Celebrate the Holiday Season in Portugal and Spain

Spain and Portugal come to life during the holiday season with plenty of celebrations, traditions, festivals and excitement. In the mild winter climate, the locals traditionally take to the streets in collective gaiety, singing, dancing and partying at every opportunity. The mood is contagious, and the decorations plentiful, instilling a festive atmosphere in cities and towns across the Iberian Peninsula. Although the season is filled with the usual Christmas and New Year Holiday celebrations, each country has its own distinctive traditions that make them unique.

The smell of roasting chestnuts fills the air for towns around Portugal. Elaborate nativity scenes, many with people acting the roles, adorn the streets as Christmas Holiday markets in Portugal pop up on every corner. Christmas dinner is always a huge family feast and is traditionally eaten after midnight on Christmas Eve. In Portugal, prior to attending midnight mass, families gather around the tree to celebrate the birth of Jesus, while in Spain the celebrations and singing of carols, takes place after dinner and continues into the wee hours of the morning.

It is not Santa who comes to Spain bearing gifts, but the Three Wise Men. The Spanish Christmas continues for a few weeks after Dec. 25th. On the Eve of Epiphany, in the secret of the night, the Three Wise Men pass leaving gifts. January 6th, Epiphany is heralded with parades in various cities where candy and cakes are distributed to throngs of children, making this is one of the most important holidays on the Spanish calendar.

New Year’s Eve on the other hand is for the most part celebrated in the streets. Street parties are common; everywhere you look there is live entertainment, sidewalk theatres and jovial music as locals and tourists get ready to bring in the New Year. A New Year’s Eve in Spain ‘good luck’ tradition  is to eat a grape every time the clock strikes during midnight. In Lisbon on New Year’s Eve–called Noite Mágica–hotels and the streets are the scenes of many parties and elaborate displays of lights. And,

New Year is huge on Portugal’s Madeira with celebration for a month leading up to the big night, capped off by the biggest display of fireworks in Europe. So whether you are in Portugal or Spain for the holidays, you are guaranteed an excellent time. There is certainly no lack of things to do or festivals to attend and all visitors are welcomed with open arms.