Dear Puerto de Mogán Friends wishing you all the best and a Merry Christmas
Are you celebrating in Mogan?
When are you comeing?
If you want to know more about customs and celebrations on this island read below
How do you celebrate Christmas and New Year's weekend in Gran Canaria ?
The Spaniards are mostly Catholics. Although today's celebrations have in many cases been influenced by other parts of Europe. Let's start from the beginning with regard to the preparation and implementation of Christmas.
Food and gifts
Christmas lunches and Christmas dinners begin to be organized from the first of December. In most cases, it is companies that arrange joint lunches or dinners for their staff. Here they differ from us, insofar as there is no form of Christmas table. The food you eat is the same as the rest of the year.
It is also very common for companies to hand out gifts to employees and partners. It's not about Christmas cards or small gifts at all, but often about hearty baskets of wine, champagne, food and the special Christmas candy "turrones". You often see absolutely fantastic sets carried around for dividends. The El Corte Ingles department store, for example, has an entire department that only deals with this during the month of December.
Christmas card
Christmas cards are also sent to Gran Canaria. However, it is in most cases between companies and partners. Not at all so common between friends and acquaintances. One of the reasons for this is that, in the case of Gran Canaria, you live on an island, and meet often - not least this weekend.
Preparations
A very popular foretaste of Christmas already occurs on 6/12 and 8/12. Two holidays, which in themselves have nothing to do with Christmas, but since many people use the squeezing day on 7/12, the next one will be a whole week off. Just in time to move on with the preparations for Christmas. 6/12 celebrates Constitution Day. On 8/12 a religious holiday "La Inmaculada Concepcion".
Christmas tree or crib?
Before Christmas Eve, the homes were traditionally decorated with a nativity scene. This tradition lives on, but to an ever lesser extent. The Christmas tree has made its mark and is dressed in the traditional way. In many cases instead of the nativity scene, in others as a complement. In public places you can see beautiful and impressive cribs prepared for Christmas. Feel free to visit the fantastically impressive crib that is on display on the top floor of the shopping center "Las Arenas" in Las Palmas.
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is not a holiday in Gran Canaria. You work as usual, even if the spirit of the weekend is clearly noticeable. However, most restaurants close early on Christmas Eve. Already at 20-21.00 the doors are usually open
This is because Christmas Eve dinner is celebrated with the family and the next of kin. The dinner you eat, at 10 pm, in many cases consists of a kind of typical Christmas ham (pata de cerdo) or turkey. But in most cases, a better dinner consisting of meat or seafood is eaten. There is no "typical" Christmas food. The exception is the desserts. Large quantities of cakes, pies and sweets are prepared here.
The typical "tour" is present in everyone. Turron is a kind of nougat, made from almonds and honey and is available today in an incredible amount of editions. The important thing about Christmas Eve dinner is that the family is gathered.
Recently, Santa has started coming to the children on 24/12. However, this is something that European tourists have brought to the Canary Islands. Only the children receive one or a few small packages. The adults usually do not hand out any Christmas presents to each other. The Christmas presents arrive on the thirteenth day. After dinner, many choose to go to the midnight Mass "Misa del Gallo" which celebrates the birth of Jesus. For the younger ones, since Christmas Eve evening and night is a time to go out. Meet friends at bars, discos etc until late on Christmas morning.
Christmas day
On Christmas day, which is a holiday, you rest. The children play with their Christmas presents while the adults prepare for the family's joint lunch which is usually eaten at a restaurant. After the Christmas lunch, everyone goes home.
26th of December
This day is not celebrated in Gran Canaria and is not a holiday either. In some Spanish provinces, however, 26/12 is a public holiday.º
Dia de los inocentes
December 28 is "Dia de los Inocentes", the day of harmless children. It is this day you get to be fooled and joke, just like on the first of April in Scandinavia. This day also organizes a lot of collections of money, toys and clothes that are donated to the needy.
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is celebrated in the same way we are used to. Shops close earlier than usual. The hairdressing salons work overtime to have time to prepare everyone who should look extra good in the evening. Because it's important. Now you have to dress up and take on everything that has been bought for this reason. The dinner usually consists of a larger menu which includes both seafood and meat dishes. Champagne, of course, or the Spanish variety called Cava. Dinner is usually eaten out in a restaurant, although in recent years it has begun to change and parties are prepared at each other's homes. It is very expensive to book in for New Year's events in general.
The TV channels broadcast summaries from the past year and the 12-stroke itself is broadcast every year from different regions in Spain. For the 12-stroke, "cotillones", party bags containing masks, garlands, hats, etc. are distributed. In addition, twelve grapes are distributed to all participants. These "uvas de suerte" - lucky grapes - must be eaten one by one at each time and in this way bring luck.
Fireworks of all sizes and models are fired at 24.00. In the tourist area of southern Gran Canaria, these fireworks are usually extremely nice and numerous, as most hotels set off their own fireworks. New Year's Day is a holiday and a little "the day after". Until the afternoon, the restaurants are filled once again when the families go out together and eat a late lunch.
Now it is Christmas again
Thirteenth night, January 5th. Now Christmas has come !!! In the afternoon, "Los tres Reyes Magos" arrives, the three wise men. In Las Palmas, they usually come to the port, met by thousands of children and parents. In the afternoon, a large train or procession is arranged through the streets where the three wise men, Melchor, Baltasar and Gaspar, riding on their camels hand out candies to the children.
These processions take place in most cities. In Las Palmas extremely impressive and atmospheric. In Playa del Ingles, usually on Avenida Tirajana in a slightly smaller format. The children go to bed early this evening after putting out water, cakes or the like to "Los Reyes Magos" and their camels.
On the thirteenth day, 6/1, the children wake up early and find their Christmas presents at the place where they left food and drink for the three wise men. In the afternoon, families and relatives often meet to show off what they got from los Reyes and have lunch or dinner together. Recently, a special cake "Roscon de Reyes" has been created that can be compared to our rice porridge insofar as one of the cakes contains a gift or a caramel. Whoever gets this gets lucky.
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