On December 22, at 08.00 in the morning for me starts Christmas. I put the Spanish radio, www.rne.es and the sound of the Christmas Lottery, takes me to the years of my childhood, the beginning of holiday with a tree in the living room, decorations, good food, my birthday, good wishes, sharing and being together.

Each year, an advertorial is created to promote the Lottery. It touches your feelings and show the spirit of the lottery. This year it is a short animated film. The main character is Justin, who works as a security guard in a factory in the night shift. Justin is alone and not together with his colleagues, but he invents a way to communicate with them and not forget them, they him either …

I think with this sound nearly all Spaniards feel the same, and since I live in the Netherlands, I am more attached to it. It is a monotonous, repetitive and dull sound, but I love it. My children were born and raised in the Netherlands, but now have the same feeling, (perfect, took me years).

It is a good tradition that some lots are exchanged between friends, family and colleagues. If you win, then you share your happiness with the people around you. All shops, schools, clubs, etc. buy a number, then divide and sell it in small portions, perhaps for € 1,-. For example it is normal that the big prize falls within one village, neighborhood or community. Then people go out there and celebrate their prize. There are never very large amounts of money because the ticket is divided into small portions. Last year one of the prizes fell to the number 00000.

The Christmas lottery is a tradition that began in 1892, and is even now followed by ± 80% of Spaniards. Even during the Civil War, when Spain was divided, the lottery was held by both sides.

(Liesbeth, thanks for your nice card with stars)

Photos: Ángeles Nieto