Arcadia Spain

Sant Esteve is the day after Christmas, this is the 26th of December and it is only celebrated  in Catalonia, the rest of states in Spain don’t have holiday and the reason come from the nine century. In the Carlistas times families used to gather in the main old noble house during Christmas day. Then, when every member of the family  had to return to their own houses, because was at night and the way could be hard and dangerous, they decided  come back next day. And is when that day became holiday, nobody worked because it was to return to their houses.

The popular saying "For Christmas, each sheep in his yard, for Sant Esteve, every sheep in his house" describes this social phenomenon very well.

The tradition in Sant Esteve day is to prepare lunch with all the rest of meals that left over on Christmas, so the start course is “Canelons”,  rolls of fresh pasta fill with a dough made with a mixed of mince meat.  Depend on the family they can served first a soup, or a different courses.  Desserts are nougat and other tipical Christmas sweets.

As you can see having read the last 3 post in Arcadia Blog, most of the catalans are spending 3 days in a row of meal meetings, the 24th, 25th and 26th of December.