Although in the past, the people in Spain would mostly celebrate the Three Kings Festival, over the years, celebrating Christmas has become more common with each passing year. You’d be surprised to learn how beautiful Christmas celebrations have become in Spain, from Christmas parades to Christmas markets to beautiful Christmas decorations all over the country.
In this blog post, I’m going to cover some of the places in the north of Spain.
CELEBRATION CHRISTMAS IN SPAIN
In this blog post, I’m going to talk about Christmas celebrations in the city of León, along with beautiful photos of Christmas decorations.
THE CATHEDRAL OF LEÓN
The Cathedral of Leon is one of the oldest Gothic cathedrals in the north of Spain. In the square, you’ll see these two beautiful angels playing the trumpet, and a vibrant Christmas market that accompanies the festive occasion with lights and decorations.
CALLE ANCHA
Calle Ancha is the main tourist street in Leon. Here you’ll not only see beautiful decorations, but there are often beautiful spectacles from artists to see. I don’t need to recommend this street; every single tourist that comes to León sees this street as the city isn’t that big.
MUSEO CASA BOTINES GAUDÍ
Casa Botines is one of the finest masterpieces by none other than Antoni Gaudí. The monumental building is also beautifully lit, and there are beautiful decorations in front of the main entrance.
NATIVITY SCENE AT PLAZA DE SAN MARCELO
The Nativity Scene at Plaza de San Marcelo, which is just opposite Casa Botines, is massive and beautifully decorated with handcrafted rustic wickerwork that allows the contours of the different figures to be defined, among them are the Three Wise Men.
PLAZA MAYOR – LEÓN
Here’s a giant Christmas tree at Plaza Mayor. The square is located in the old quarter of the city of León and is near the cathedral of León. You can get there through many streets.
CHRISTMAS PARADE / SANTA CLAUS PARADE / CABALGAZA DE PAPÁ NOEL
Santa Claus Parade is also one of the most important traditions the city organises each year for kids, where lots of beautifully decorated chariots and sleighs, and performers parade through the roads and streets of León. The Christmas parade event is sponsored by Leche Gaza.
ALMANZA
This has to be one of my favourite villages in the province of Castilla y León as far as Christmas decorations are concerned. The small village decorates brilliantly, and it’s a must-see if you like Christmas art, decor, and lights.
There’s even an ice rink this year for kids to enjoy. The new initiative can be enjoyed as a complement to the spectacular Christmas illuminations in this beautiful town.
THE GRINCH
I was actually surprised to see The Grinch beautifully lit up and included among the other decorations.
NATIVITY SCENE – LA MATA DE BÉRBULA
Almost every place in Spain puts up a crib representing the Nativity scene. This particular one is in a little village called La Mata de la Berbula, which is about less than an hour away by car from León. I highly recommend checking it out, as it’s one of the best cribs in the province of Castilla y León.
MORGOVEJO
There’s a very traditional wooden-framed bouquet called “El Ramo Leonés,” which is basically a pagan symbol in honour of the sun and nature, which the church Christianised and linked to religious events such as Christmas, but also to other religious ceremonies.
It is believed that the bouquet was originally an instrument of worship used in rites of the natural cycles on the occasion of the winter solstice, a time when people would request the end of winter and the fertile arrival of spring. The tradition was adopted by the Christian church, which took up the custom of the bouquet and introduced it into the celebration of the Nativity, as part of the offering to God and the birth of Jesus.
El Ramo Leonés de Navidad (Christmas Bouquet) is made up of a wooden frame, and is triangular in shape, although there are square-shaped ones as well. The bouquet is embellished with twelve candles, one for each month of the year, a holly-like green branch in the centre, and baubles and tinsels on some. Ramo Leonese is a festive symbol that is quite common to see in Castilla y León, and it looks very beautiful.
VALDERRUEDA – MASSIVE NATIVITY SCENE
The small village of Valderrueda is home to a large, 50-square-metre Nativity Scene, a one-of-a-kind crib installed outside El Salvador’s church.
PALAZUELO DE TORÍO
Palazuelo de Torío is a small village a few minutes away from León that puts up a very beautiful and colourful crib representing the Nativity scene, along with a Christmas tree, which is worth seeing if you’re driving past. It’s on the roadside, so you won’t miss it.
VELILLA DEL RÍO CARRIÓN
This beautiful little town is in the province of Palencia, where you’ll get to visit Santa Claus’s house, where he eagerly waits to welcome kids, and where you have fun activities, like participating in a short Christmas quiz and also writing a letter and giving it to Santa himself. The colourful decorations inside are very beautiful.
NATIVITY SCENE INSIDE THE PARISH CHURCH
Velilla del Río Carrión has a beautiful parish church that puts up a beautiful crib depicting the scene of the nativity.
ORZONAGA
Another lovely village decorates the main street entrance with stunning Christmas decorations that are not only artistically pleasing but also tell us the Christmas story through these beautiful figures. Apart from the decorations, you can also find a huge bench in the very same street. Do check it out.
GUARDO
There’s a beautiful little town in Palencia called Guardo, where there’s a Christmas market set up, and also a beautiful crib inside of a building. In the little square, you’ll see huge baubles that are beautifully lit with colours that change every few seconds, making the decorations even more beautiful than they already are—a must see.
WRAPPING UP
Well, folks, that was just a little tour of some of the Christmas decorations you could explore in the beautiful towns in the north of Spain. Hopefully, in the next few days, I might be visiting more towns, and if I do, I’m definitely going to update this blog post so that you guys have more places to check out, and more importantly, get to see more beautiful decorations in northern Spain.
Stay tuned for more!
I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!
