Podcast Summary: Acontece que no es poco | De arbolitos y belencitos…

Podcast: Todo Concostrina
Host: Nieves Concostrina (with Carles Francino)
Date: December 22, 2022
Theme: A witty deep dive into the true—often copied—origins of Christmas traditions in Spain, with Nieves Concostrina’s characteristic historical irreverence.

Overview

In this festive episode, Nieves Concostrina debunks the myth of "authentic" Spanish Christmas customs. She demonstrates, through wit and historical anecdotes, how the traditions most Spaniards hold dear—like Christmas trees, Nativity scenes, and even the lottery—are actually imported or adapted from other cultures. Her aim: to challenge notions of "pure" tradition and encourage a more playful, open embrace of how cultures continually borrow from one another.

Key Points and Insights

1. The Borrowed Nature of Traditions

• Everything’s a Copy: Nieves emphasizes that nearly every cherished Christmas custom in Spain is borrowed from elsewhere, often Italy or Northern Europe. This includes the Christmas lottery, Christmas cards (crismas), Nativity scenes (belenes), and Christmas trees.

  • Quote [02:07]: “Podríamos ver a ver cómo encaja todo, de dónde vienen las cosas, como todo está copiado de otro lugar. Si es que todo, todo es una copia.” — Nieves Concostrina

• Traditions Are Made to Be Broken or Adapted: Concostrina dismisses arguments about "true" or "foreign" traditions, pointing out that all sorts of celebrations—be it San Valentín, Black Friday, or Halloween—have infiltrated local customs for pragmatic reasons (fun or profit).

  • Quote [03:05]: “Las tradiciones están para saltárselas, eso es lo primero... El mundo ha ido adoptando y adaptando costumbres, celebraciones y tradiciones.”

2. Origins of Christmas and Its Key Symbols

Christmas: Roman Roots

• Saturnales to Navidad: The Christian date for Christmas owes its existence to the Roman festival of Saturnalia and the celebration of Sol Invictus, which took place on December 25th. The early Church decided to align the birth of Christ with this existing pagan festival.
  • Quote [04:24]: “Menos mal que los romanos pusieron fecha a la Navidad... Copiaron la celebración romana del nacimiento del Sol Invictus el 25 de diciembre.”

The Nativity Scene (Belén)

• Not Spanish nor Ancient: The tradition of elaborate home nativity scenes started in 18th-century Naples, among the aristocracy. The trend was imported to Spain by the Bourbon king Carlos III, who was enamored of the custom from his time as King of Naples.

  • Quote [05:05]: “¿Alguien se cree que armar el belén es una tradición ancestral española? Ni ancestral ni español.”
  • Quote [06:26]: “Cuando Carlos III era rey en Nápoles... lo copia de los nobles napolitanos... Se trajo 600 piezas.”

• Fun Fact: The King’s nativity scene still exists and is displayed annually at the Royal Palace, with around 200 surviving pieces [07:20].

• Curiosities: As in Catalonia there’s always a “caganer,” in Naples no nativity is complete without Estefanía, who tries to sneak in by pretending to have a child. This figure is linked to apocryphal stories and miracles—a nod to the creative “limitless screenwriting” of religious tradition [08:20].

The Christmas Tree

• Aristocratic Import: The first Christmas tree in Spain was installed at the end of the 19th century by Sophia Trubetskoy, a self-styled Russian princess and influential figure at court, in her palatial Madrid residence (now the site of the Bank of Spain).

  • Quote [09:43]: “¿Quién va a ser? Pues imagínate, una Cayetana de las de antes... una aristócrata de pacotilla... se encajó entre las élites.”
  • Quote [12:10]: “Ella es la que se trae la costumbre del norte de Europa del árbol de Navidad... en 1870.”

• Why the Tree Spread: The Spanish aristocracy, led by influential trendsetters, mimicked the habit, unaware (or unconcerned) that it had Protestant and pagan origins.

• Deeper Roots: Decorating trees goes back to ancient Babylonian and Celtic rituals.

  • Quote [13:27]: “Que cuando se celebraba a los árboles sagrados... de cuando los celtas decoraban los robles con frutas y velas...”

• The Church’s Conversion: Though initially opposed due to its pagan roots, the Catholic Church ultimately adopted the tree, instructing on its ‘proper’ placement and timing—another example of cultural adaptation.

Memorable Quotes and Moments

• On the arbitrariness of tradition:
  “Sólo la ignorancia te hace creer que lo tuyo es lo mejor y lo más original.” — Nieves Concostrina [05:12]

• On the extravagant Spanish lottery:
  “Se la trajo Carlos III, pero se la trajo de Italia, aquí no la lotería tal y como la conocemos ahora...” [02:32]

• On social climbing and the origins of the Spanish Christmas tree:
  “Por supuesto, era una aristócrata de pacotilla… porque es que sólo era una trepa que se inventó una procedencia…” [09:47]

• On the adaptation of foreign customs:
  “Esto para los que se quejan de que tal o cual cosa no es nuestra, pues el árbol tampoco. Desinformaos.” [12:59]

• Humor about aristocrats and noble rivalries over nativity scenes:
  “Instalar un belén refinado... eso era motivo de rivalidad entre los nobles y se visitaban entre ellos para ver quién lo tenía más grande.” — Nieves Concostrina [06:16]

Timestamps for Key Sections

• [00:59] – Introduction to the week’s Christmas theme
• [02:07] – How all Christmas traditions are borrowed; discussion of tradition and authenticity
• [04:24] – Roman origins of Christmas; Saturnalia and Sol Invictus
• [05:05] – Origin of the nativity scene; importation from Naples
• [06:26] – Carlos III brings the Italian nativity tradition to Spain
• [09:43] – The first Christmas tree in Spain; Sofia Trubetskoy
• [12:59] – Why the Spanish elite copied the tree without realizing its origins
• [13:27] – Pagan and Celtic roots of the decorated tree, church adaptation
• [14:12] – Episode close, seasonal greetings

Conclusion

With humor and sharp historical insight, Nieves Concostrina dismantles the myth of “pure” tradition, showing that Christmas in Spain is a patchwork of borrowed customs. Her message is clear: tradition is a living, evolving thing—enjoy it, adapt it, and don’t be fooled by those who insist on rigid notions of cultural authenticity.

Feliz Navidad—con o sin árbol!