One of the most typical things about Christmas in Spain is the Christmas Lottery Ceremony that has been taking place every Christmas since 1812.
This ceremony is celebrated every 22nd of December and it is broadcasted on TV, being a classic in most households to have breakfast while watching it.
This draw is the most traditional and the most expected one in Spain as many people buy a lottery ticket with the hope of becoming millionaires and getting their lives improved.
The price of a lottery ticket is around 20 euros being 71.28 euros the average amount of money each person in Spain will invest this year.
What makes this ceremony so exciting and magic is that nobody really knows when “El Gordo”, which is the name of the most important prize, is going to appear.
This draw works like this: There are 2 drums, one contains the balls with the numbers and the other one the balls with the prizes.
The ones in charge of “signing” the numbers and the prizes are the famous “Niños de San Ildefonso”. These “Niños de San Ildefonso” are children who study at a very famous school in Madrid called San Ildefonso. This is the oldest school in Madrid as it was created more than 400 years ago.
Had you ever heard about this Christmas Lottery ceremony? Do you have something similar in your countries? If you fancy please share your traditions with us of Facebook. We really do love Christmas so we would love to hear about them.
Also, if you are currently on holiday at Hotel Yaramar, your hotel in Fuengirola, and you would like to know some more about Christmas in Spain and the Christmas events happening at the moment on Costa del Sol we invite you to come our weekly Spanish culture activity which takes place every Thursday from 10:00 till 10:30 at the Churchill Bar at Hotel Yaramar.
See you there!
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