Bethlehem and Nativity Scene

Being less focused on the commercial side of Christmas and more on the religious festival that it is, in Spain they 'decorate' in a slightly different way.  In the large towns and cities you see the German tradition of decorated Christmas trees more and more now, in homes and in public spaces.  You don't find them, or very few of them if any, in the villages in rural Spain.

Belén

What they do put up all over Spain in public spaces, churches and in some homes is a Belén, which is a scene of Bethlehem.

Bethlehem scene in the church of Cúllar, Granada

The Bethlehem scene consists of small figures and models of what Bethlehem may have looked like at the time of the birth of Jesus.  You will find Jesus (Jesús), Mary (María), Joseph (José), the Three Kings (los Reyes Magos), shepherds (pastores), sheep (ovejas), mules (mulas), oxen (bueyes), the stable (el establo),  some houses and shops like a bakery (panadería), or a butcher’s (carnicería), hills and maybe even a river.  

Here are some photos of a Bethlehem scene put together in the church of the village in Granada where I spent Christmas this year.  I think it’s really cute and they have gone into a lot of detail.

This is the Holy family which is why they have golden halos over their heads... Jesus is a few years old here.

Children usually get involved in the decorating of their Belén or Nacimiento in the preparations of Christmas time.  The models can be bought ready made and painted or plaster of Paris moulds of the figures can be painted at home.  You can find most elements in craft shops, and then you just get creative.

Nacimiento

The part of the Belén consisting of the stable with the baby Jesús, Mary and Joseph is called the Nacimiento (birth) or the Milagro (miracle).  If at home they don't put an elaborate Belén, they at least construct a Nativity scene to respect the festivity.

Here is the Nativity scene in the same Belén as in the photos above.  You will note that the baby Jesus is not in the crib - this is because I took these photos before Christmas Day, i.e. before Jesus had been born.

Belén in Alicante

In the Plaza de la Montañeta in Alicante, they make a hut with a Belén inside divided into 4 specific scenes - like the Birth of Jesus and Three Wise Men following the star.  (As the hut is outside and the models are in a glass case there is a lot of reflection in the photos.  Sorry.  I hope you can still see the models.) 

How do you decorate your home or town at Christmas?

A Spanish Christmas

Christmas time is slightly different in Spain than in the UK.

Noche Buena

The most important night for the family celebrations here is on the 24^th of December, which is called Noche Buena.  As you know we call it Christmas Eve in English but it is not the direct translation.

The family dinner is usually at 9pm and includes seafood or shellfish.  They don’t traditionally eat stuffed turkey with veg like we do on Christmas day or anything like that.  There will be cava or cider or something to clink glasses with and wish each and everyone best wishes for Christmas.

Polvorones and other sweets are eaten like we eat our boxes of Quality Street and Roses, although I see them frequently on a decorative tray I don’t see many people eating them!  They are sweet, crumbly shortbreads made of almonds with icing sugar on the top which give them their name because polvo means dust.

Image courtesy of http://www.vinogastro.com/Turron.html

There is a church service late at night, like our Midnight Mass, that is called the Misa del gallo because it goes on until quite late (or early).  The service in the village here included a Christmas story acted out by local children.

El dia de la Navidad

Christmas day is usually spent visiting the rest of the family like aunties, uncles and cousins.  There is no traditional dish that is eaten on this day that I know of.  Shops and businesses are not open on Christmas Day.  In the UK we have the holiday of Boxing Day, although nowadays lots of shops open and start their sales.  In Spain, the 26^th of December is a normal day and lots of people return to work.

In the Catholic faith, presents are given at Reyes at the beginning of January (I will post about this), not on Christmas Day, and Santa Claus is not a part of the festivities.  However, I know many families who now not only give gifts at Reyes, but they also give something on Christmas Day.  This is especially typical for children because if they wait until the 6th of January to receive their presents they don't get much time to enjoy them as the kids go back to school the next day on the 7th of January.

The weather at Christmas

Where I am today in the province of Granada it's raining and quite cold so probably not much different to many places in the UK.  In the mountains around here, especially in the Sierra Nevada where there is a ski resort, the mountains are snowy.  During the day when the sun is out it gets quite warm but quickly goes cold when the sun goes down. 

How do you celebrate Christmas with your family or loved-ones?

Christmas Nazareth-style market in Alicante

One of the various markets that are installed in Alicante city for the holidays this year is the mercado Nazareno in the Plaza Gabriel Miro.

There are stalls with home-made goods and crafts...

Artisans...

Musicians and dancers...

Freshly baked bread and cakes from a log-fired oven...

And a live animal or two...

There is also a real Bethlehem scene, where you can visit the Virgin Mary in the stable where Jesus is born. 

Its on for a few days only and totally free to wander around and enjoy the atmosphere.

What kind of markets do the put up for the Christmas period where you live?

Ice skating rink in Alicante

The council here in Alicante do make an effort to create activities for us to enjoy during Christmas time, as well as other special times of the year here.

Christmas here is not like in the UK or the states.  The streets and shops are not decorated with lights galore, music, carol singers, mince-pie evenings, late night shopping nights, etc.  And they have only started doing Santa's grottos.  Santa Claus or Father Christmas is only recently a part of the Christmas celebrations in Spain because they celebrate and give presents on different dates to us.

So one of the things that the council has organised for the festive period is an ice-skating rink in front of the town hall... with the all important Christmas tree in the middle.

If you are looking at the Ayuntamiento (town hall) you can also see the Castillo de Santa Bárbara (Santa Barbara castle) in the background.

When I took this photo it was just closing for lunch.  But during the evening and after work it can reach its maximum of 115 people per session.

The price is 5 Euros for 45 minutes and it's open every day (consult opening hours) from 12th December until 6th January.

I will post later about how Christmas is celebrated here in Alicante.

How is Christmas celebrated where you live?

That's rubbish! It's only trash.

In the UK we call it 'rubbish'.  In the USA they call it 'trash'.  In Spanish, it's basura.

Household rubbish is collected communally here in Spain, not a door to door service like in most parts of the UK.  However I prefer the service in Alicante because it is collected EVERY NIGHT.  You take your own rubbish out when it is convenient for you*, which could be every day or once a week, and you divide it into the large recycling containers specific for each material.

*(food residuals should only be taken out after 9pm at night though because it is so hot here in the summer months that it could create an awful stench and pest problems!)

Types of container

Starting at the left:
-the blue-topped container is for paper and cardboard
-the yellow-topped container is for plastic, tins and cartons
-the grey container is for general food waste which should be deposited in tied or sealed bags
-the green rounded containers are for glass bottles and similar
-the orange bottle-style container is a new thing around here... it's for depositing used cooking oil.

Here is a closer look at the cute container.  In Spain, they deep fry a lot of food, especially the older generation.  You are probably thinking what a bad diet they have over here... but the Mediterranean diet in general is one of the most healthy and the oil that they use is usually extra virgin olive oil.  And it's not that everything is fried either.

Anyway, the old oil is tipped into any plastic bottle that can be closed tightly and then placed carefully in the container and disposed of by the authorities because you should not empty it into the general water systems.

Tax

In the UK you have a 'council tax' which is a one-off charge per year according to where you live and the type of home you have.  There is a similar banding range of categories over here but the 'council tax', or Impuestos sobre Bienes Inmuebles (el IBI), is one charge and the recogida de basura (rubbish collection) is a separate tax.  It is charged once a year and could be between 22€ and 55€, depending on different factors.  For the year 2013, I was charged 31.50€ for a flat in the centre of Alicante, which I don't think is that bad at all - it's less than 1€ per week.

Other rubbish deposits

In the centre of Alicante, instead of leaving large mobile containers on the streets, the council have installed underground deposits in some areas.  The rubbish bags put into these four bins fall into a large deposit that lifts up electronically (can you see the cut-out in the pavement?) and is collected by the trucks on their nightly rounds.  For the recyclable materials as mentioned above, in this case you would have to look elsewhere for them.

How is the rubbish collection organised where you live?

Rice at Ros

Whenever we get visitors who want to go to a restaurant to eat rice from this area, or a paella (three syllables pronounced 'pa-aye-ya'), we usually take them to Restaurante Ros.

I like this restaurant for various reasons - the do really good, freshly prepared and cooked paellas and rices, the nice view out over the bay of Albufereta towards Alicante, the service is good and it is very reasonably priced.

The view from Restaurante Ros, Albufereta, Alicante

The restaurant is situated within the Club Náutico Alicante Costa Blanca (Nautical Club) of Albufereta and you have to make a reservation.  The decoration inside is not the most modern but the view and the food make up for it.

What we usually order

To start with, we usually order some slices of toasted fresh bread with crushed tomatoes  a and garlic mayonnaise (pan con tomate y aioli).  You spread them both on the toast and its a really tasty combination.  Then a house salad (ensalada de la casa), with the basic Mediterranean ingredients.  To lots of you, the tomatoes may look green and under-ripe but that is actually how the salad tomatoes grown over here are at their best - and I guarantee you they are nicer than your regular tomatoes you buy from the supermarkets in the UK.

Ensalada de la Casa at Ros

We also order calamares a La Romana (squid rings in a light batter and fried) to share.

Calamares a La Romana at Ros

Paellas and rices have to be ordered for a minimum of 2 people and we always order 2 different types of rice: one with meat, specifically pork, and vegetables (arroz con magro y verduras), and the other with a liquidy fish stock (arroz a banda).  Arroz a banda is a typical rice dish of Alicante which originated from when the fishermen sold off their best catch and kept the leftovers to make a stock to cook the rice in for themselves.  It is cooked in a deeper paella pan and is served with the garlic mayonnaise called aioli, or spelt here quite often as alioli.

Arroz con magro y verduras at Ros

Arroz a banda at Ros

We usually have some of both types of rice on our plates...

I saw someone else's rice just come straight out of the kitchen.  This is a seafood paella with mussels, prawns and langostinos, which are like crayfish or small lobster.

Finally, we have helado de turrón which is ice cream made with pieces of the nougat-type confectionery especially from this area of Spain called turrón de Jijona and is made with honey and almonds... and a coffee.

Price per head

This is around 22€ per head for what we had with our drinks.

Views and activities

It's a relaxing place to be and you can watch people taking out their boats, learning to sail, navigate and row amongst other activities.  I'll leave you with some photos I took of the view.

  

Do you fancy a date? - (the edible type). And 'Delicias de Elche'

Palm trees originated in the Middle East and are very common in the hot Mediterranean countries like Spain.

The view from the gardens of my friend's summer apartment in the Playa de San Juan - El Campello.  You can see the 'Sierra de Aitana' in the background which is the mountain range just behind Benidorm.

There are different types of palm tree and in this area of Alicante the date palm has an important commercial value.  In Elche (which is a town about 20km south of Alicante city), for instance, there is a palm park and local cultivators which produce dates that are supplied to the Spanish royal family.

The dates grow on separate stalks just under the fronds at the top of the tree.  This photo was taken in the summer when the dates are green and unripe.

There are 2 possible times to harvest the dates - they can be harvested when they are yellow and crunchy in August to October time and then ripened.  Or they can be left to ripen on the tree until about October to December when they are soft and brown.  Post harvest, the dates are dried to preserve their quality and at this stage become very sweet naturally.

Natural dates still on the stem.  The skin and flesh become very sticky and sweet.

It is quite common to eat dates at Christmas time here but they are available throughout the whole year.  You can buy them at the market or supermarket in packets and can be pitted - the stone removed - (deshuesado) or with the stone left inside (con hueso).  I have eaten them directly from the tree in the yellow stage and I quite enjoyed them like that because, curiously, they tasted like chestnuts.  Once ripened, they taste totally different and are sweet and sticky.

A date sliced open.  You can see the long stone inside and the natural stickiness of the flesh.

There is a delicacy in this area called la Delicia de Elche which is a ripened and pitted date stuffed with an almond, then wrapped in pancetta or a strip of bacon, a cocktail stick inserted through the middle to hold everything in place and then fried.  I really like these because of the contrasting saltiness of the bacon and the sweetness of the date... and here are some I made earlier!

Have you tried dates before and have you used them in any recipes?