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Like many of the great European cities, Barcelona comes alive over the Christmas period. There are many traditions and activities for all ages as well as exciting festivals which capture the true spirit of Christmas. It is a great chance to spend a holiday in Barcelona during Christmas.

There is a Christmas market each year called the feria de Santa Lucia which is in operation form early December until Christmas eve. It is located in the Plaça de la Seu and Plaça Nova and has an array of hand crafted gifts and traditional nativity scenes. On a practical note there are also many opportunities to stock up on the Christmas essentials such as the all important tree. The streets surrounding the square are, of course, brilliantly adorned with every type of light conceivable in order to create a magical Christmas atmosphere. Around these two places you can find comfortable Barcelona apartments and Barcelona hotels.

For those who really like to get involved and really get into the Christmas spirit there is the Tio de Nadal. This is a decorated Log with a face painted on it. The idea is for children to find the log by coincidence and then beat it before Santa arrives. This is believed to release the presents and occurs on either Christmas eve or Christmas day itself. The children also sing songs to the log and this is a traditional activity.

Christmas day itself is a time for spending with the family and of course opening the presents which are placed underneath the Christmas tree. This is a very strong tradition in all Catalan homes and this often continues through to boxing day or St. Stephen's day. It is said that this period cannot pass properly without the famous cannelloni which is a dish prepared by hand consisting of square pasta sheets and a filling. In more modern times, many restaurants have been opening on boxing day and are therefore incredibly busy; they serve traditional Christmas meals and of course cannelloni. A lot of Barcelona hotels are also carrying out a special Christmas program with some activities and Christmas meals.

It is true that the modern way of celebrating Christmas has become very consumer lead but Barcelona is one of the few places which still has an incredibly strong sense of tradition. This is highly evident over the Christmas period during which the city really comes alive. You can experience true tradition by spending your Christmas holiday in Barcelona.