Advent
Wed 24th Dec 2008
Northern Spain
Vitoria is known for its spectacular full-sized Nativity scene, with over 200 figures. On the weekend before Christmas, the character Olentzero, a charcoal seller, announces the approach of Christmas in Basque towns and villages. Townspeople of San Sebastián climb Monte Igueldo with an effigy of a besugo (sea bream), a fish that has fed the Basques well over the centuries. An open-air midnight mass is held by firelight in Labastida in the Rioja Alavesa.
There are frequent markets across the region; most towns and villages have a weekly food and clothing market, while Bilbao has a small but quirky flea market in the Plaza Nueva on Sundays. These are the only places where bargaining goes on, but it's only on non-food items.