Planning to spend the Christmas holidays in Lanzarote? Catch up on part two of our guide to the festive season. Which covers Dia de Los Inocentes, Three Kings Day and more.
December 26th
A holy Eucharist is celebrated in the Church of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in Teguise, which is accompanied by a commemoration of all the local couples who have reached their silver or golden wedding anniversaries during the year.
Day of the Holy Innocents
28th December is the ‘Dia de los Santos Inocentes’, the Spanish equivalent of April Fool’s Day. Which has its origins in King Herod’s slaughter of all first-born male children just after Jesus’s birth. During the middle ages, this solemn occasion was transformed into a festivity celebrated with jokes.
The most usual way in which it is still observed is with paper cut out figures stuck to the backs of unsuspecting strangers, who would wear them unknowingly throughout the day. Sometimes the jokes are in rather bad taste and it often results in bogus stories being placed in the press, in much the same way as April 1st does in the UK, with stories such as UFO’s invading famous Spanish landmarks.
New Year’s Eve
The end of the year in Spain is usually celebrated with fireworks. And Lanzarote is no exception, with firework displays occurring at various points around the island. Including the Old Harbour in Puerto del Carmen, where one of the most spectacular displays is held, beginning at 02.00. In the capital, Arrecife, the incendiary show takes place at midnight, as well as in the former capital of Teguise. Arrecife’s display is best seen from the seafront opposite the town beach, Playa del Reducto. Smaller displays are often put on by resort based hotels, such as the Gran Melia Salinas in Costa Teguise.
A further tradition on New Year’s Eve is celebrated with champagne and grapes, with a grape eaten after every stroke of the clock at midnight. This festivity will be accompanied this year in Teguise by music from the Signature Show Orchestra at 23.30, with the fireworks exploding into the sky at midnight.
New Year’s Eve is one of the highlights of the clubbing calendar as well, with venues such as Dance Club 928 and The Bank planning to keep their doors open until 06.00 in the morning. 928’s resident house DJ, Craig Robson, plays a range of electro house, trance, electronic, drum’n’bass, progressive house and much more. Both clubs can be found in the Centro Comercial Centro, on the main Avenida de las Playas of Puerto del Carmen.
Three Kings Day
Known as the ‘Dia de los Reyes’ 5th January is the day the Three Wise Men form a cavalcade through the main towns of the island to distribute presents. The day is actually celebrated as a Bank Holiday on 6th January, so children do not normally go back to school until at least 7th January. Known as the Magos, Caspar, Melchoir and Balthasar will be represented by locals in full costume riding through town on the back of three camels.
Also called the Epiphany, this date marks the arrival of the three wise men in Bethlehem, seeking the birthplace of the Messiah. And as they paid homage to Jesus with gifts of gold, frankinsense and myrrh, it has become the day when Spanish children receive their Christmas presents. Although in recent years, the tradition is losing ground to the more commercial gift-giving associated with Christmas Day. So children who live on Lanzarote often have half their presents on 25th December and half on 5th January.
January Sales
The moment Christmas and New Year are over, the January sales begin. January 7th will be the start of the sales period, which runs until 6th March and sees substantial savings to be had in shops such as Zara and Mango. The best shopping is to be had at the Biosfera Shopping Centre in Puerto del Carmen, as there are branches of both these women’s clothes stores in addition to many other outlets.
