Beating the odds: Spain’s Christmas lottery tradition

Filling the Sink

Spain’s annual Christmas lottery will take place on December 22; it is the biggest and most popular draw of the year and an event of great cultural importance for many Catalan citizens. This week on Filling the Sink we’ll be exploring the history of this festive prize draw and discovering how it is celebrated.

The Loteria de Nadal has been celebrated since 1812 and is the second-longest continuously running lottery in the world, as well the biggest in terms of the total prize payout. This draw is more than just a game of chance, it’s an important part of Catalan culture and of the Christmas tradition.

Catalan News journalist Oriol Escudé explains the origins of the draw as a way to raise money for the defense of Cádiz against Napoleon’s troops. Host Beth Cohen discovers who the students of San Ildefonso school are and why their singing forms part of the lottery draw held in the Teatro Real in Madrid. We visit some of Barcelona’s most iconic ticket outlets to meet lottery vendors and discuss the odds of winning ‘El Gordo’, as well as the controversy surrounding state taxation of winnings. We also chat to some of the players about their lucky numbers and how they hope to beat the odds this year.

This week’s Catalan phrase is “Néixer amb la flor al cul” - literally “to be born with a flower in your bottom”. It refers to good fortune acquired without effort and can be compared with the English phrase “to be born with a silver spoon in your mouth”.