La navidad traditions: Feliz Navidad: Celebrate Mexican Holiday Traditions
Feliz Navidad: Celebrate Mexican Holiday Traditions
The Mexican Christmas season kicks off December 12 with the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (the patron saint of Mexico City and all of the Americas) and ends two weeks past December 25. Read on to learn the significance of Las Posadas and Three Kings Day, plus traditional Mexican foods eaten during the holidays. A special interview with Food Network Chef Marcela Valladolid follows.
Las Posadas
From December 16 to 24—the nine days before Christmas—Mexicans celebrate Las Posadas, which means “inn” or “lodging” in Spanish. These nine days honor Mary’s nine months of pregnancy and the journey with her husband Joseph to find a place to stay, a birthplace for Jesus. By tradition, families would light candles, pray, sing and participate in a walking journey.
Typically, Old Town San Diego State Historic Park hosts a Las Posadas celebration, a walking candlelit procession. Local actors walk from inn to inn, symbolically asking for lodging.
The procession ends with a live nativity and musical performance in front of Casa de Estudillo. Participants and visitors enjoy bonfires, sing carols, and enjoy complimentary hot chocolate and s’mores. The Las Posadas celebration also typically includes all-day activities, crafts and choir performances. The park’s decorations represent the historical setting of Pueblo de San Diego. Visit www.fiestadereyes.com to see if the annual celebration will return this year.
Festive Foods
Mexican Christmas celebrations involve many cultural foods—especially tamales, a corn-based dough or masa filled with sweet or savory ingredients, wrapped in a cornhusk or banana leaves, and steamed. Sweet tamale ingredients include pineapple, strawberry, chocolate, pumpkin and guava; while savory ingredients are cheese and proteins like pork, beef, chicken and turkey.
“Tamales are the most traditional food to make and eat during the holidays, not only for Mexicans, but for many fellow Latin Americans,” says Teresa Anaya of Northgate Gonzalez Market, noting the tamales tradition goes back to Meso-American times.
Five of the eight Northgate Markets in San Diego County offer free seasonal tamale-making classes.
“Customers usually learn to make three types of tamales and a drink that complements the tamale season,” says Anaya. Kids under 12 can take classes, too, learning to make two kinds of tamales. While participants don’t cook their tamales on-site, they do taste one that’s been cooked. Registered participants receive an apron, tamale spreader, a certificate of class completion, and a coupon for tamale ingredients and supplies. Class size is limited. Contact your local Northgate Market to see if tamale-making class (for kids or adults) are being offered this year: http://northgatemarket.com/en/Cooking-Classes.
In addition to tamales, Mexican Christmas celebrations often feature a full dinner. Paulina Chaidez of Cocina 35, a restaurant in downtown San Diego, caters many Mexican Posadas. They serve turkey breast with picadillo stuffing, topped with cream, almond and Granada sauce. During holiday parties, the meal ends with buñuelos, a customary south-of-the-border cinnamon dessert, as well as hot chocolate and café de olla, a spiced Mexican coffee made in a clay container with cinnamon, clove, cacao and a special unrefined sugar called piloncillo.
“It’s the most traditional coffee in Mexico,” says Chaidez. “It’s aromatic, has great flavor, and is really good for winter.”
Three Kings Day
The Mexican Christmas season ends Jan. 6 with the Epiphany, also known as Reyes Magos or Three Kings Day. This commemorates the visit of the three wise men who gave gifts to Jesus. Traditionally Mexicans exchanged gifts on Christmas and the Epiphany, but these days not as many people participate. This is also the day when Mexicans eat a sweet, ring-shaped pastry called La Rosca de Reyes or Three Kings Bread. A tiny plastic baby is baked into the bread and whoever gets it is considered to have good luck.
“Each guest has to cut their own piece and if you get the niño (baby), you have to buy the tamales for Dia de la Candelaria on February 2,” says Chaidez. This day, also known as Candlemas, commemorates when Jesus was presented at the temple.
Find an easy recipe for Three Kings Cake at www.sandiegofamily.
com/things-to-do/dining-and-recipes/king-cake.
Mexican Christmas Traditions: An Interview with Food Network Star, Chef Marcela Valladolid
Local chef and cookbook author Marcela Valladolid grew up in Tijuana. Until a recent move to L.A., the Food Network star of “The Kitchen” and “Best Baker in America” lived in Chula Vista with her fiancé and three children: Fausto, David and Anna. Her Decembers are filled with family, friends and lots of festivities on both sides of the border.
“I’ll go to a posada with my mom’s side of the family, and another with my childhood friends,” Valladolid says. “We celebrate all month!” Here she shares her favorite Mexican Christmas traditions.
What are your favorite Mexican family holiday traditions?
Although we host a traditional Christmas dinner, we certainly have elements that remind us and our kids of our beautiful heritage. Tamales make an appearance at the table. There is always a piñata for the kids.
Sparklers (luces de bengala) remind me of Christmases spent in Tijuana.
Which foods are a special part of your Mexican holiday celebrations?
We certainly do a rosca (Three Kings Bread), which we purchase in Tijuana every year. We make tamales or purchase them from my friend, Vivi Ley. We also make tortas de bacalao (salted cod) during posadas.
My mom used to make a few staples every single holiday season. Our home would become a factory for buñuelos and polvorones (Mexican wedding cookies). We would help my mom package them in cellophane bags with huge red bows for her to distribute to friends, family, teachers, nuns and anyone she wanted to show thanks to during the holiday season.
What advice do you have for families who celebrate more than one culture during the holidays?
Do it loud and do it proud. In this house being half Mexican is something we shout from the rooftop. Our food, language and traditions are simply the best in the world.
I truly feel that and I know that I will pass that on to my kids!
Read more about Marcela Valladolid’s love of food, family and culture in her delightful cookbook, Casa Marcela: Recipes and Food Stories of My Life in the Californias.
Kristen Castillo is an award-winning freelance writer who lives in Chula Vista with her family.
8 Spanish Christmas traditions you probably never knew about
Every country has their own special Christmas traditions, and Spain is no different. The country loves to celebrate the festive season with lots of unique customs – and some of them may surprise you. From a huge national lottery to a December Fool’s Day and a pooping log, here are 8 of our favourite Spanish Christmas traditions. ¡Feliz Navidad!
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1.
El Gordo – The Fat Lottery
One of the most exciting Spanish Christmas traditions is playing the lottery. Almost everyone takes parts in the Spanish National Lottery at Christmas time, making it the biggest lottery in the world. It’s so big, it’s called ‘El Gordo’ or ‘the Fat One’, because of the huge cash prizes of more than 2 billion euros.
It’s been held every year since 1812 and it’s a tradition for the winning numbers to be announced live on TV on the morning of December 22nd. As the winning numbers are called, they’re sung out by a choir of school children. It’s also common for friends and coworkers to buy a share of a single ticket together and split the winnings. In 2011, an entire town shared a single ticket and won, splitting the share of 950 million euros!
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2.
The Three Kings
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One of the most unique facts about Christmas in Spain is that there’s no Santa Claus. Forget Saint Nick – in Spain, it’s the Three Kings or the Three Wise Men (known as Reyes Magos – Melchior, Gaspar and Baltazar) who bring the gifts to good children at Christmas time. They also don’t come on Christmas Eve. Instead, towns and cities hold huge Three Kings parades (‘cabalgatas’) on the night of January 5th, where the Kings parade through the towns on floats and throw out sweets for the kids. It’s one of the most wonderful Spanish Christmas traditions you can’t miss!
When the families return home, they leave out their shoes for the Kings to fill with gifts during the night. If it’s too long to wait for pressies, don’t worry. These days, some kids in Spain also open a few presents on Christmas day too, so you can have double the fun!
That’s also not the only version of Santa Claus in Spain.
In Galicia, a mythical coal miner called El Apalpador feels children’s stomachs to see if they’ve been eating well and leaves behind little treats like chestnuts and sweets. The Basques also have their own, more rugged, version of Santa – the mythical giant Olentzero. He wears peasants clothing, smokes a pipe and brings gifts for children on Christmas Eve, in return for food and alcohol.
RELATED CONTENT: Northern Spain Holidays: Discovering the Green Side of Spain
3.
Portal de Beléns
Portal de Beléns, meaning ‘stable of Bethlehem’, are the incredible nativity scenes found across Spain at Christmas time. They’re more than just a few figurines in a stable – these are huge and elaborate nativity scenes, with houses, markets, farms, rivers and all kinds of characters.
You’ll see them in traditional households, shop windows and town squares in the lead up to Christmas, and you’ll spot handmade figurines like baby Jesus and the Three Wise Kings in Christmas markets all over Spain.
You can even watch living Beléns, where real actors and animals recreate the Nativity scene.
EXPERIENCE IT FOR YOURSELF: Treasures of Spain and Portugal
4.
The Caga Tió
In Spain, you rock around the Christmas… log! It’s of the most curious of all Spanish Christmas traditions and it’s found in the Catalonia region. Caga Tió, meaning pooping log, is basically a wooden log dressed up with a face, legs, blanket and a barretina (Catalan hat). Children feed the Caga Tió small pieces of bread or orange peel each evening in the lead up to Christmas.
On Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, they sing the Caga Tió song, whack the log with a stick and ask him to poop out turrón (sweet nougat) and other treats for them. Once the song is finished, they take off the blanket to discover all their hidden sweets.
5. Midnight Mass
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With Catholics making up over half of the country’s population, the Christmas church services are a very important part of Christmas in Spain.
Many people go to a Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, known as La Misa Del Gallo (The Mass of the Rooster), because a rooster supposedly crowed the night Jesus was born. Many families also eat the main Spanish Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve (Nochebuena) just before or after Midnight Mass. It’s a special time for families to get together, give thanks and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
RELATED CONTENT: 12 of the most useful Spanish phrases to learn before your trip to Spain
6.
El Arrastre
You’ll find the Spanish Christmas tradition known as El Arrastre (The Drag) in the coastal city of Cádiz. It’s held on January 5th, the day before the Three Wise Kings arrive. Children string empty cans on a piece of rope and drag the cans around, making a ton of noise to remind the Kings to leave the children gifts that night. There’s also a story that the racket will scare the mythical giant who tries to cover the sky in a cloud of smoke to stop the Kings delivering the presents!
EXPERIENCE IT FOR YOURSELF: Best of Spain
7.
Roscón de Reyes
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Christmas cake is one of the favourite Spanish Christmas foods, but in Spain, they don’t enjoy it until Epiphany on January 6th, to celebrate the arrival of the Three Wise Kings in Bethlehem. On this holy day, they bake the Roscón de Reyes, a sweet bread-like cake, filled with whipped cream and topped with candied fruits and crushed almonds.
A fava bean and a small figurine are hidden inside the cake. Whoever finds the figurine in their slice will be blessed with good luck for the whole year, but if you get the fava bean, you have to pay for next year’s cake! It’s a fun Spanish Christmas tradition and a wonderful way to top off the festive season.
8.
Dia de los Santos Inocentes
While you might think it’s time to relax after Christmas, in Spain, it’s time to watch your back! Dia de los Santos Inocentes is the Spanish version of April Fool’s Day, but it’s held on December 28.
It’s the day for playing harmless pranks or dressing up in funny wigs, glasses and hats, and once you prank someone, you shout “Inocente, inocente!” And when we say watch your back, we mean it… One of the most popular pranks is to tape a drawing of a stick figure on someone’s back!
What are your favourite Spanish Christmas traditions? Let us know in the comments below!
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celebration traditions, lottery El Gordo
Christmas in Spain, Navidad is a holiday loved by children and adults, regardless of the degree of religiosity.
Catholic Christmas opens the cycle of New Year’s holidays, which also includes the New Year – Nochevieja, and the Feast of the Three Kings of Magicians – Los Reyes Magos.
Cities are decorated with Christmas illuminations, Christmas trees are placed near the mayor’s office and on district squares. The facades of office buildings and department stores are decorated with light curtains and garlands. Wreaths of spruce branches and New Year’s toys appear on the doors of Spanish apartments and houses.
Restaurants and cafes put up a Christmas basket for drawing: a set of jamon, sweets, chocolate, biscuits, wine and canned delicacies. Regular customers pay 3-5 euros and write down the names in a table with numbers. The winner is the one that matches the lottery winner of the last pre-Christmas draw.
Although the official date is the 24th, for Spaniards Navidad starts on December 22, the day when the big money prize is drawn in the El Gordo national lottery. December 24 is a short working day, December 25 is a day off.
El Gordo Christmas Lottery
The first draw took place in 1812 in Cadiz. Now taking place in Madrid. The name of the El Gordo lottery is fat man, because the prize is called a “fat, fat piece.”
Lottery tickets start selling in July and are issued in three denominations. The cheapest is 1 tenth of the full, called decimo (desimo). It costs 20 euros. Full is ten tenths of one number and costs 200 euros. The series corresponds to the total number of tickets with the same number. Each includes 100,000 banknotes and costs 20,000,000 euros. Number of episodes – 172.
The issue is therefore 3,440 million euros, of which 70%, ie 2,408 million euros, is allocated to prizes. The remaining 30 percent is used to pay commissions to merchants and for administrative expenses. The day before the Christmas draw, draw balls with numbers and prize amounts are publicly checked. After checking and counting, the room is sealed. The hall opens on December 22 at 8:00. The draw starts at 9:15.
Students from Colegio de San Ildefonso remove balls with numbers and prizes from the reels and name the number and prize. The main TV channels in Spain broadcast the draw live. The Christmas lottery ends when there are no balls left in the prize pool. On average, the process takes 4 hours. The largest prize for decimo is 400,000 euros.
Christmas night
The 24th celebrates Christmas Eve, the night before Christmas. In Spain it is a family holiday. The house is decorated with garlands, a nativity scene, a Christmas tree, or both. Families scattered across cities and countries gather this evening at the parental home for a dinner full of meat, seafood and delicacies, wines and with lots of sweets for dessert.
Due to the fact that prices increase before Christmas, thrifty Spanish housewives buy seafood for the festive table in advance and freeze it until the right moment. Christmas carols sound at the table, the text and melodies of which the Spaniards have known since childhood.
After dinner, the religious people of Spain go to church for the midnight mass “Misa de Gallo”, which hears the news of the birth of Jesus. December 25 is the real Christmas.
Despite the large dinner, relatives gather for Christmas dinner. Families with small children give the first part of New Year’s gifts on this day. Restaurants offer a special menu for those who want to spend time with their family outside the home or meet with a large number of relatives.
Christmas traditions in Spain
Nativity Scene, Belén.
Two weeks before Christmas, Christmas trees and nativity scenes are set up in the squares of Spanish cities and towns, in churches, pastry shops, markets, offices and homes. The nativity scene depicts the scene of the worship of the Magi to the baby Jesus. The largest ones include a complete story: the appearance of a star, the journey of the Magi on camels, the Holy Family and Jesus in the manger, everyday scenes from the life of Bethlehem.
In the main squares or next to the Cathedral, human-sized figures are placed, although traditionally the nativity scene is a scene in miniature. Every year there is a competition for the best belén of the city, province and Spain. A figurine of a caganer (kaganer), a defecating little man, is placed in home cribs to attract good luck and prosperity. The tradition was born in Catalonia and has become popular throughout Spain. Politicians, media people and athletes are sold as kaganers in souvenir shops.
Who is Tió Nadal (Tio Nadal) and why he is beaten A month before Christmas.
In the houses of Catalonia, Galicia and Aragon, a log or a thick branch is placed, which is called Tió Nadal, Tronca de Nadal or Tizón do Nadal. A smiling face is drawn on the end. Every night, the log is covered with a blanket and food is left nearby. On Christmas Eve, children beat him with sticks and sing Christmas carols so that Tió Nadal leaves gifts under the covers the next morning.
The tradition is associated with the celebration of the winter solstice and pre-Christian tradition. In those days, a log was burned in a fireplace, and the ashes were scattered over the fields.
Christmas Carols, Carols – Villancicos
Christmas carols originated in the Renaissance and were secular songs of folk origin. They were sung at fairs, and the main themes are recent events in the city or region. Later, carols began to be sung in churches and associated with Christmas. In Spain, Villancicos are played on the radio, in shops and in town squares during the cycle of New Year’s holidays. Not all of them are of Spanish origin. Popular Villancicos Noche de paz , A night of calm. Written by priest Josef Mohr and first performed at Christmas mass in 1818 in a fishing village in Austria.
Campana sobre campana, Bell ringing. A Christmas song of Andalusian origin by an unknown author, popular in all Spanish-speaking countries. Los peces en el río, Fish in the river.
Author unknown. Blanca Navidad, White Christmas. The carol was written by composer Irwin Berlin in 1940 and is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the best-selling song in history. Mi burrito sabanero, My steppe donkey. Written by Venezuelan musician Hugo Blanco in 1975. Marimorena, Darkie. Created in the 18th century by an unknown Spanish author.
El niño del tambor, Little drummer. The authorship is attributed to the North American pianist Katherine Kennicott.
Typical Spanish Christmas dishes
Jamón de jabugo is an expensive variety of aged Iberian ham, priced between 150 and 400 euros per kilo.
Carne guisada. Stewed meat with potatoes and vegetables in garlic-onion sauce.
Extremadura: ajoblanco. Soup, which consists only of garlic, breadcrumbs soaked in milk, olive oil and salt. In some villages, small pieces of cucumber and wine vinegar are added.
Basque Country: Merluza koskera (Merluza koskera). Hake in clam sauce. The fish is cooked in slices in a clay pot with the addition of a boiled egg, shells and asparagus.
Aragon, Navarre, Castile and Leon: Cochinillo o cordero asado (Cochinillo o cordero asado). Roast pig or lamb. The meat is languishing in the oven or oven for 4-5 hours with potatoes or vegetables.
Basque Country, Navarre: Bacalao al ajoarriero (bacalao al ajoarriero). Soaked salted cod stewed with tomatoes, garlic, sweet pepper and paprika.
Balearic Islands: Sopa balear. Soup with vegetables and pasta Los Lumaconis stuffed with minced pork.
Cantabria: Caracoles a la montañesa. Stewed snails with bacon, jamon, paprika and walnuts.
Castilla-la-Mancha: Pisto manchego. Spanish version of ratatouille vegetable stew made from tomatoes, peppers and garlic, onions and zucchini. Catalonia:
Escudella de Nadal. Stewed vegetables with pasta stuffed with minced meat.
Traditional Spanish Christmas sweets
Polvorones Cookies made from flour, sugar, almonds and butter, covered with powdered sugar.
Turron (turron). Dessert nougat, which is obtained by boiling honey and sugar with egg white.
Roasted whole or chopped almonds are added to this mass. Despite the variety of species, two classic varieties are especially popular in Spain: the soft turron from the province of Gijón and the hard turron from Alicante.
Pestiños. Cookies popular in Andalusia and other regions of southern Spain. It is a piece of unleavened dough deep-fried and glazed with honey or sugar.
Frutas confitadas. Candied fruits and berries
Guirlaches. Almond Kozinaki
Pan de Cádiz. Marzipan stuffed with egg yolk and sweet potato or candied fruits.
Pastel de Gofio y vainilla (pastel de gofio and vainilla). A Christmas cake made from fried flour, eggs, sugar and lots of vanilla.
Mantecados. Baking from sugar flour and pork lard. The Andalusian cities of Estepa and Antequera compete for the right to be considered the inventors of the dessert. However, the oldest recipe was recorded by a resident of Seville in 1740.
Holidays in Spain, or Spanish culture in the tradition of holidays
Spain absorbed many ancient cultures , and as a result, numerous costumed holidays in Spain, theatrical festivities.
The main holiday of Spain, or honoring the Virgin
The main holiday of the country – Hispanidad Day (Dia de Hispanidad Day) – is celebrated on October 12th. It was on this day in 1492 that the Spanish naval expedition, led by Christopher Columbus, landed in the New World. On the same day, Spanish Catholics honor the patroness of their country – Our Lady of the Pillar, who, according to legend, appeared to the inhabitants of Zaragoza, standing on a high column.
On October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus, leading a Spanish expedition, discovered the lands of the New World. It is quite natural that believers saw in this a sign of patronage, help from the Holy Virgin Pilar, therefore October 12 is the main national holiday of Spain, the Day of the Spanidad. One of the meanings of the word Hispanidad is a community, a community of Hispanic peoples.
Christmas (Navidad) – the main holiday of the winter cycle in Spain
Christmas (Navidad) – December 25 – the main holiday among the Spaniards, unlike the Russians, who honor the New Year.
First of all, this is a family celebration, consisting of a hearty meal, with the obligatory presentation of gifts.
Traditionally, believers on Christmas go to the festive service in the church (Misa de aurora or Misa de gallo – morning mass). The festive divine service lasts a long time, until dawn, until the morning roosters. The Spaniards call Christmas night Noche buena.
Kings and retinue, or Day of the Magi (Dia de los Reyes Magos)
Celebrated on January 6, but called differently:
Holy Week, or Easter in Spanish
Holy Week (Semana Santa) is a religious holiday in Spain, usually celebrated at the end of April. The first day of this week is the so-called “Palm Sunday” (Domingo de Ramos). If compared with the Russian Orthodox holiday, then our analogue of the holiday is called “Palm Sunday”. On this day, the faithful of Spain sanctify a palm, laurel or olive branch in the church, and dry branches are kept at home for a long time as amulets, considering them a talisman against evil spirits.
Processions run throughout the week: performances on some religious subject, organized by religious brotherhoods or communities (Cofradias) that exist in church parishes.
Each community prepares the so-called pasos – large and heavy platforms with a sculptural group or groups depicting the suffering Christ, the Mother of God mourning him, sometimes with other characters.
This Spanish holiday reaches its peak on Thursday (Jueves Santo, Jueves de la Pasion) and Friday (Viernes Santo) of Passion Week. On Holy Thursday, many participants in the processions who have taken a vow carry a cross on their shoulders. Mummers dressed as “Roman soldiers”, “Jews”, “angels”, “devils”, etc. take part in the procession. Stops are made during the procession, during which special chants are often performed.
“Moors and Christians”, or the Holiday of the country’s liberation from the Muslim yoke
The historical basis of the theatrical folk festival “Moors and Christians” (Moros y Cristianos de Orihuela) is the battle of 1276, which took place in a small town in the province of Alicante – Alcoy.
Every year from 21 to 24 April in many cities of southeastern Spain – in memory of the liberation of the country from the Muslim yoke during the Reconquista – “battles of Moors and Christians” unfold in the streets and squares. The seaside town of Guardamar del Segura, as well as the tourist pearl of the Costa Blanca, are famous for the colorful costumes and the scope of the processions – Benidorm .
“Carthaginians and Romans”, or Series of Historical Reenactments
Fancy Dress “Carthaginians and Romans” (Carthagineses y Romanos) is held in the second half of September and lasts 10 days. In fact, the holiday is a series of historical reconstructions of mass events during the Second Punic War that took place in the 3rd century BC – the battle of the warriors of Ancient Rome and Carthage. The scene of action is Cartagena, a city in the province of Murcia, which during this period is unusually transformed. The streets are full of crowds of citizens dressed as soldiers of Rome and Carthage, priests and vestals, gladiators and just civilians of that distant time.
San Fermin, or Adrenaline Rush
San Fermin (Fiesta Sanfermines) – lasts from June 6 to 14 and takes place in the quiet capital of Navarre – Pamplona, one of the most famous festivals in Spain and all over the world. Dedicated to Saint Fermin, a medieval bishop who saved the city from the plague. Sung by Ernest Hemingway in the novel Fiesta, this holiday attracts many tourists from all over the world. However, the focus is now on “encierro” – mass races with bulls, which take place every day during the entire festivities, delivering an unforgettable experience, an adrenaline rush and not always a favorable outcome for some “restless” participants in the race.
Las Hogueras de San Juan, or the Grand Festival on the Costa Blanca
Ogueras de San Juan (Las Hogueras de San Juan) – festive events take place in Alicante from June 20 to 29 , representing costume processions, fireworks, pyrotechnic shows, bullfights.
On the night of June 24-25 – the climax of the celebration – purifying bonfires – the burning of “ogeras” – giant colorful compositions made of wood and papier-mâché. Such a peculiar, bright meeting of summer by the inhabitants of the Mediterranean on the night of Ivan Kupala (San Juan) became the main celebration of the capital Costa Blanca – Alicante, of international tourist importance.
Unusual history of the country: “beautiful features of the past in it”, “here is the kingdom of song, dance and wine”.
Virgin of August, or Holy Virgin
Assumption of the Virgin (Asuncion de la Virgen) – August 15, and very often they talk about the August Virgin or Virgin of August (Virgen de Agosto). During the holiday, church services, religious processions take place, folk festivals take place, sometimes performances are given in the form of religious mysteries.
For example, in the city of Elche (province of Alicante) on August 14 and 15 in the Basilica of St.
Mary, a traditional religious and theatrical performance is given – auto (misterio) with an impressive finale of the coronation of the Virgin Mary.
Medieval Fair (Mercado Medieval)
On the weekend of the first week of September each year, the so-called Medieval Fair is held in the “old” part of the city, in different squares and streets. During the fair, you can buy goods, as well as watch various theatrical performances typical of the Middle Ages. The most popular holiday is Mercado Medieval, which takes place in April-May and lasts a whole week. This is a kind of excursion into the deep past – in the Middle Ages. The streets turn into an extraordinary vernissage – an exhibition of leather, metal, clay products, a gallery of paintings. Colorful figures of masters demonstrate their skills. The “delicious” smells of freshly baked bread, fried meat, cooked traditional paey are in the air. There is a brisk trade going on. Groups of tourists pass by with curiosity and undisguised interest.