If experiencing Chiristmas in Spain isn’t on your bucket list, you definitely want to add it in. After all, nobody does Christmas like the Spanish do! From finding a magic king figurine in a roscon de reyes to stuffing 12 grapes in your mouth within one minute, there’s just nothing like a Spanish Christmas. If this is something you would like to experience while getting the chance to study Spanish for a year in Spain and teaching English, this article is for you.
If experiencing Chiristmas in Spain isn’t on your bucket list, you definitely want to add it in. After all, nobody does Christmas like the Spanish do! From finding a magic king figurine in a roscon de reyes to stuffing 12 grapes in your mouth within one minute, there’s just nothing like a Spanish Christmas. If this is something you would like to experience while getting the chance to study Spanish for a year in Spain and teaching English, this article is for you.
Christmas in Spain: What’s so special about it?
The opportunity to experience Christmas is Spain is highly sought-after. How come? Well, for starters, the Spanish celebration of Christmas revolves around religion, tradition, culture, and festivities. The unique blend of these aspects makes the Spanish way of celebrating the holidays different.
Let’s go over a few interesting things about Christmas in Spain. First of all, if you like the Christmas holidays, you are in for a real treat. Christmas in Spain is a long celebration. In many countries, the main event that the Christmas season builds up towards is Christmas Day, which is on 25 December. However, in Spain, come Christmas Day, the holiday season is far from over.
Christmas in Spain: It lasts longer than you think!
The Christmas season in Spain usually starts around 8 December, which is when the Spanish celebrate Dia de la Inmaculada Concepción (the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Then of course, there is Christmas Eve on the night of 24 December, Christmas Day on 25 December, and New Year’s Eve on 31 December.
Now, while in other countries, New Year’s is usually the end of the holiday festivities, for the Spanish, there’s another big Christmas celebration. This celebration is Día de Reyes, or Three Kings’ Day.
Some people may even argue that to the Spanish, Three Kings’ Day is the main event of Christmas in Spain! That means that the holiday season in the Mediterranean country stretches out quite a lot. If you’re a fan of Christmas, then you definitely need to experience spending the holiday in Spain.
Christmas in Spain: Religious celebrations, traditions, and reenactments
Another reason why Christmas in Spain is unique is the significance given to religious celebrations, traditions, and even reenactments. The nativity scene, or el belén, for instance, is a Christmas tradition in Spain. From people’s homes, to public places like shopping centres and churches, people set up detailed nativity scenes, which people make it a habit to appreciate. During Christmas in Spain, it is a common practice for families and groups of friends to walk around public spaces to appreciate the different nativity scenes.
In certain regions, people even celebrate Las Posadas, which is when people reenact the journey of Mary and Joseph, as they looked for a place to stay right before the baby Jesus was born. Aside from this, processions and caroling are also part of Spanish Christmas tradition.
Christmas in Spain: Spanish Christmas markets
Spanish Christmas markets are another central aspect of Christmas in Spain. These festive spaces are beautifully decorated and alive with the hustle and bustle of happy people. Many Spanish cities and even towns hold Mercados de Navidad, which are Christmas markets.
Many of them feature artisan products and typical Spanish Christmas food. People come to these markets to shop for unique gifts, try out delicious treats, and have a fun time with family and friends.
Christmas in Spain: Spanish food
Speaking of food, Spanish Christmas food is unmatched. From turron, which is a kind of nougat, to roscón de reyes, which is a sweet pastry, even the holiday gastronomy in Spain is unique.
And, as mentioned earlier, in Spain, the Three Kings are celebrated intensely. A big event in Spanish Christmas culture is La Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos, which takes place on the night of 5 January. During this event, three people dressed up as the Three Wise Men (Los Reyes Magos) go around town with an entire parade. The characters throw candies and other treats as well as gifts at the crowds that gather to catch them. This tradition is especially important to children in Spain.
These are just a handful of examples of how Christmas in Spain is unique. No wonder people from around the world fly over just to get a taste of the memorable experience.
How can you spend Christmas in Spain?
Now, given these examples of how special Christmas in Spain is, you want to experience it too, right? But how can you do so without depleting your bank account?
Christmas in Spain: The EBC Road2Spain programme
Well, the EBC Road2Spain programme is the perfect answer. This programme will allow you to study Spanish in Spain for one year. But the package also comes with the EBC Trinity CertTESOL course, which is a four-week online course that will certify you to teach English not only in Spain but anywhere in the world, really.
The programme is designed in such a way that by the time you are ready to start your Spanish classes in a Cervantes Institute-accredited school in Spain, you will already have finished the EBC Trinity CertTESOL course. This means that you can study Spanish and teach English in Spain at the same time.
This can be beneficial especially towards the end of the year, because you will get to spend Christmas in Spain. Because of this, it’s a win-win situation for you. You will get to live in Spain for one year under a Spanish student visa. You will also have TEFL certification that is accepted and recognised by the British Council, which works in over 100 countries around the world. Not only that, but you will also get to experience Christmas in Spain.
In case that’s not enough, travel junkies will be glad to know that you can travel around Europe with a Spanish student visa. After all, anyone with such a document can take advantage of the border-free travel around countries that are part of the Schengen Zone.
This means that you won’t just get to experience Christmas in Spain. You will also get to visit other European countries and see all the different ways Christmas is celebrated.
Christmas in Spain: Enrol in the EBC Road2Spain Programme
Another great reason to enrol in the EBC Road2Spain programme in November, January or February is you come in at one of the most popular months to find English teaching work. Because all our EBC graduates get access to a special programme called the EBC lifetime and worldwide job placement programme, finding work is a year round activity which allows you to find English teaching jobs anywhere in the world.
Because this programme is exclusive to EBC graduates, this means that at any point in your career, you can opt to ask us to send your CV to schools in the city of your choice. After you tell us where in the world you want to work and which age groups you prefer to teach, we send your CV to all our partner schools in your preferred region. Yes, it’s that simple!
So, what are you waiting for? Enrol in the EBC Road2Spain programme today. If you want more information, you can get in touch with us and we will help you get started.
