Christmas in Costa de la Luz

by Laura
(London, England)

Costa de la Luz is a great place to spend Christmas. Whether you want to get away from the winter blues with your family, have a romantic break, or just get in on the festivities somewhere new, you’ll find everything you need in this beautiful region of Spain!.

Holidays over the Christmas period are becoming very popular, with many families heading to ski resorts where there is a guaranteed chance of a white Christmas! However, holidays to warmer climates are now attracting many people each year, and holidays in Costa de la Luz are a firm favourite.

If you get there early enough, the celebrations start on the 8th of December with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The streets across Spain come alive on this public holiday, with celebrations going late into the evening.

Just before Christmas itself there are many chances to see Medina Sidonia – a Spanish take on the nativity play. Adults and children act out the traditional scenes, and animal are often included in the performance too. With a 90% catholic population it’s hardly surprising that Christmas has a wonderfully traditional feel in Costa de la Luz.

Christmas Eve, or Nochebuena, is the main time to celebrate in Spain. You might find a lot of places closed, because people tend to spend the eve with family. Having said that, in the capital of Huelva there are plenty of international pubs and bars where tourists can get together and see in Christmas day.

Christmas day itself is seen as more of a recovery day for the night before in Spain, so expect quiet streets and places to be closed. The atmosphere has a peaceful and magical quality to it. The weather is still comfortably warm at Christmas time in Costa de la Luz, so many families can be found relaxing outside on the beach.

On the 28th the Spanish host Holy Innocent’s day, which is similar to April fools, so be on your guard as a tourist. Christmas doesn’t entirely wear out the people of Costa de la Luz and many locals will take pleasure in involving tourists in the celebrations.

Nochevieja, or New Year ’s Eve, is another chance to party or spend time as a family. There’s also an old custom of the twelve grapes. In this tradition each member of the family is given twelve grapes, and if they can eat one for each chime of the church clock they’ll be guaranteed good luck in the new year.

Author Bio
Jenny is an experienced travel writer and specialises in writing about European destinations. For more information visit www.lowcostholidays.com