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Little Known Fact About Christmas #1
Does everyone sleep on December 25th?Big "siesta" on Christmas Day!
Hello and welcome to this short video series, "The 12 Little known Christmas Facts", designed to improve your Spanish during the festive season.
As you know, learning a second language is not just about learning foreign words. It's also about learning about the culture where the language lives and evolves.
Christmas is a huge thing in all Spanish speaking countries, so even if you are not a Christian and Christmas means nothing to you, this is still a terrific opportunity for you to learn some amazing facts about this celebration in the Hispanic world. After all, it's an essential part of its culture.
Starting today, the 14th of December, each day, you will receive a little known fact about the Christmas period. That is to say, little known for most English speakers but huge in the Spanish speaking word. You can't afford to miss it! And I am sure that some of them will blow your mind! The series concludes on Christmas day itself.
All the facts will be said in Spanish first but you can find the transcript and its translation below!
So without further ado, little known fact #1
SPANISH AUDIO WITH SPANISH SUBTITLES
SPANISH AUDIO WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
Spanish Transcript and English translation - Part 1
¿Sabías que en la mayoría de países de habla hispana, la gran celebración de navidad es el 24 y no el 25 de diciembre? A diferencia de la mayoría de los países de habla inglesa como los EE.UU., Canadá o el Reino Unido, en la mayoría de países de América Latina, las familias se reúnen el día 24 para una gran cena navideña. La hora puede variar, pero por lo general alrededor de las 9 de la noche, todos los miembros de la familia se reúnen alrededor de la mesa para comer y compartir historias, esperando a que termine el día. Exactamente a las 12 de la noche_ o por la mañana, si lo prefiere, todo el mundo se esconde porque Papa Noel está a punto de aparecer.
Did you know that in most Spanish-speaking countries, the big Christmas celebration is on the 24th and not on 25th of December? Unlike most English-speaking countries like the US, Canada or the UK, in most Latin American countries, families gather on the 24th for a big Christmas dinner. Times may change but usually around 9PM, all family members gather around the table to eat and share stories, waiting for the day to end. At exactly 12 o'clock at night_ or in the morning if you prefer, everyone hides because Santa Claus is about to show up.
Spanish Transcript and English translation - Part 2
Mientras los niños se esconden, oyen ruidos y famosa risa de Papa Noel. Momentos más tarde, la casa vuelve a quedarse en silencio. Cuando los niños salen de sus escondites, para su sorpresa, el árbol de Navidad que antes estaba vacío, ahora está lleno de regalos. ¡Sí! ¡Es el momento de abrir los regalos y celebrar! ¡No es raro que los niños jueguen hasta las 3 de la mañana y aún más tarde! Por supuesto el día 25 todo el mundo duerme hasta muy tarde. Nadie hace mucho ese día. ¡Todos están exhaustos!
While the kids are hiding, they hear noises and Santa's famous laughter. Moments later the house goes silent again. When the kids come out of their hiding places, to their surprise, the Christmas tree that before was empty is now filled with presents. ¡Yay, it's time to open presents and celebrate! It's not uncommon for kids to play until 3 in the morning and even later! Of course on the 25th everyone sleeps until very late. No one does much on that day. They are all exhausted!
Spanish Transcript and English translation - Part 3
Eso sí, no todos los países de habla hispana celebran así. En los siguientes videos, veremos las tradiciones de algunos de estos países. Me gustaría saber lo que piensas! Por favor, escribe tus comentarios a continuación" Te veré mañana con El Segundo Hecho Poco conocido de la Navidad.
Mind you, not every single Spanish-speaking country celebrates like this. In the following videos we will see some of the traditions of some of these countries. I would like to hear what you think! Please comment below. I will see you tomorrow with little known Christmas fact #2.
