Cribs are important symbols of Christmas in Spain. These representations of the birth of Jesus can be seen in the squares of cities, towns and villages alike, as well as in the doorways of houses and in shop windows.

Visiting Cribs has become a tradition for many families in Andalusia. Every year, people work on hundreds of cribs to be found in all the different provinces of the region. Some of the most outstanding, crammed with detail, are the cribs constructed by the "La Roldana" association in Seville, or the crib association in Jerez. It is well worthwhile seeing these painstaking reconstructions of landscapes inspired in those of Jordan and Israel. Every year in Rute (Cordoba province), they make a crib moulded from more than 800 kg of chocolate.

You can usually find several cribs in most towns. Some are larger than others, but they are all works of art created with the utmost care.

Almayate - Vélez-Málaga (Malaga province): Year after year, whole families, businesses, associations, groups and professionals from a range of different sectors come together to make this living crib a reality. Great care is taken over the tiniest details and more than 150 people take part, dressed in period costumes, along with tens of animals and huge, heavy, decorated scenery set up over an area of more than 2,700 square metres in the open air. It has 24,000 W of illumination and 5,000 W of sound, video projection screens and a range of special effects.
In just over two hours you can relive the days from the Annunciation of the Archangel Gabriel through to the Flight to Egypt of Mary, Joseph and the Baby Jesus. To give the event further authenticity, some of the village´s typical products are prepared on the spot during the performance - black pudding, meats, chorizo sausage, "migas" (fried breadcrumbs), chestnuts, etc... These delicacies are then savoured by actors and audience alike at the end of the show.
The Living Crib in Almayate is normally staged in December, to coincide with the last weekend of the year. There are two performances, one on Saturday at 6pm, with special nocturnal atmosphere, and the other on Sunday at midday - the matinee. The performances are held in the grounds of Juan Paniagua School.
How to get there: 30 minutes from Malaga by car, 10 minutes from Vélez-Málaga and 5 minutes from Torre del Mar (Map Image)
For more information: www.belenviviente-almayate.com

 

Beas (Huelva province): The Beas living crib is a Christmas representation where scenes from the nativity are acted out by more than one hundred children.
It has been organised for the last 35 years by the nuns of the Nuestra Sra. De los Clarines order. The living crib has become the village´s main tourist attraction It represents traditional biblical scenes, with children and animals as the protagonists. You can see many trades and ways of life from times gone by, making use of old utensils and items in the representation.
Each one of the scenes shows something of the way of life of the village throughout its history, and they all make use of objects from yesteryear: domestic items, furniture and household utensils, agricultural and farming tools, instruments for weighing and measuring, and machines and contraptions from factories and craft production, amongst other things.
How to get there: The village of Beas is between San Juan del Puerto (14 km to the south) and Valverde del Camino (19 km to the north), on the N-435 road that links the south of the province with the mountains and the Extremadura Region. Huelva, the provincial capital, is 25 km away, while it is 90 km to the Andalusian capital, Seville.

 

Arcos de la Frontera (Cadiz province): On 16 December, the historic centre of Arcos will be transformed, becoming a replica of biblical Bethlehem for a few hours. The origins of this celebration date back to 1971. More information: www.ayuntamientoarcos.org
How to get there:
By road - Main road access is as follows:
The A-382, which runs directly from the N-IV (Cadiz-Madrid).
The A-4 motorway is just 25 kilometres away, linking 12 towns and villages in the province of Cadiz and two more in Seville and Malaga.
You can also get from Arcos to the N-IV on the 343 secondary road (Espera-Cruce de Las Cabezas) towards Seville.
Arcos is a vital stop on the way to the White Villages Route, via the C-344 road.
By rail - Jerez de la Frontera is just 20 minutes by train from Arcos. The railway has two direct lines, Madrid-Cadiz and Madrid-Algeciras, with some 100 kilometres running through this province.
By sea - There are two major ports in our province (Cadiz and Algeciras), the arrival point for most passengers coming to the Costa de la Luz area by sea.
By air - The province´s only airport is in the nearby town of Jerez de la Frontera, 20 minutes from Arcos.
This airport offers services to and from 7 Spanish cities, with some 70 weekly scheduled departures.

Archidona (Malaga province): The living crib in Archidona started in 2003, the work of a group of members of the Physical/Sporting Activities for Older People Programme.
Some 40 people take part in the crib, with men and women aged 55-85 (except for the baby Jesus, of course), although more than 50 people in total take part in the preparations.
The representation features the classic biblical crib with the adoration of the Kings and shepherds, vegetable garden, farm with real animals, the river with its bridge and the fresh water spring, along with scenes from births in Andalusia, with characters like the blacksmith, carpenter, weaver, cooks, vegetable seller, washer-woman, the baker with her bread oven, the potter, etc., with a new character being added each year.
The Crib is located in what were once the cellars of the old granary building (16th century), now the basement of the Municipal Museum alongside the Town Hall. It has three low, vaulted naves, making it an ideal setting for the crib. The crib is staged on the following days: 22, 23, 25, 29, 30 December 2006, 7-10pm

 

Zambombas were originally little more than get-togethers with friends, neighbours and family each year on the night before Christmas Eve, held in the patios and courtyards of "casas de vecinos" (various dwellings set around a central patio). Here a ring would form around the fire, with people spontaneously singing and dancing to Christmas carols for an indeterminate length of time, with wine, anisette and Christmas sweets in abundance. The main instrument is the zambomba, hence the name of the fiesta. These zambombas are traditionally hand-made, from an earthenware pot covered with an animal skin. A piece of cane is fastened in the centre of the skin, so that rubbing the cane produces a sound.

Everyone takes part at these Zambombas, singing or playing some kind of instrument.

Although Seville and Jerez are where this tradition is most deep rooted, Christmas songs are sung the length and breadth of Andalusia. From the Verdiales-style carols in Malaga to the "campanilleros" of Pozoblanco.

On 24 December, families in Andalusia get together to celebrate Christmas dinner, one of the most important of the year. Generally it is not only parents and children that come together, but also grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and other family members.
It is usually a copious, exquisite meal, with plenty of typical Christmas products. Although there can be substantial variation from one province to another, common elements are turkey, seafood, "turrón" (almond sweet) and sparkling wine for the toast.
Family conversation can last well into the night.
Many restaurants close on this night, given that it is a family occasion.
Midnight Mass: Midnight Mass is one of the most deep-rooted Catholic traditions
For centuries, this mass has been celebrated at midnight on 24 December, to see in Christmas day in commemoration of the birth of Jesus. Nowadays, after the Christmas Eve dinner, devotees head to church with their families to attend the traditional Midnight Mass.

The night of 31 December (New Year´s Eve) is not as family-oriented as Christmas Eve. Sometimes it starts with a family dinner, but later, the end of the old year and the beginning of the new tends to be celebrated with a party with friends.
Some people prefer to celebrate at one of the many restaurants offering dinner and dancing for the occasion.
The most famous tradition is eating the lucky grapes. This consists of eating twelve grapes one by one in time with the striking of the clock at 12 midnight. There is then a toast with sparkling wine to welcome the New Year.
The fiesta usually lasts all night until dawn, with people going for "chocolate con churros" (flour fritters and hot chocolate) in the morning.

 

At the end of the Christmas period comes the day dedicated to children. The 6th January (Epiphany or day of the Three Kings) is when children in Spain get their presents, after waiting all through the holiday period. Before going to bed, children leave their shoes in a visible spot in the house, or out on the balcony. They go to sleep with the excitement of waking up to discover the presents that Melchior, Caspar and Balthasar will have brought for them.
On the afternoon before, there is the Three Kings Parade, where children can greet the Three Wise Men as they make their way through the streets, and ask them for the presents they want.

The parade in Higuera de la Sierra (Huelva province) is particularly interesting: This cavalcade, which represents scenes from the Old Testament, has been filling the packed streets of this village with excitement, joy and colour since 1918. Thousands of visitors converge here throughout the course of the day.
The Three Kings Parade in Higuera is the second oldest in Spain and has the National Tourist Interest designation

The essence of the event lies with local residents, who stage the scenes themselves, becoming biblical figures for a few hours, completely still despite the intense cold and rain which sometimes accompanies this traditional celebration. This array of human sculptures confers a unique beauty on the event, which sets the Higuera parade apart from others in Spain.
A range of floats make up the parade. They are decorated completely by hand by local residents, who work hard over the preceding months to make sure that everything is perfect on the night.
How to get there: Higuera de la Sierra´s location means that road access is easy. It is in the north of the province of Huelva, within the Sierra de Aracena y Picos de Aroche Nature Reserve. It is 110 kilometres from the provincial capital and 75 kilometres from Seville.

The N-433 road runs through the village. This road links Seville with Lisbon and crosses the whole region of mountains from east to west. It also converges with the N-435 road at Jabugo, offering easy access if you are coming from Extremadura.
If you are coming from Huelva, the easiest route is taking the turn-off from the A-461 at El Campillo, to get straight to Higuera de la Sierra.