By now I am usually ready to let go of Christmas – I want all the decorations to be gone and the Christmas carols to stop going around in my head.

New Year was a more exciting celebration in Scotland but I can’t quite change the topic until I write a little more about my first Christmas in Catalunya.
I was fortunate to be invited to join a Catalan family for the celebrations. On Christmas Eve I beat my first Tió and received a gift from its rear end.
On Christmas Day I had a wonderful meal – eating the traditional Sopa de Nadal but, as a semi vegetarian, turning down the meat course of pigs muzzle, pigs feet, pigs tail and other, I’m sure delicious, things. Of course there was cava too and lots of turronsThe following day was St Esteve Day – the feast of St Stephen. People asked me the origin of the name Boxing Day and I had no answer – anyone know? As there is someone called Esteve in the family it was his saints day which meant more presents for him and another special meal with all the family. This time I was helping to organise it so I contributed traditional British mince pies with brandy butter and cream and we all ate more turrons and drank more cava.
On January 5th it is the eve of El Dia de Reis and in the streets there was a large procession of floats with three kings seated on high, drawn by wonderful green John Deere tractorsChildren and their parents lined the streets armed with umbrellas (it was raining hard) which they turned upside down to catch the sweets which were thrown from the floatsOn Epiphany, or Kings,  more presents are given, to be found in your shoes which you leave out the night before. Then another family dinner which ends with the wonderful cake called Tortell de ReisInside this there are hidden two objects – a small king figure and a bean. If you get the bean you must pay for the cake and if you get the king you are crowned for the day.