Christmas in Spain

Christmas in Spain. 

     The Christmas season in Spain begins on December 8th with the feast of the immaculate Conception. An interesting feature of this feast is known as Los Seises, the Dance of Six, a custom in Seville in which boys perform a dance around the alter that symbolizes Christ's birth. Although the dance is still known by it's original name, it is now performed by ten boys.

     It is no surprise that the manger scene, or nacimiento, has a place of reverence in the Spanish Christmas. The manger scene contains all the traditional elements, with a few distinctly Spanish ones thrown in. Among the animals watching over Christ are a mule and a buey (ox) and a stream of water is always included. Sometimes bullfighters are part of the on-looking crowd. These scenes are set up in public squares and in homes, taking precedence over Christmas trees, which are not common.

Here's a Festive Fact... The Spanish refer to Christmas Eve as Noche Buena (Good Night)

     On Christmas Eve, family members gather in the room containing the nacimiento to sing hymns and pray. Late in the evening, the Misa de Gallo (Mass of the Rooster) is attended. Many Hispanic countries refer to midnight mass as the Mass of the Rooster; it has been said that the only time a rooster ever crowed at midnight was the moment when Christ was born. After mass, a big meal is often consumed. 

   Adults exchange gifts on Christmas Day. Another treat is the Spanish version of the Urn of Fate, in this case, a bowl filled with the names of everyone present. Two names are picked out at once; those whose names are chosen together are supposed to enjoy a lasting friendship or romance. 

     There is much dancing and other festivities through Epiphany, the day that children receive presents in their shoes from the three wise men. (There is no Santa Claus figure)

(My own recollection of how my mother would leave my shoes outside my bedroom door Christmas Eve has always brought back fond memories) Sometimes three men would dress up as the Magi and wander the streets singing before visiting the public nacimiento.

About the Author...
 Born and raised in the state of New York, R.M. Villoria began his writing career as a prolific songwriter. After two back-to-back tours as a Marine in Vietnam, Villoria spent the next few years owning and operating a myriad of businesses and in 1992 returned to writing, this time appeasing his appetite for suspense and horror fiction.

 

Years in the making, his ghostly tales touching on the underpinnings of quantum physics and the paranormal are available for the public to enjoy. As his first published work, Villoria presents readers with Volume One of his series “Tales From the Mind Field.”

 

Villoria has a son and daughter and lives in Las Vegas with his Wife.

Support Local Businesses. It Pays.

The Advantages of Small Local Businesses

by Candace Webb, Demand Media / Article provided by R.M.Villoria - Author / S.M.Publicist

In choosing where to shop, many people look first at prices, then location and then the name of the store, with little thought given to the importance of supporting small, local businesses. Small local businesses provide advantages to the surrounding community that large big box retailers cannot offer. Understanding those advantages can encourage customers to support their local merchants.

Significance

Shopping at small, local businesses can have a significant impact on the local economy. Businesses pay sales tax to the city and county where the business is located. When patrons make the choice to leave the area to do their shopping, they are supporting areas outside of their own. Large businesses also pay sales taxes to the local government.

Benefits

The money paid to local governments by small, local businesses is used for many things, including the financing of roads, public schools, sidewalks and parks. In addition, those tax dollars help to fund additional public service workers such as police officers and firefighters. Many cities subsidize youth sports leagues that are sponsored by the parks department. The money used to fund such activities comes from taxes, which are paid in part by small local businesses as sales tax revenue.

Related Reading: Local Partnership Ideas for Small Businesses

Time Frame

Each year, cities calculate the amount of sales tax revenue that they anticipate receiving from their local businesses. That revenue estimate is used to forecast the following year's budget needs and the budget gets decided. If the revenue does not match the estimate, the city goes over budget, which can cause financial issues. Local businesses that are able to maintain positive growth through sales tax revenue each year help meet the city's financial needs. In addition, the city is able to project the following year's probable revenue figures based on the local business' revenue the previous year.

Considerations

Small local businesses provide job opportunities for local residents. This can be in the way of part-time help, or full-time management. Local jobs keep the residents in town during their shift, so the advantages extrapolate outward as the employee spends money at the local restaurant during meal breaks, gasses up at the local station to get to work and stops at the local grocery store on the way home at night. The advantage of a small local business employing local residents creates a domino effect that helps the community as a whole.

In addition, small local businesses typically provide better customer service than their large, corporate counterparts. The small business owner often lives in the community, worships, plays sports and socializes with community members, and cares about the individuals who patronize his business. Because of his personal involvement with the community, he will strive to provide the best service possible to customers.

Potential

Aside from providing local job opportunities, small, local businesses support the area through their everyday needs. Small businesses open accounts at local banks, hire local CPAs and attorneys and when they need supplies they can step down the street to get them quickly. Running a small local business provides automatic advantages in the daily operations.

About the Author...
Born and raised in the state of New York, R.M. Villoria began his writing career as a prolific songwriter. After two back-to-back tours as a Marine in Vietnam, Villoria spent the next few years owning and operating a myriad of businesses and in 1992 returned to writing, this time appeasing his appetite for suspense and horror fiction.

Years in the making, his ghostly tales touching on the underpinnings of quantum physics and the paranormal are now ready for the public. As his first published work, Villoria presents readers with Volume One of his series “Tales From the Mind Field.”

Villoria has a son and daughter and lives in Las Vegas with his Wife.

Visit him on his website at: www.rmvcard.com