Christmas

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  One of the oldest festivals in Catalonia is Christmas, which developed in ancient Rome as a Christian replacement for the celebration of the winter solstice. Christmas celebrates the birth and first days of life of Jesus Christ, culminating with arrival of the Three Kings from the Orient to worship the infant. In addition, New Year’s Eve is celebrated part way through it on 31 December. Over time, Christmas has acquired a less religious tone and focusses on gatherings of family and friends, good cheer and giving presents.

  The Catalan-speaking lands have their own Christmas traditions. The most surprising is the cagatió, a domestic ceremony that involves hitting a decorated log with a stick. On the day after Christmas, in Catalonia people celebrate Sant Esteve, which in many homes is synonymous with eating cannelloni. Other characteristic features of Christmas time are the pessebres vivents – living nativity scenes that depict this biblical episode and its historical context with real life actors in the streets and squares of the old towns – and pastorets, popular comic theatrical works that depict the mishaps affecting the shepherds who go to adore the baby Jesus and run into devils from hell. The event that brings the Christmas period to a close are the processions of the Three Kings from the Orientthat pass through the streets and squares of Catalonia’s centres of population every year on the evening of the 5th of January, before the kings distribute gifts among the houses.

  In the Baix Empordà, some of these traditions have become well-established and very popular. Pastorets are performed in Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Palafrugell and Palamós, while living nativities can be seen in Pals, Calonge, Palafrugell and Castell d’Aro, which has the oldest one in Catalonia. At the monastery of Santa Maria de Solius (Santa Cristina d’Aro) you can see the collection of Christmas dioramas by Brother Gilbert Galceran, and at Mont-ras and Platja d’Aro, displays and exhibitions of nativity scenes are organised. At Christmas fairs, you can find typical products from the festive season and a variety of artisanal products in towns and villages like Calonge, Begur, La Bisbal d’Empordà, Sant Feliu de Guíxols (Fira de Santa Llúcia) and Palafrugell.

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