Costa Blanca Christmas Traditions - St. Nicholas to Epiphany

We love the festive season at Hamiltons of London, and the Spanish really know how to celebrate in style. If you are currently searching for a property for sale in the Costa Blanca with one of our team you may want to what to expect at Christmas time in your new home.  You will find that, due to the large international community, familiar traditions from your homeland will be incorporated into truly Spanish events. From the day of St. Nicholas which is also Constitution Day in Spain to Epiphany there will be a smorgasbord of activity and fun as well as religious services that reflect the cultures of this international community.  

St. Nicholas Arrives with the Influence of the Dutch and Belgian Residents

St. Nicholas is an important start to the Christmas season for Dutch and Belgian residents who buy a home in the Costa Blanca. In many towns including Javea, Albir and Moraira the ex-pat community will celebrate his arrival with parades, sweets and songs and since the Spanish are celebrating Constitution Day on 6th December it is a national holiday for all. In the Netherlands it is traditional for St. Nicholas to arrive by boat from Spain but, in the Costa Blanca, he is already here to make his appearance.  On the evening before children await his visit leaving out shoes with carrots and hay for his horse which will be replaced by sweets and small gifts by morning. At community centres and international schools Sinterklaas parties may take place with traditional treats, a joyful start to the festive season for all nationalities living in Spain.

Spanish Traditions in the Costa Blanca

From now on Spanish traditions take the stage throughout the region with towns from Alicante to Denia installing their intricate nativity displays in public squares, churches, indoor markets and homes. These Belén can be very elaborate and represent not only the holy family but an entire village with animated figurines, rivers and marketplaces others will be modest just showing the stable in Bethlehem with its occupants. The baby Jesus figure is often not added until Christmas morning and those of the Shepherds and Three Kings start further away and are gradually moved towards the scene as the day of their arrival occurs. 

In Spanish families in the Costa Blanca is Christmas Eve is a special time when they gather for a late-night feast featuring seafood, roast lamb, and treats, particularly the regional almond nougat turron. Following this Midnight Mass is attended to celebrate the birth of Christ, this is both a solemn and joyful service for the community. Christmas Day is a family day that focuses on family, faith and food but, not usually the exchanging of gifts. 

British and Irish Christmas - A Taste of Home

Many British and Irish ex-pats buy a home in the Costa Blanca, and they have added their own customs to the mix with many restaurants, bars and British or Irish run pubs hosting Christmas lunches and dinners of roast turkey and all the trimmings followed by Christmas pudding. Carol services and charity events are organised by the community too adding to the holiday spirit in all the towns of the Costa Blanca. On Christmas Day it is a time to join friends and neighbours to celebrate with a sociable mix of traditions in the Spanish sunshine. 

Light and Warmth from Scandinavia

There are also a lot of Scandinavians who have found a home to buy in the Costa Blanca and have contributed their traditions into the festive season here. On December 13th St. Lucia is celebrated and this is a particularly popular day for Swedish communities. Children dress in white and a girl wearing a crown of candles to symbolise the defeat of darkness by light process through their neighbourhoods. Saffron buns and mulled wine is shared with friends and families. In Scandinavian homes Christmas Eve is the main event with a smorgasbord of traditional dishes including pickled herring, ham, and rice pudding being served. The focus is on light, warmth and togetherness which matches perfectly with the general feeling that is created by all nationalities living in the Costa Blanca. 

New Year’s Eve

With the year’s ending residents of the Costa Blanca join in to celebrate Nochevieja and eat twelve grapes for luck in the New Year as the clock chimes midnight. Restaurants, bars and town squares fill with local of all nationalities celebrating with music and fireworks. Those who buy a home in the Costa Blanca often adopt this tradition and eats grapes with their Spanish neighbours and friends while toasting each other with a glass of fresh, sparkling cava.

The Grand Finale – The Three Kings

Christmas season in Spain concludes with Epiphany on January 6th, known as the day of the three Kings which recalls the visit of the three wise men to the baby Jesus. This final celebration begins on the evening of 5th January and is eagerly awaiting by Spanish children when the procession of the Kings and their entourage parades through towns on floats or horseback. In coastal towns along the Costa Blanca the Kings will sometimes arrive by boat before mounting their horse or floats, they will then distribute sweets to the crowds. Upon returning home children leave their shoes out hoping that the Kings will visit and fill them with gifts by morning. The next day families gather again to share a traditional ring-shaped caked representing a crown called Roscon de Reyes. The cake is decorated and often hides a good luck figure and bean inside, the person that gets the bean must buy next year’s cake. 

Mediterranean Madness

It has also become an international tradition in coastal towns along the Costa Blanca to take a dip in the Mediterranean Sea on Christmas and New Year’s Day while wearing festive apparel. Although the climate is mild compared to many other places this will be a teeth-chattering experience but, rounded off by celebrations with friends, drinks and perhaps a picnic on the beach.

Christmas, Community and Sharing

When you buy a home on the Costa Blanca with Hamiltons of London you can look forward not only to our beautiful climate, lovely beaches and scenery but, also the community spirit which exists in all the towns throughout the year but is especially in evidence at Christmas. The Christmas season from start to finish is a joint celebration of shared joy for all residents in the Costa Blanca no matter where they were born and shared joy. This combination of festive traditions creates a wonderful cocktail reflecting the Costa Blanca’s international community. Whether enjoying Dutch sweets, Spanish turron, or a British mince pie, you will find warmth and a sense of belonging. The Costa Blanca will quickly feel like home!!!