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Published: January 1st 2007
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Even George Cloney is in the spirit of x-mas
the large poster of George Cloney for NesCafé and the three wise men on calle Alcala, Madrid Feliz navidad, feliz navidad...tralala lala..
Denmark vs Spain at christmas Many things are different around the world and also in comparing Spain and Denmark, but one thing seems to be the same everywhere - Christmas shopping and, moreover, christmas stress.
A Spanish Christmas is in many ways unlike a Danish. Where I am used to a december month full of christmas all culminating in the big 24th of december where children unrap their presents and families dance around the christmas tree, the Spaniards are so fortunate to have two days of celebration. The nochebuena, christmas eve, is, as in Denmark a time for families. But it is also a time for mayor disco parties and weeks before the day, fliers can be found lying around Puerta del Sol proclaiming this or that extreme party with drinks and music and wild behaviour. The day itself sememd to me very quiet in Madrid. In Denmark there are often traffic jams and intense people carrying presents and yelling at the conductor of the train because nothing is on time. But in Spain the streets up til the evenings events are almost empty. And in the evening it seems that everything is empty.
friendship lasting into the new year
somewhere on a terasse near avenida america at 00.00 on the 1st of january 2007. A night to remember When you walk past apartmentblocks they seem dead and there are no lights in the windows telling you of a family enjoying a christmas meal.
In Denmark up til christmas eve many children wear a red alfs hat, similar to that of good old Coca Cola Santa. The twenty and thirty something are often seen with a blue hat, similar to that of beer brewery Tuborg's Santa. At the same time they are often carrying a Tuborg and often singing various songs, indicating that it is not the first Tuborg they have been carrying around that evening. In Spain people wear wigs. In all colours and shapes. Green, blue, yellow, curly, multicoloured, what ever you can imagine. I have seen the wigs at sail at the christmas markets, but I have yet not come to know the tradition behind these Halloween accesories. perhaps it is simply this year's fashion.
The feeling of Madrid But as I said, one thing seems the same - christmas shopping. The last days until christmas it was impossible for me to come within a two miles radius of Puerta del Sol due to the extreme amount of christmas shoppers. Never in my life
x-mas is all around
newsstand at calle alcala have I seen so many people, and so many people with colourful wigs.
El Corte Inglés is a favourable place and even the one next to me which lies in the Arguelles city part is full, making it a danger zone for more fragile people. The Christmas decorations outside El Corte Inglés are rather flickering and frightening and made of large mecanic devices that make little (rather large actually) santa helpers sing and dance and cut wood. All day long until ten in the evening are they singing the same song over and over again, those mecanic santa helpers. It is making my raving mad to be earnest and I am happy that I am not living that close to the store.
But there are more relaxing and beautifully decorated places in Madrid at christmas than my local El Corte Inglés. Walking down Calle Alcala to Cybeles is truely fascinating and a mixture of large advertisements and thousands of lights with beatiful figures of the three wise men, who by Spanish tradition bring the presents to the children on January 5th.
And if it in any way is possible to stear away of the christmas shoppers, Madrid is a
lovely place at this time a year. Eating maronies and drinking hot drinks in tavernas and cafés is simply the best way to drift thriugh the hazards of christmas.
The famous last words Madrid is a fairytale city at christmas and I will, despite my many differencies with this city, miss it greatly when I in three weeks leave for Denmark. I will miss the friendships, the magic of the large boulevards, the chaos of El Rastro, the charm of the latin quarter and the cold chock, when my roommates choose to do the dishes while I'm in the shower.
But foremost I'll miss my local café and the feeling of being a regular.
Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year
Anna
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