Christmas in Barcelona

   Christmas lights & trees in Barcelona
  

  

   

   

    Barcelona Metro timetable Christmas and New Year
    Barcelona sports events Christmas 2009

The oldest, biggest and most traditional Christmas market in Barcelona with almost 300 stalls is the “Fira de Santa Llúcia” , or in Spanish “Fira de Santa Lucia” on the Avenida de la Catedral in front of Barcelona’s Cathedral.  The earliest recorded Christmas market in this location in Barcelona took place in 1786.  In 2009 the Christmas market is open from Sat 28th November 2009 to Wed 23rd December.

The Avenida de la Catedral and small streets by the cathedral have almost 300 stalls selling Christmas decorations and gifts. Many stalls sell the “figuritas de Belén,” which are small figures that you use to make your own crib scenes. The “figuritas de Belén,” are not that cheap and if you want the de-luxe shepherds hut with adjoining stream and wooden bridges, plus palm trees, camels and the whole malarkey, you should buy a lottery ticket for the Spanish Christmas Lottery, El Gordo. Or buy a few pieces every year and build up your collection.

Here are some of the most popular Christmas fairs in Barcelona:

The “Fira de Santa Llúcia” Christmas fair
In front of Cathedral of Barcelona in Gothic area.
Av. De la Cathedral
Open in 2009 from 28/11 to 23/12 -2009 from 10.00 to 22.00


The Sagrada Familia Christmas Fair
Sagrada Familia
Open in 2009 from 8/12 to 23/12 December from 10.00 to 21.00


Fira de Reis a la Gran Via - The Three Kings Fair
On street of Gran Via between streets of Rocafort and  Muntaner
"La feria de Reyes de la Gran Via" also called "Sant Tomàs i Reis" (St Thomas and Kings) - and also sometimes called the Twelfth Night Fair,  is one of the biggest Christmas / New Year markets for gifts and toys in Barcelona. It has around 300 markets stalls with mostly toys and other traditional "Reyes" gifts like "carbon de azucar" (candy coal!)
Open in 2009 from 18/12 to 4/1 from 10.00 to 20.00 & on 5/1 until 03.00


The Plaça de Sants Christmas Fair
Joan Güell – Plaça de Sants
Usually open from around 1/12 to 23/12 from 10.00 to 20.00


47è Festival de la Infància
At Fira Montjuic - Click for information
Open in 2009 from 27/12 to 4/1 from 11.00 - 08.00

    Find Christmas markets outside Barcelona in this article by Genevieve Shaw

, but he is not the main character of Christmas celebrations in Barcelona and Spain. The tradition in Spain and Catalonia is that the biggest Christmas celebration is not on 25th December, the birth of Christ, but when “Los Reyes Magos”  the Three Kings of the Orient (also known as the Three Wise Men Balthasar, Caspar and Melchior) arrive to see the new born baby Jesus.




This is called the Night of the 3 Kings, the “Cabalgata los Reyes Magos,” or the "Cavalcada de Reis" in Catalan and The Three Kings’ Parade and also know as the “Twelfth Night procession”

The tradition in Spain is that the Three Kings bring the presents, not Santa.

The Reyes Magos parade in Spain and Barcelona takes place on 5th January every year. This is the evening before Twelfth Night Epiphany on 6th January, which is the day when the children in Spain get the most presents.  On the night of 5th December Spanish and Catalan children don’t put a stocking out by the chimney, but instead they put out their shoes for the Three Kings to fill. They also leave hay and water for the camels, instead of milk and cookies for Santa.  On the morning of the 6th January the hay and water is gone and the shoes are filled with gifts!

2010 Cavalcada de Reis - Route & Timetable

16.30 Moll de la Fusta (click for map)

 Arrival of Three Kings on the maritime museum's schooner Santa Eulàlia to the dock called Moll de La Fusta in front of Columbus monument at the Rambla de Mar.

18.30 Parade starts from Av. Marques de l'Argentera
The parade starts from side entrance of Park Ciutadella then route is down Av Marques de l'Argentera, Via Laietana, Plaza Urquinaona, Ronda Sant Pere, Rda. Sant Antoni, Sepulveda, Villaroel, Lleida and finishes at AV de Rius i Taulat at around 21.30.

21.30 Parade finishes at Avinguda de Rius i Taulat (click for map )  

-Outdoor Pessebre in Plaça de Sant Jaume

-Cloister of Barcelona cathedral La Seu - entrance from Carrer del Bisbe

-El pessebre diorama in the Iglesia de Belén (Esglèssia de Betlem) on Las Ramblas 107

-Sagrat Cor de Jesús del Tibidabo - church on Tibidabo hill

-Museu Monestir de Pedralbes - Museum & Monastery of Pedralbes

Among the figures in a good “Pessebres” you will find a funny little fellow, called "El Caganer", who is very Catalan Christmas tradition



This is the bad boy of Catalan navitivy scenes as “El Caganer” literally means “The crapper” or "the shitter" This is a an elf or gnome like figure wearing the traditional Catalan red cap, the barretina, and with his trousers down, his backside bare, defecating somewhere in the nativity scene! His origins are a bit murky, but apparently he has been dropping his britches to "fertilize the earth" since the middle of the 19th century at least. He is a very popular fellow and brings good luck. He can be seen in in many forms and public figures have the honour of being portrayed with their pants down at Christmas. In 2009 the popular new caganer figures are of Christian Ronaldo, Barack Obama, Zlatan Ibrahimović and others. The models are handmade and cost from 5-20 euros each depending on size.





There was an attempt in 2005 to leave this little guy out of from the Plaça Sant Jaume official Pessebres for being politically incorrect, especially in times when we are trying nightlife revellers not to use the streets as public toilets, but there were many protests and the Caganer is back where he belongs along we couldn't spot him in 2009! You can read more about that in this fine article about

Another Christmas tradition in Catalonia is the “Tió de Nadal.”  In this name the word "Tió" is Catalan, not Castellano and the word "tió" in Catalan means “log,” not “uncle” or “guy,” which is the Spanish meaning.




The “Tió de Nadal” Christmas log is a usually a small log with a happy face painted on it and the typical Catalan barretina red hat. You can see giant Tió de Nadal at children's Christmas events. The Christmas log is also called “Caga Tió.” which means "the pooing log"

“As for the grapes, you might imagine that the custom of eating twelve lucky uvas at midnight on December 31 dates back to ancient times. In fact, it was dreamed up by Valencian grape-growers in 1909 as a way of getting rid of an extra-bumper crop. One grape after each chime of the clock to give thanks for the past year's good luck and in anticipation of the lucky year to come. A hundred years is a short time when it comes to gene development, but it seems the Spanish have already honed the how-to-eat-12-grapes-in-12-seconds-without-choking gene. Actually, they cheat. The Puerta del Sol clock in Madrid , which everybody watches on TV, is slowed down to a more digestible one strike every three seconds.”

. 
Open NYE with have tables available still for lunch. NYE dinner is fully booked.





That's all we have for now - except to wish you all a Bon Nadal i Feliç any Nou!