Carolina Estevez is a foreign exchange student at Windsor High School for the 2024-25 school year. Her hometown is Galicia, Spain. She wrote the following story to show the difference between the winter holidays in the United States vs Spain:
Christmas in the United States and Spain are similar, although there are some differences that reflect the traditions and customs of each country.
In Spain, Christmas begins on December 24 with Christmas Eve. The most typical food on this day is seafood and roasted meat, and many families open the gifts brought to them by Santa Claus.
However, the most important and celebrated day in Spain is January 6, where the arrival of the Three Magic Kings is honored. This day is celebrated with parades known as Cabalgatas de Reyes, where people dressed up as the Three Wise Men go through the streets throwing candy to the children and adults who are waiting for them.
The typical dessert of this day is the “roscón de reyes”, which is a circular cake decorated with candied fruits, inside it there are usually two surprises hidden: a figure and a bean. According to tradition, whoever finds the bean must pay for the roscón next year, while whoever finds the figure means he will be very lucky.
In the United States, the most important and celebrated day is December 25.
The most typical food on this day is turkey or ham and the most traditional desserts could be cakes, pies or different types of cookies. As in Spain, many families in the United States get together to celebrate this day and open presents.
Similar to Spain, in the United States, gifts are delivered to the children by Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. Many more people decorate their homes with Christmas lights, etc., than they do in Spain.
As for the New Year, in Spain it is traditional to eat the 12 grapes at midnight, a custom that is done to welcome the new year. Each grape symbolizes a month of the year and one is eaten for each chime, ensuring good luck for the following 12 months. This tradition is widely followed by all families, and is done in many places, especially in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol, where thousands of people gather to celebrate the turn of the year.
New Year’s Eve in the United States is also celebrated, but here the 12 grapes are not eaten. Instead, many people gather at parties or public celebrations, such as the one in Times Square, New York, where a huge ball descends at midnight while thousands of people celebrate the new year.
Overall, I prefer to celebrate Christmas in the U.S since there is more Christmas spirit, but the New Year in Spain because the tradition of eating the 12 grapes is my favorite.