New Year’s Eve in Spain – Why do Spaniards end the year with a bowl full of grapes in their hands? The Spanish tradition says that in order to have 12 months of good luck in the New Year you have to eat 12 grapes at exactly 12 o’clock on the night of the 31st of December; also, it is important to eat one grape at the time with the sound of each midnight bell. Therefore, it is recommendable to buy small grapes and to be careful not to choke because we have heard of some disasters…. Where does this curious tradition come from that every year plants us in
Happy Christmas in Madrid: Before the year ends we would like to share with you one of the most popular events in Spain that takes place just before Christmas: “El Gordo” (“the fat one”), the great Christmas lottery on the 22nd of December. What is so special about this lottery? It is time to celebrate, to share with friends and families, to hope and to take a rest from the hard year. For this reason people try their chance and want to participate. They either buy a full set of 10 lottery tickets for 200 € or just one for 20 €, called “a décimo”. The matter is to participate
XMas in Madrid: Immerse yourself in the magic of Madrid’s Christmas illumination! Christmas in Madrid is a real light show. Every year during this time, the city is transformed into a work of art, the streets are filled with people and the sparkle in their eyes reflects not only the lighting but also the illusion and magic of the Christmas holidays. There are 10.8 million LED lights on 210 streets in the capital – lighting jewels created by designers such as Juan Duyos, Nuria Sardá or Devota & Lomba. When activating the lights, the Mayor of Madrid said: this year 2020 the lights “are not of joy, but of hope”