Christmas is a time of illusion, to enjoy the family and the holidays, they are not vacations without more. Here we have a lot of plans to fully live these dates.
To get into the matter, nothing better than visiting one of the most impressive nativity scenes in Galicia. For example, we can even walk among figures of our size in VIveiro’s giant nativity scene, “Viveiro before the crib”. Another of the best, also in the province of Lugo, is the Begonte electronic nativity scene, where we even see the change of day and the change of weather, storm included. The artisan nativity scene in motion by Valga is distinguished by including elements of current events and Galician rural life. The one at the Lice de Betanzos has a soundtrack and built-in narration, to the beat of the movement of the figures. The one from the Third Order of Ferrol has a story, in this case, with a page-boy. In Ourense we have the Baltar nativity scene, one hundred percent from Ourense, which can also be seen all year round. And a visit to the cathedral of Santiago is always successful, especially if we go to see the nativity scene. In any case, this year it will be in the church of San Agustín. In the same city, it is worth visiting San Fiz.
There are places where it is not enough to set up nativity scenes, which have to set up entire Christmas villages. This is the case of Aldeas de Nadal de Lalín, an authentic Christmas theme park, with 41 little houses distributed throughout the village of Santa Claus, that of the Apalpador, that of the Three Wise Men, that of the Elves, that of Music and that of the fairies. In Allariz the decoration is peculiar, made from sustainable materials with the collaboration of businesses, entities and neighbors. They have the Christmas Square, the Miniiworld, the Apalpador Farm, the Forest of the Elves, the amusement park and the market. Cambados also has its Christmas village in the Fefiñáns square, with an artificial lake. In Pontevedra there is also a Christmas village in the A Ferrería Square. We also have a rustic Christmas, in A Veiga, a Christmas forest in Noalla… Yes, there is a choice…
Listening to a good Christmas story is another plan to consider. On these dates, the libraries, with the activities of Nadal na Rede, have a very attractive program, with workshops, storytelling, guided tours… In the museums there are also different plans. In the City of Culture, for example, from December 16, with the switching on of the exterior lighting, Christmas activities began, theater, workshops, virtual reality experiences in the Galiverso and special family visits, these from the 27th to 30 and 3, 4 and 8 January.
The castles also sign up for Christmas. In the castle of Vimianzo, on December 23, they light the cepo de nadal (Christmas log) in the lareira. Sobroso Castle is highly ornate, with the field filled with deer and lights. On the other hand, in the castle of Soutomaior there are dramatized visits, workshops, mailbox of dreams and a famous market.
Speaking of markets, there are some very lively ones, with entertainment for the little ones, such as the one in A Coruña, in the María Pita Square, with an igloo for children’s activities; that of Santiago, in carreira do Conde and the Central Area; that of Pontevedra in A Ferrería; the one in Ourense in the San Lázaro park; the one in Tui on the A Corredoira promenade…
Although rivers and lakes do not freeze here at the moment, we can always put on some bladed skates and slide down one of the ice rinks that are set up in Galicia ahead. The one in Alameda in Santiago, the one in A Coruña, the one in Samil and the Náutico in Vigo are already classic… And every year there are more places to skate, since it is something very fun (Vimianzo, Oleiros, Santa Comba, Sarria, Cedeira, Vilalba…).
Of course, we must talk about the “city where Christmas lives”: Vigo. If we are into lighting, a visit is a must. It takes time, because all the Christmas entertainment is concentrated here: large illuminated scenes in the middle of the streets, market, train, noria, roller coaster… For the more traditional, you can still see the monumental nativity scene in the House of Arts.
After the December celebrations, we still have five days left for Three Kings. Five very exciting days, in which you have to start thinking about finding a place in one of the kings parades. In Vigo there is a static parade in the morning, parked on Castelao Avenue, which starts in the afternoon, from America Square to Sun Gate. The theme of the show is children’s movies. In A Coruña, the floats will carry Picassian details, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the artist’s death.
And this is just a small sample of everything that is set up on these dates to enjoy them intensely and create good memories. Merry 2023 to everyone!
