Christmas time is always best in the big cities and Madrid is no exception.
Other Festivities in December:
November 23-December 1: Gijón International Film Festival in Asturias, northern Spain.
November 27-December 2: International Festival of Documentary and Short Film in Bilbao, Basque Country.
December 8: Inmaculada. Christmas starts here. Biggest in Seville.
December 13: El Dia de Santa Lucia, patron saint of the blind, who sing Christmas carols in the streets. Most popular in Las Palmas.
December 21: Hogueras in Granada & Jaen.
Last Thursday Before Christmas Eve: 'Noche Vieja Universitaria' (University New Year's Eve) in Salamanca.
December 22: El Gordo, the massive Spanish lottery, is drawn. This lottery is so big, they start selling tickets in August! Read more on Christmas Lottery in Spain - 'El Gordo'.
December 24: Christmas Eve (Nochebuena), a far bigger event than Christmas Day. Expect most shops to close early on the 24th and remain closed until the morning of the 26th.
December 25: Christmas Day - a quiet day, with most shops closed, though many bars open in the afternoon.
December 28: Santos Inocentes, Spain's version of April Fools' Day.
December 31: New Year's Eve (Nochevieja).
Barcelona hosts a popular Christmas market, the Santa Llucia market. There are some interesting traditions in Barcelona, including the Tió de Nadal, also someone crudely known as "Cagatio", which means "shitlog", as he is supposed to "shit" your presents for you. I don't think this particular Christmas tradition will be appearing in any Coca-Cola commercials any time soon...
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