I visited the European winter sun destination that’s 23C right now and celebrates Christmas in the new year
If you’ve got the post-Christmas blues and aren’t ready for the festive fun to be over just yet, there’s a perfect winter sun break where the festivities continue into the New Year.
If you head to the Canary Islands or mainland Spain, you get an extra go at festive celebrations at the end of the 12 days of Christmas.
That’s because, for Spaniards, the main event of the season is actually on January 4 and 5, when most towns and villages will enjoy an evening parade to celebrate the arrival of the three kings.
Then the next morning, the children will find all the presents they have delivered overnight.
There tends to be a quieter family Christmas Day, with maybe a few presents from Santa, but Kings Day is definitely the perfect way to round off all the festive fun.
And this year is a great time to take the kids away, as the start of term for most won’t be until January 6, 7 or 8, so enough time to squeeze in a warm weekend away – with the likes of Gran Canaria still seeing temperatures of 23C this week.
We’ve been in Spain for the holidays a couple of times now and it really is a lovely tradition, with crowds lining the route to see the kings’ parade, which has a carnival atmosphere.
It’s easy to take part as the celebrations all happen outdoors for everyone to enjoy.
Last year, we watched the parade along the main street in Corralejo in Fuerteventura, with the kings’ thrones being set up in a square around the corner from where we were staying.
It was fun to watch the excitement building and all the preparations being made. The party went on until late into the night, with revellers enjoying food and drink in the local bars.
If you’re staying in a resort with a kids’ club, you could well find that the festive activities for children carry on well into the first week of January, as the kings came to visit the youngsters a couple of days after the parade had taken place.
Just be aware that, if you still have little ones who believe in Santa, introducing them to the Spanish tradition that it’s the wise men who deliver the presents may end up with them asking some interesting questions about whether Father Christmas is real!
In 2019, we watched the wise men arrive by boat into the port at Valencia, with a big concert and lots of crowds creating a brilliant buzz to the whole event.
We were lucky with the weather that winter and spent Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and Kings on the beach in glorious sunshine.
It’s a very different vibe from the British festivities, but lovely to see how a different culture and climate does Christmas.
Another Spanish tradition to look out for if you’re there in late December and early January is the nativity scene, known as el belen.
We found one near the harbour in Corralejo which incorporated the rural crafts and industries that built Fuerteventura’s fortunes before tourism became a major earner there.
I’ve even seen some really impressive belenes with running water and lights and in Valencia, different streets compete to come up with the best belen each year.
Some scenes, like the one in the Crystal Room at Valencia’s City Hall feature small models, with more than 300 figurines and 250 animals, while others like the one at Mercat Colon shopping centre have a life-size manger and figures.
So why not head to the sun and finish off the festive season with a flourish by keeping Christmas going until Kings?