The night of the Three Wise Men

The night of the Three Wise Men is a special night. Children put on their balconies food and water, and they expect camels to come that night to eat and drink while the Three Wise Men leave their presents.

Children think they should are have well all year because the Three Wise Men would not bring any presents for them, and that such especial night , they go to bed very early to relax and find their presents the next day.

Sweet coal

In Spain it is traditional that the magi bring as a punishment for naughty children the so-called “carbó” (sweet coal). It consists of sugar, stuck in the form of square, painted black, simulating the actual coal.

The parade of the three Wise Men

This night is very especial for the children. Catalonian people celebrate this day with a parade. The kings go in the coach and they walk by the streets, and throw sweets to the people who are seeing it. Is fun! The streets are fill of people. The pages of the king with horses for the street, after the end of the parade the people go to have dinner with the family, etc. And after… ¡The three wise men have come! and all the presents are under the Christmas tree. The children very happy.

L’home dels nassos (Man of the noses)

In Catalonia the last day of the year, old people tell to children to look with attention to the people, because "l’Home dels nassos" walks the streets and has as many noses on his face as days left in the year.
All children look at the people, searching four some person with 365 noses, but they find none.
At the end of the day, their parents explain them:
- It’s only one day until the end of the year, and because of that everybody has as many noses as days has the year.

“Polvorons” and "Torrons"

The Polvorons

The cold is approaching and there are sweets which are usually to eat for those periods, such as “polvorones”, which despite being quite good, in July we would surely eat so happy.
That is why, following tradition, I took this recipe that only fits this time.
With these ingredients I made 23 units, made with the mold of a small glass. The texture is not of those which are rolled back in his mouth but harder.

 The “torrons”, lave a fundamental part of Christmas. specially because they are offer themselves when you are with the family, at the end of the lunch of Christmas. There are different types of “torrons”: those of chocolate, chocolate with almonds, etc

El dia de Sant Esteve (The Boxing Day)

-In Catalunya, the 26th of December we celebrate“ The boxing day “. This day the family gatheres. This day  it is center on a basic way on the lunch. People eat “Canalons” “Pollastre farcit” and “Neules I Torrons”. The kids recite the “Vers de Nadal” and collect money.

Massacre of the Innocents

The Massacre of the Innocents is the commemoration of a historical episode of Christianity: The death of all the two-year-old children in Bethlehem. In Spain, we make some jokes on 28th of December. The TVs tell false news, and people hook dolls of paper on the back of other people. It is a funny day, where the people make jokes and we enjoy very much.

This is the doll of paper that gets hooked up on the back of people

The page Xiu-Xiu

He arrives on December 26^th and leaves on January 5^th.He is responsible for investigating the behavior of children and to inform about them to the Three Wise Men. Someone said that when he is in Terrassa he lives in a street in town. He is close to all boys and girls in the city to give them good advice and to collect their letters to hand them to the Magi. His commission is to investigate the behavior of children and to inform the Wise Men. He also teaches children to write letters.