AS winter approaches, properties here in Spain remain a magnet for British and tourists from Scandinavia. The tourists from Scandinavian countries such as Iceland, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark will love to be here because of a relatively temperate climate all-year round. The reason for the temperate climate is the proximity to the Mediterranean of the Iberian Peninsula of which Spain is a part of.
Recognizing the importance of the Spaniards to learn another language, the Spanish government has encouraged all high school students i.e. the younger generation to learn the languages of the Scandinavian countries so they can help promote the flourishing hospitality industry in Spain. Among these languages now prevalent as media of instruction in special and international schools throughout the country are Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish and Icelandic. Of course, one cannot discount English too as the majority of the tourists here in Spain in the end are British.
Another step that the Spanish government has taken is strict inspection in all holiday homes and resorts here in Spain. Because of that, almost all resorts here have been given the blue flag accreditation of the European Union which simply means that they are of highest quality and can be enjoyed by any first-class tourist.
And it’s nowhere close to spend a holiday here in Spain and ultimately stay here than right now. If you’re still outside Spain right at this moment, it’s too bad that you cannot catch international flights anymore to Madrid in time for Halloween. Halloween is a jolly celebration here in Spain and it will be like summer. That’s actually three celebrations all rolled into one.
The first celebration is the commercial Halloween which has been propagated in the rest of the Western world like the United Kingdom and the United States across the Atlantic. Kids do their trick-or-treat thing and receive the most number of candies as compared to the rest of the days in the year. Just like their kiddie counterparts, teenagers here in Spain go out and party during Halloween night, wearing elaborate costumes some of which are hand-woven by the way.
They go to disco bars around town where Halloween specials are dedicated and prizes for the spookiest and creepiest costumes of the night will be given out. These prizes range from novelty items to a dinner for two and a hotel stay for two as well to more usable items such as a gas range and what-have-you. See, it’s not just a party after all but an opportunity to acquire some stuff and save in the end.
The next stop of the celebration is the culmination of Rosary Month. A predominantly Catholic country, Spain’s patron saint is the Mother Mary and in this month, thousands of rosary-shaped balloons all over the country are flown. Those who can retrieve the balloons upon landing get a special prize. Again, this is done on October 31, same date of Halloween. With all these celebrations, who can’t resist spending the rest of his or her life here?

IT’S nowhere closer to paradise than spending your two-week Christmas holiday here in Spain. Spain is after all a predominantly Catholic country and 90 percent of its inhabitants are religious. But that definitely doesn’t mean that all of the country is sober during Christmastime. For it’s not just the Christians who celebrate Christmas, even peoples of other faith celebrate the season in the commercial side of Christmas.
But let’s go first to the traditional part of it. All over Spain, people start celebrating Christmas four weeks before December 25. This is known as the Advent. On each Sunday which falls under Advent, a candle is lighted by one of the most prominent religious families of the parish signaling the number of weeks of their vigil in preparing themselves for the birthday celebration of the Messiah. The churches here in Spain are not just for worship purposes.
Most of them have been declared as world heritage sites by UNESCO. This may envy the other Catholic churches around the world but it is a fact that Spain has very adorable religious structures. It is not only because of its beautiful designs but also in its uniqueness. The design of Catholic churches is in such a way that it is Gothic and Islamic. The Gothic part of it was the idea of the archbishops in earlier times who were trying to entice the natives here to turn away from their pagan beliefs and come to Christianity instead. Thus, we can see today that Catholic churches here in Spain are decorated with images of mythical creatures.
On the other hand, there are also Islamic designs found in many Catholic churches here in the country. That sight is definitely not uncommon. This is true because the churches were once upon a time invaded by Moorish rulers and when the Moors were gone, the next set of archbishops had found the designs beautiful and retained them. UNESCO – the premier world body when it comes to cultural appreciation – has recognized this feature as significant in promoting intercultural awareness and tolerance and immediately called them as world heritage sites.
During the latter days of Advent are successive masses celebrated for the nine dawns lasting up to Christmas. After each mass, tourists and locals alike will encounter on the street sides in front of the churches people selling Spanish breakfast which may be in the form of hot cocoa and turron or any Spanish delicacy. After settling down some, people will then jog home and go back to their day-to-day work. In your case as a tourist, you can jog back to the hotel where you are staying.
Right now is the second week of November. It is not yet late to reserve a flight to Spain to spend the holidays there. Book round trip flights early as they may already be full even with smaller airlines such as RyanAir. Spain may not be as popular to Scandinavian and British tourists during winter than it is during summer but don’t let your guard down for there is a new generation of tourists who have slowly discovered the magnificence of a Christmas pastime here in Spain.