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| Happy Holidays! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We made Thanksgiving as special as we could, considering it's not a holiday in Spain. We prepared a traditional Thanksgiving feast while the kids were in school. My Mother and father-in-law joined us from the USA, which made it so special! We ordered a fresh turkey from a local pollerîa and made our Spatchcock Turkey so it could lay flat and fit in our tiny European Oven.😊 We also invited two American missionaries from our church to eat with us, and it was fun to get to know them and spread some holiday cheer. Christmas in Spain🎄Spain (particularly our Catalonia region) has some fun and unique Christmas traditions I thought I'd share with you! A Belén is Spain's most cherished Christmas decoration. It's a Bethlehem Nativity that families add to each year to make an entire village. Christmas markets are full of Belén figurines and props. Caganer – is a Catalan figurine (dating back to the 17th century) of a squatting/pooping man. He may seem irreverent, but he is a symbol of fertility and good luck, and families hide him in their Belén village for kids to find. Tío de Nadal, or Caga Tío: Catalan families "find" Caga Tío outside in early December. It's a log with a face on it, and kids "feed" it scraps throughout the month to help it grow. On Christmas Eve, the children gather around and sing a special Catalan song while hitting it on the back to get it to "poop" small presents. It's very fun for kids (reminds me of a piñata). We're excited to do it with our kids this year. Christmas Eve (Nochabuena): Family members enjoy a special feast.in Barcelona. They might serve Escuedlla y Carn d'Olla (a meat and vegetable soup), Canelones (cannelloni), or seafood and wine. Many people attend Midnight Mass, and young families do Caga Tío. Christmas Day is a quiet family day. Some modern families might have a gift from Santa Clause, but "Santa" isn't traditionally a Spanish custom. 🎅 Dia de Los Reyes Magos (Three Wise Men Day) is January 6 (Epiphany) and holds the same excitement for children as Christmas morning in the USA. The night before, most cities have a Three Kings Parade with elaborate floats, costumes, and performers. Before going to bed, children leave their shoes in a special spot, and they wake up to find their shoes filled with gifts from the wise men. Roscón de Reyes (Kings Cake) is a ring-shaped cake with two items hidden inside: a small figurine (whoever finds it is lucky and becomes "king" for the day) and a bean (whoever finds it is the unlucky one who pays for the Roscón). German Christmas Markets!We've always dreamed of visiting Christmas markets in Europe, and this trip was absolutely incredible! We rented a van and road-tripped our way around Munich, Mittenwald, Garmish, Oberammergau, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, and Nuremberg. So much CHARM in every city (not to mention delicious food!) The highlights were light snowfall dusting the streets and a cable car ride up Zugspitze, the tallest peak in Germany! Best of all, beautiful Christmas markets with hand-crafted Christmas decorations, amazing food, and Christmas treats! The kids even met Sinterklauss (the original Santa, based on Saint Nicholas, a 4th Century Bishop). He gave them traditional oranges, chocolates, and nuts. There are many things we miss from our US holiday traditions, but learning about how other cultures celebrate has been a huge highlight for us over the past few weeks. |
Enjoy!
Lauren
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