Are you thinking about visiting Tenerife this Christmas? Perhaps you’ve already booked your direct Winter holiday from Jersey or the Isle of Man with us. Either way, you should know how the locals celebrate Christmas before landing there!
Nuria, the Spanish member of our Marketing team, tells you everything about it, so hang on to your hat because Spanish traditions are unlike any other in the world. From earing grapes on New Year’s Eve to replacing Christmas Pudding for Roscón de Reyes on Three Kings Day.
Nativity Scenes
During the Holiday season, you’ll see large-scale nativity scenes in almost every resort town in Tenerife. The Spanish scenes not only depict the traditional stable interior but the entire town of Bethlehem with its villagers, houses, farms, animals and shops. Spaniards (including myself) love setting one of these up in their homes in the run-up to Christmas, naturally scaled down.
TIP: during your holiday follow The Ruta de Belenes in La Orotava. It’s a trail of over 30 different nativity scenes.
Spanish Nativity Scenes
Christmas Markets & Lights Displays
Christmas markets are also popular in Spain. You can take a stroll to marvel at the beautiful lighting and stalls in the late afternoon. Although temperatures might drop a bit during this time of the day, in Tenerife, you can certainly wander around in your summer attire. This is a fabulous opportunity to mingle with locals, enjoy street performances, and, of course, indulge in some locally-produced wine, cheese and seasonal treats.
TIP: Christmas Markets in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Puerto de la Cruz, and Adeje and are well-worth a visit!
Gastro Christmas Market in Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Christmas Eve
Families usually get together for a large evening meal, starting with a round of tapas followed by a hearty meat or fish dish, and then delicious seasonal sweets such as the typical Canarian truchas de batata and the Spanish turrón. Whether you decide to dine at your hotel or eat out, you should sample a traditional Canarian Christmas supper.
Christmas treats: truchas de batata – turrón
Grapes on New Year’s Eve
Spaniards typically celebrate with family and close friends. When the clock strikes midnight, they eat 12 grapes, one for each month of the year. It is said that if you manage to swallow all of them, you’ll be lucky the following 365 days. Be careful not to choke! On New Year’s Eve it is also popular to wear red underwear to bring love, luck and prosperity into your life.
Grapes on New Year’s Eve
Christmas and New Year’s Day Lunch
On 25th December some children receive a little something from Santa Claus, although it’s not typically Spanish. Christmas and New Year’s Day revolve around the Spanish tradition of long, leisurely lunches with the whole family.
TIP: Book your table ASAP as restaurants get booked up months in advance.
Christmas and New Year’s Day Lunch table setting
Three Kings’ Eve (5th January)
Who brings Spanish gifts if not Santa Claus? The beloved Three Kings (Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar) are the gift-givers. Parades take place everywhere on 5th January, where children and grown-ups flock together to welcome them. On that night, children leave their shoes under the Christmas tree to be filled with presents.
TIP: If you want to enjoy a front-row seat for the parade, be there at least 1 hour prior to the start time.
Three Kings’ Eve at the Majestic Mount Teide
Three Kings Day (6th January)
Children wake up very early to unwrap the gifts that the Three Kings have left for them.
On that day, The Spanish also eat a special dessert called Roscón de Reyes (Spanish King Cake). Inside the roscón there’re both a hidden figurine and a bean, and whoever finds the bean in his the piece of cake has to pay for next year’s cake.
Traditional Spanish King Cake
If you’d like to find out more about events happening in Tenerife, visit Guide to Canary Islands. Start planning your Winter Sun holiday now!
FlyDirect operates direct flights from Jersey and the Isle of Man to Tenerife weekly in Winter. Stays of 7 or 14 nights are available and flights can be booked alone or as part of a full package holiday on our website.