Christmas in Spain. You won’t read this in a guide: “Fat” lottery and fecal traditions
We have the wafer, the Spaniards share the nougat. We decorate the Christmas tree, they decorate nativity scenes. In our country, children wait for Christmas Eve, especially for Epiphany. Only their “shitting uncle” didn’t have our equivalent.
Returning to the list – in Poland, gifts are given by Santa Claus, and in Spain by the Ministry of Finance and Public Administration. The institution responsible for organizing the Spanish Christmas lottery (Sorteo Extraordinario de Navidad) falls under this ministry. Its common name is El Gordo, meaning “fat”, “fat” in Polish. Of course, it is related to the really big money that can be won. This is also the official name of the main prize.
The lottery is very popular in Spain because the chance of winning is relatively high. The prize pool is approximately EUR 2.5 billion. The rules are quite complicated. The coupon containing ten five-digit numbers costs 200 euros. However, you can buy one tenth of it, so you can enter the game for 20 euros. The main prize, EUR 4 million, is divided among the people who received the winning number. Four million are given to holders of the full coupon. Those who bought one-tenth of the ticket with the winning number receive PLN 400,000 each. euro. There are also smaller prizes.
The chance that at least the amount invested in purchasing the ticket will be recovered is almost 10%.
The whole of Spain takes part in El Gordo. It is said that there is no one in this country who has not played at least once in their life. Already in November, queues form in front of the points where you can buy coupons.
The draw takes place every year on the morning of December 22 in Madrid. They are broadcast live by Spanish public television. The winning numbers are read, or rather sung, by children from Colegio San Ildefonso, one of the oldest schools in Madrid. This tradition has been going on since 1771. For almost two centuries, only boys could perform this function. The girls were allowed to join them 43 years ago.
The drawing day, December 22, is considered the beginning of the Christmas and New Year period in Spain. It lasts until January 6, i.e. until the Epiphany celebrated in this country with great pomp.
