There is another tradition too: in Donosti they sell tickets to win a big, big pig.And with this day we began our Christmas Holidays, which consist in these day:
-Tomorrow, December 22th, it's the National Health Day. Why? you may ask. Because tomorrow the great Christmas Lottery is going to happen. The big prize is 3 millions of euros. Since it's very difficult that you win the big prize, almost everybody this day greet each other with a "Well, at least we have health"
It's tradition that family members interchange a share in the lottery ticket they've bought. I'd rather actual money, but no, I just have like ten shares.-December 24th, Christmas Eve, it's tradition that every child in the Basque Country dresses like a farmer of the 19th century and tries to destroy good citizens ears with very out of tune carols. Like this: http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=EDlOSSbNkLk&feature=related (notice the children are dressed like they will be in December 24th. The first part it's the boy explaining in Basque what's the song about. If you want to know, it's about a son or daughter -the girl with the suitcase- that comes back to his/her parents home and sees them again, and she also sees his/her grandmother and grandfather roasting chestnuts). By the way, what they're trying to sing is this song: http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=7Oje9aK09c8&feature=related (see their clothes? That's because it's December 24th). Since a lot of people go out singing carols (and wanting money for that) we don't open the door to anybody. And when we go to grandma's place for dinner, we use ninja tactics of stealth.
-December 25th, Christmas. Spanish people didn't use to make gifts this day, but globalization is globalization, so a lot of Spanish children have adopted Santa Claus. Basque children don't need that, we're so stup-- errr... special that we have our own Santa Claus: Olentzero. In my family this day we have a sacred tradition: the Annual Game of Trivial Pursuit. After being painfully defeated by the group formed by my two Aunts and sister the last year, I've practiced all these months to win and recover my crown again
-December 31th, New Year's Eve. Nothing remarkable except one thing: in Spain we have the tradition of eating twelve white grapes, one for each stroke of the bell. Yeah, like a competition. There are rules: you don't eat any grape before the strokes begin, you have to eat one grape for each stroke and you have to eat all of them. Obviously, the scene ends up being very funny: Grandma claims in the sixth stroke that she's eaten all the grapes already
and what usually happens in the middle of the ceremony is that you're focused in your task, but suddenly you look up and see your Aunt with her mouth full of grapes that she's trying desperately to swallow. And then you try to swallow the rest of the grapes and your laughter, and usually you end spilling grape juice -January 1st, New Year. Also known as Day of the Hangover
Traditions, watching the New Year's Concert of Viena (if you're alive and awake ) and the Ski jumps from... I don't remember where. -January 5th, the Day before the Three Wise Men's Day. This is the night where Spanish children can't sleep because the nerves, because in Spain it's tradition to make gifts in January 6th and not December 25th. We still do it in January 6th. At dusk, the Parade with the Floats begin in every Spanish city and town. We aren't an exception
There are three floats, one for each Wise Man: Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar. Baltasar looks strangely like one of your neighbors with his face painted with charcoal (bacause obviously race diversity in my town is nonexistent), but you don't notice this little detail when you're a child When you're older you think: "Why didn't I make the connection?". The Three Wise Men have bags full of candies that they throw at children (the candies, bot the bags). We used to watch the Parade from my grandparents' house, who live in a first floor and usually we didn't get many candies. I remember the day that my granfather shouted to one of the Kings: "You're such a sissy, can't you throw candies with more strenght?" I remember the Wise Man (Baltasar) looked at us with bloodshot eyes, took a full hand of candies and threw them to us. They ricocheted against the shutters like pellets We had to hurl ourselves to the ground - January 6th, Day of the Three Wise Men. Traditions: gifts, of course, and eating what we call Roscón the Reyes (French King Cake for you; ours looks like this). Delicious. Of course our cake has trinket
And this is all. Oh, yes, just to say that although in out home we put the three, Spanish tradition is to put a Nativity Scene.
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In fact, I can see him weeping because a shadow is going to cast his big day. Today is 
songs! (believe me 24 hours listening the same music can drive you nuts.)