When you think of Spain, bullfighting usually comes to mind, along with chorizo, gazpacho, and of course, Antonio Banderas. However, little is said about the country's intriguing Christmas celebrations - and in a country where the bovine is divine, mass is named after a bird, and nativity scenes feature a suspiciously-positioned man, Christmas can be anything but ordinary.
Like many cultures, Christmas in Spain is a time to forget the old diet plan and join your family and friends for a night of food and festivities. According to Noelia Mayorgas, a native of Spain, dinner on Nochebuena (the Good Night) is usually accompanied by cava, a champagne-like sparkling wine produced only in Catalonia. The dinner menu itself can be traditional, the big roasted bird complete with gravy and all the trimmings, but nowadays, says Ms Mayorgas, dinner guests could be treated to anything from seafood and tapas to a large roast. Regardless of the main course, the traditional almond candy turron can be found on any dinner table in a variety of flavours.
After dinner, families head to La Misa del Gallo, or the Mass of the Rooster, so named because it is said that the only known instance of a rooster crowing at midnight was on the day that Jesus was born. The crowds spill out on to the streets after midnight mass, to watch dancers performing the jota, a traditional dance, with music and words that have been passed down over the years.
Upon heading back home, Spanish families are welcomed by the sight of a Christmas tree, along with a nativity reconstruction. The Spanish call theirs Belen, after Bethlehem, and according to Ms Mayorgas, the Catalonian version has quite a significant addition in its miniature manger. Like a game of Where's Waldo? with a twist, children amuse themselves by looking for a specific figure in the nativity scene, El Caganer.
Translated as 'The Defecator', this rude little shepherd is always tucked away in the corner, and over the years, the traditional design of the squatting man with his pants down has sometimes given way to Santa Claus, and has even taken the form of Pope John Paul II or Osama Bin Laden, to the delight of many a cheeky tourist.
If the visitors weren't so busy looking for the naughty nativity figure, they would notice that the cow features quite prominently in the manger scene. The cow is said to have breathed on the baby Jesus to keep him warm that night, so the Spanish honour the gentle barn animal during the Christmas season.