Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Benalmadena, Spain
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary is celebrated every year on 8 December and for many Catholic countries it marks the beginning of the Christmas season. The day is a national holiday and everyone comes out to enjoy the festival and in Benalmadena it is the day that the lights are switched on and also when Christmas markets and similar outlets begin to trade although many shops may be closed. It must not be forgotten, though, that this is primarily a religious festival and so most of the local people will visit their churches at least once on this day. Most churches will be opening up their crib or nativity scene on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. For those who are not religious, it needs to be explained that this feast celebrates the Virgin’s own conception, which was without original sin, not the conception of Jesus which is celebrated in March. Even so, its nearness to the Christmas season has tended to roll the celebrations together, whereas the conception of Christ tends to be connected with Easter. With Epiphany (Jan 6) this is one of the most important days of the Christmas season in Spain.
How to get there
Benalmadena is only around 7 miles from Malaga Airport, so it is easy to transfer even if you haven’t booked a shuttle in advance. Malaga is one of the most popular destinations from the UK so there are frequent flights from London throughout the year –First Choice fly there from 11 UK airports. It’s important to note that some airports, such as Manchester and Birmingham tend to cut their service in the winter but even so flights are not hard to book at very reasonable prices. Arriving a few days in advance is advisable, because this fiesta is a very important one for Spanish Catholics and so even cabs may be in short supply on the day itself.
Christmas in Spain
The Christmas season in Spain is not the great commercial event that it is in the UK and many other countries in the world. It begins on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary on December 8th and ends on ‘Three Kings’ which is January 6th, Epiphany or what in England is usually called Twelfth Night. The present giving is not such a big part of the Christmas tradition, although presents are exchanged of course but on January 6th – it is the kings who bring the presents in Spain, not Father Christmas. The main meal is on Christmas Eve and is likely to be of seafood, even in parts of Spain that are inland. A large ham is kept for slices to be carved whenever anyone feels like a snack, so food is very much in mind, but the huge boxes of chocolates and loads of food at every opportunity does not feature so much. Christmas Day is a day for going to church and seeing family – in many ways a much less stressful kind of celebration than the one that we indulge in in Britain.
