Enjoying a Spanish Christmas

Michael Coy discusses the rituals that are associated with winter celebrations.

Like Hallowe’en in Spain, Christmas is often a sham.

The desire to “do christmas” the way it’s shown in the movies is strong, but to master all the subtleties you need to be Anglo-Saxon.

Have you ever heard your Spanish friend speak about Ebenezer Scrooge, for example? Or holly, for that matter?

If you were to visit a Spanish home for Christmas lunch, you’d be more likely to be served seafood than turkey – and don’t even think about mince pies!

We live in a society that values Epiphany Day more than Christmas Day.

To get theological for a moment, Spaniards think that Christ’s birth is not the big deal – what matters is when the outside world (ie. Our Saviour’s arrival was announced to us.

The real celebration is January 6, also known as Epiphany. On January 6, Spanish kids receive their dolls, Meccanos, and other toys.

The three Wise Men are the first non-Jews to have met Jesus. Accordingly, “Kings” (‘Reyes’) is traditionally the main winter festival in Spain.

It’s a mishmash of a Christmas that (while a day off is nice) doesn’t deliver on the promise. As the Spanish would say, Christmas is neither one nor the other – “ni fu ni fa”.

All our Christmas songs are well known to the Spanish. In shops, on buses, in the bank, you’ll hear ‘bowers of holly’ and ‘deep and crisp and even’ everywhere, all day, all the time.

Slade, George Michael or even The Pogues will also be featured.

There are many, many Spanish Christmas carols (they are known as ‘villancicos“) But Spain has done a much better job of keeping their religious festival separate from orgy self-indulgence, and brashness commercialism we have come to know.

There are two songs you will hear over and over again. José Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad” will be played a lot – indeed, because of its bilingual lyrics, bar and restaurant staff may well put it on specifically for you.

The other is too-catchyMarimorenaIt’s too catchy, and you’ll find it drives you insane.

Spanish lyrics are generally not of the same quality as Shakespearean works, but this song goes to great depths.

The ‘Noche Buena‘ is Christmas Eve, and a ‘marimorena‘ can best be translated as a ‘knees-up’ ‘Ande’ is “let’s go”.

The song is easy to learn and not complex.
Ande, ande, ande,
la marimorena,
ande, ande, ande,
por la Noche Buena.

There are some traditions they follow better than us.

The ‘zambomba’ is a musical implement (more precisely, a percussion instrument) which is fun to try. It looks like a bongo drum, but it has a stick (‘palo’) poking through the drum’s membrane.

By moving the stick up or down, you can produce a sound that sounds like a Didgeridoo. It is only used at Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, go out for lunch and have a drink. In a bar frequented by Spanish clients, you will find zambombas leading the singing.

All of it is very funny and entertaining. After a few medicinal sherries you’ll find yourself playing the Zambomba yourself!

Gypsy communities are often given a bad reputation. We know that the gypsy community is prone to drug abuse and petty crimes, but they also observe religious holidays with great rigor.

By osmosis the gypsies are aware of where to meet.

They love to improvise a Christmas sing-song, which, oddly, is also called a ‘zambomba’. If you are lucky enough to stumble across one, then join in. Soon, they’ll have you up and dancing.

One more song, even by chance, gets it right. “Veinticinco de diciembre, fun fun fun”.

The twenty-fifth day of December is clearly being discussed. The Spanish word for ‘a good time’ is “juerga”, so ‘fun’ is used here as a useful but meaningless filler, kind of like ‘tralala’.

But Christmas in Spain is fun – so go out and enjoy yourself!

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