dinner is international, what changes are the delicious dishes that you can taste. Our favourite course? Desserts, what a question ahahah. Many nougats (we have to taste the one with Macha tea!), polvorones (cookies) and neules with cava. WE cannot wait to taste all these delicious Christmas treats!
Dia de los Santos Inocentes
The 28th December is a great holiday here in Spain. Happy people everywhere, sweets and many jokes. One of the most common jokes? According to Visit Valencia, they “cut out a paper doll and stick it to the back of a friend or family member, who walks around with it unawares to general amusement.” (Link of the article)
We are nearly ready for Christmas, isn’t it? Have a walk in Valencia, enjoy lights and decorations and buy a ticket of the lottery. Have a tour of the best Nativities in town, eat many sweets (remember to renovate the gym membership!) and go to the Misa del Gallo. This is the way to celebrate a traditional Spanish Christmas.
Our Christmas will be great! The most important ingredient are the people who will spend this holiday with you. By living in a shared flat, you will have the chance to meet people from all over the world who will probably spend important moments with you, such as Christmas holidays. Therefore, choose carefully your accommodation: as helpValencia always suggests, a shared flat may be the perfect solution for you.
How are the preparations going? We turned into Christmas elves and we got into Christmas spirit, so, expect another Christmassy blog post! That’s it for today, see you next week with another post about… Stay tuned and do not miss our next post!
XOXO
helpValencia team