Holiday traditions
My living room is decked out for the holidays all Hyggelig (remember the Danish concept of cosy contentedness?). Many of the same ornaments adorn our home year after year, including my retro 1970s reindeers, one of my grandmother’s hand-stitched stockings and my daughter’s crafts from when she was little. I enjoy these familiar traditions. Though it’s also fun to learn new ones.
Which brings me to a popular Spanish tradition.
La Lotería de Navidad or the Christmas Lottery.
I happened upon this tradition in Madrid this October. I noticed a long line of people winding around a block in the Puerta del Sol area. They were waiting patiently, not for theatre tickets, but for Christmas Lottery tickets. I was puzzled why there was such a long line, with Christmas still weeks away, so I asked a woman if this was the launch of ticket sales. “No, no,” she replied with a smile. “En julio.” The tickets had been on sale since July!
Later I told my Spanish teacher about this curiously long line of people. She immediately said, “Doña Manolita.” It was no mystery to her. “Muy famosa.” She told me the store was very famous.
Apparently there are certain lottery outlets that have gained a reputation for selling winning tickets. People from out of town will make a pilgrimage to these locations. I stumbled upon the lucky charm in Madrid: Doña Manolita.
My teacher also shared more context on this beloved Spanish tradition that dates from 1812. There are a number of monetary prizes up for grabs with the grand prize called El Gordo (“the fat one”). It’s 400,000 euros. Total payouts amount to 2.4 billion euros. This is one of the biggest lotteries in the world. Certainly the lure of cash can be thrilling, but this alone, does not explain the lottery’s massive popularity.
The root of the tradition, and even the lottery’s slogan itself, is sharing the experience with friends and family.
El mayor premio es compartirlo (“The greatest prize is sharing”)
Slogan for La Lotería de Navidad
Aww. It’s like the slogan was plucked from a Hallmark card.
It also quite literally explains how this unique Spanish lottery functions. A prize is always shared. That’s because the five digit number printed on a ticket is repeated on a series of tickets (called décimo de lotería). If all your neighbours go out to buy a ticket at a local outlet, their tickets will be printed with the same number. If you don’t want to be left out, join them!
The winning numbers are drawn on December 22nd. It’s quite a spectacle. The setting is the stage of the Royal Opera (Teatro Royal) in Madrid. Acoustics are important. That’s because the lottery numbers are announced by song. Children from the San Ildefonso elementary school in Madrid sing out the winning numbers. La la la. How cute. The show is telecast live as every eyeball in Spain is watching for their numbers to be chanted out in the children’s angelic little voices.
December 22nd is also eagerly anticipated here. Kids will be singing. Joyfully. It’s the last day of school. La la la. The holidays begin!
Wishing you a warm and wonderful holiday season. Whatever your holiday traditions, old or new, here’s to sharing them with the people you care about.
