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...to the December edition of the don
Quijote monthly newsletter!
With the holiday season fast approaching,
it’s only natural that our thoughts turn to celebrations,
family gatherings, and all things Christmas! The main difference between a Spanish Christmas and
many other versions is the importance of January 6th. In Spain, it’s on this day that children
receive their presents, which are traditionally left by The
Three Kings (Los Reyes Magos) rather than Father Christmas or
Santa Claus. Most families have a "belén"
(nativity scene) on display in their house and they eat
together on Christmas Eve. In our what’s on section this month you’ll find a Spanish Christmas calendar to keep you up to date
with Christmas activities in Spain.
Our survival kit is dedicated to festive phrases, and our recipe of turrón de
Alicante is the perfect end to a traditional Christmas Eve
feast. If you get the chance to
spend the holidays in Spain this year our URL section will
help you to get around at
discounted prices. Maybe
you’ll take that winning photo while you’re here
and head home with one of our fantastic photo contest prizes! Take advantage of our special Christmas Course offer
in our dQ news section. Don’t forget our usual El Quijote proverb and our
festive piropo.
All that’s left to say is Merry
Christmas, and we hope to see you again in the New Year.
¡Hasta pronto!
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Some popular wisdom to start with: from El
Quijote
Más vale una palabra a tiempo que
cien a destiempo.
One word at the right time is worth more
than 100 at the wrong time.
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Spanish Christmas Calendar
Dec 8th
Public holiday of ‘Inmaculada’
(Feast of the Immaculate Conception), beginning the religious
celebrations. Most noticeable in Seville.
Dec 21st
In a few cities, including Granada, the
celebration of ‘Hogueras’ (Bonfires) is the
observance of the winter solstice. People jump through fires to
protect themselves from illness.
Dec 22nd
Christmas lottery. Everyone’s hoping
to win ‘El Gordo’ (The fat one).
Dec 24th
Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) is an important
family gathering. The menu varies but prawn starters followed
by roast lamb would be a typical meal, rounded off with the
traditional Christmas almond nougat called
‘Turrón’. Of course there would also be
plenty of fine Spanish wine consumed!
Dec 25th
The 25th is a national holiday in Spain;
another large family meal is common practice. Children may
receive a small gift on this morning but the real day for
presents is the 6th of January.
Dec 28th
Santos Inocentes (Day of the Innocents).
This is the equivalent of April Fools day with people playing
practical jokes on each other. Don’t believe everything
you hear on the news today either!
Dec 31st
Nochevieja (New Years Eve) is a big
celebration all over Spain with street parties and special
nights in bars and hotels. On the stroke of midnight, the
tradition is to eat 12 grapes, one for each chime. Each grape
eaten is believed to bring luck for each month of the new year.
In Madrid, and other large cities, people gather in the main
square (Puerto del Sol in Madrid) and eat the grapes, washing
them down with a celebratory glass of Cava. After midnight, its
time to head out into the night until after sunrise.
January 1st
A low key public holiday with many people
sleeping off their hangovers.
January 5th
There are processions all over Spain this
evening as the three kings arrive. Children leave their shoes
out, and during the night, the Three Wise Men visit leaving
gifts.
January 6th
The feast of the Epiphany. For Spanish
children, this is the most important day of the year when they
wake to find gifts left by the three kings. Balthazar, who
rides a donkey, is usually the favourite, and is the one
believed to leave the gifts.
January 7th
People return to work or school (after a
few moans and groans) and Christmas in Spain is all over until
the festivities begin again next year.
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The don Quijote photo contest of 2005 has
begun! Open to all current and former students of don Quijote.
Prizes include a digital camera, mini ipod and photo scanner.
Anyone can vote and those who do can win prizes too.
Click here to see the prizes, read the rules, learn how to
vote or submit your photos. The
deadline is December 31st so get snapping!
2. Special Christmas Course Offer!
As of December 5, we're down to the last
100 places for our 2005 Christmas course. We've caught the
holiday spirit and come up with a Special 2 for 1 Offer to make
it easy for you to spend Christmas with us in Spain.
Enrol in a 2-week
Christmas course with student flat
accommodation, and you'll enjoy 2 weeks of accommodation for the
price of 1 week.
Offer subject to availability in each of our Christmas
destinations:
Tenerife,
Granada and
Seville.
Visit our
Christmas course page for details, or
contact us today for more information.
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Trying to find that perfect gift for a
loved one this Christmas?
Si tuviera que hacerte un regalo, te
regalaría un espejo, porque después de ti, lo
más bonito es tu reflejo.
If I had to give you a gift, I’d give
you a mirror, because after you, the prettiest thing is your
reflection.
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Maybe this month the most necessary
need-to-know phrases are the festive ones!
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¡Feliz Navidad y
Próspero Año Nuevo!
¿Qué te regalaron
para Navidad?
El día de reyes
Un roscón de reyes
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Merry Christmas and a Prosperous
New Year!
What did you get for Christmas?
January 6th (The Epiphany)
Large round bun baked for January
6th with candied fruits and other things (coins, etc)
hidden inside.
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Turrón de Alicante
Christmas would not be Christmas in
Spain without turrón which is served at the end
of a meal with coffee or Cava. Although many varieties
can be found, there are two traditional recipes for the
nougat, named after the places they are made: hard
nougat – Alicante, and a softer one- Jijona.
Below you’ll find the recipe for Turrón de
Alicante.
Ingredients
1 kilo Rosemary Honey
500 gm sugar
2 egg whites
1,500 gm almonds, heated up in oven
1 lemon
Method
Slowly heat the honey in a saucepan
until all the water that it contains has evaporated.
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Add the sugar and mix with a wooden
spatula.
Beat the egg white until stiff and
then add to the mixture.
Stir briskly with the spatula for
eight to ten minutes then stir slowly over a low flame
until it begins to caramelise (turn brown). Put the hot
almonds into the honey mixture with the rind of the
lemon. Mix well and let cook slowly for a few minutes,
taking care it does not stick.
The mixture is then poured into
wooden moulds
lined with rice paper. After two
and a half hours, the turrón is cut. When it is
completely cold, store the slices in an airtight
container.
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Record-go offers car rental in the most
popular Spanish locations: Mallorca, Alicante, Tenerife,
Malaga, Canaries, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and more.
Take advantage of instant savings (20%
off) when you rent a car in Malaga,
Alicante, Mallorca or Tenerife during the months of December
and January. Join the Record Club
and you’ll immediately save 5€ on your next car hire, in addition to the other Club benefits.
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Back to top
At
www.grantandcutler.com, you
will find hundreds of books, DVDs etc. in and about
Spanish. Founded in 1936,
Grant & Cutler is the UK’s biggest foreign-language
bookseller, with 60,000
books in more than 200 languages.
Exclusively for don Quijote
clients, we are offering the 500 word Spanish Magnetic
Poetry Kit for £12.99,
including first-class p&p (normal delivered price
£18.49). Also containing a mini dictionary/translation
guide, this is the ideal Christmas present. Email orders
to
magneticpoetry@grantandcutler.com
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Show no mercy!
Follow our motto: “say it all with
language”. We are happy to receive any criticisms or
suggestions about our newsletter. Of course, a bit of praise
always goes down well, too!
Our very best virtual wishes!
DATA-SECURITY COMMITMENT
We keep your details in the strictest confidence,
and undertake not to pass them on to third parties.
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