Christmas in Lanzarote

People mainly come over to Lanzarote forsing around it in celebration of the festive period.
Christmas to avoid the UK hussle and bussle andThe Spanish also especially honor the cow at
commercialised hype. Christmas is still celebratedChristmas because it is thought that when Mary
in Lanzarote but at a much slower pace.gave birth to Jesus, the cow in the stable
In England, Christmas time would be spent huddledbreathed on the baby to keep him warm.
in front of the fire with family and friends, eating,It may come as a surprise to people to find out
drinking and watching the TV. If you choose tothat the Christmas period in Lanzarote is one of
spend christmas however in Lanzarote, you wouldthe busiest times for some of the resorts. Playa
be swapping the cold winter snap for beautifulBlanca receives around the same, if not more
warm and sunny days around the swimming pooltourists in winter as it would at the height of
or coastline as generally, the weather in Lanzarotesummer.
would be around 20-25 degrees.Some of the attractions to visit over the
Christmas day is not celebrated in Lanzarote inChristmas period would be a Fire Works display
the same way as it would be in the UK. The(largest held in Puerto Del Carmen), the Three
Christmas season in Lanzarote officially begins onKings and many Nativity Scenes. For the Epiphany,
the December 8th which is the feast of thethe event is marked with a major camel-back
Immaculate Conception. Christmas Eve is knownprocession through the capital city of Arrecife on
as Nochebuena (The Good Night). As in mostthe evening of January 5th as the Three Kings
Catholic countries Christmas Eve –dispense sweets to children in the streets, a
Nochebuena - is an important family occasion,celebration that is then repeated later in the
which means that many bars and restaurants onevening in other towns and villages across the
the island close earlier than usual so thatisland of Lanzarote of which Yaiza is a firm
employees can enjoy time with their family andfavorite. The narrow streets of Yaiza, are lined
maybe even attend midnight mass or 'Misa delwith families and children. After the Kings
Gallo'. December 25th however is a much moreprocession, one by one, the children line up near a
low-key affair than in the UK as the main focalbig stage and await for the three kings to call
point of a Spanish Christmas is El Dia De Losthem up individually to receive a gift. The favorite
Reyes when the children around Lanzarote wouldKing is usually Balthazar who rides a donkey and is
receive their gifts on the feast of the Epiphanythe one believed to leave the gifts.
which is on the 6th January. The reason for this isIn between these two very different Christmas
that the three Kings arrived in Bethlehem toDays there is also the small matter of New
deliver presents to baby Jesus and children inYear's Eve, which is a major celebration marked
Spain think of the Three Kings or Wise Men aswith impressive fireworks displays across the
the gift bearers.island. The biggest and best takes place in the
On the evening of the 6th January, shoes wouldmain tourist resort of Puerto del Carmen where a
be filled with straw or barley for the tired camelsbarrage of 'fuegos articificales' – artificial fire
of Lanzarote that carry riders through the busyas fireworks are called in Spain – welcomes in
night. By the morning, the camel food would bethe coming year.
gone and in place of the straw would be presents.Christmas customs in the Canaries bear plenty of
Most families would have a manger in their homesimilarities to the UK. But there are also numerous
like in churches or cathedrals and during thecultural differences which give the festive season
weeks before xmas, families would dance andin Lanzarote its own unique identity.