New Year's and Three Kings Left

I know what it is like to experience Holidays in America. You have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to look forward to before celebrating all over again on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day and then the entire Holiday Season is over. Not here in Spain. 

Here's the list of festes you spend with family and friends:

desembre

24th Christmas Eve

25th Christmas Day

26th St. Stephan's Day

31st New Year's Eve

gener

New Year's Day

5th Eve of Three Kings

6th Three Kings

Continuing with the Holiday spirit, I thought I would photograph the Christmas Fair in front of the Barcelona Cathedral at night. To my surprise EVERY Christmas stand was gone! I couldn't believe it. I thought they would remain there until Three Kings Day. I was so misled by all the Christmas lights still hanging on nearly every street in Barcelona. What I found in front of the Cathedral were antique dealer stands. I was so disappointed, but decided to make the most of our drive into Barcelona by taking pictures of some of the stands.

Fins Ara!

New Year's Eve Underwear

Dear Noias and Nois,

If you want the next year to bring you Prosperity and Good Luck, you must wear a special undergarment underneath your fancy attire: red underwear for men, and red lingerie for women. Every family will be watching their favorite television channel as the New Year countdown begins from a clock tower at a main plaza somewhere in Spain. Pop one of twelve grapes in your mouth and chew it fast before the next chime and hopefully the red underwear and finishing the twelfth grape on the twelfth chime will bring you Prosperity. We have the leisure to wish for that and more as civilization did not perish as many people believed it would due to the Mayan calendar. FeliÇ Any 2013!

AbraÇades i patonets,

Noia from California

Ideas for women...

And for men..

FeliÇ Any Nou!!

Cap Gros at Santa Llúcia Christmas Fair

Cap gros in English means "big head," and they are very typical in all of Catalonia. This cap gros in particular was spitting out candy  as he swiveled with a marching band behind him. Kids and adults alike picked up the candy he escupeix (spitted).

On a different note, I took lots of pictures today. I can't describe the feeling of being free from having to read articles or write summaries for my Master's program. It was a  strange sensation to be out of the house and walk around Barcelona free as a bird at the Santa Llúcia Christmas Fair.

Bon Nadal!

                                          

The Pooping Peasant

There is Princess Catherine, Prince William, etc., all in pooping positions.

You may find more detailed caganer information in the 2011 December archive.

The Shitting Log 2012

Kids getting sticks to hit the log.

The children hit and sing to the log so it will poop candy.

For more information about this interesting tradition, go to the Blog archive, 2011, December.

Sant Cugat Monestary