Loteria de Navidad, The Spanish Christmas Lottery

If you are in Spain on December 22, you might notice something out of the ordinary. It may seem that every radio and television, in every bar and home across the land, is tuned to the same channel. Over the course of three hours, the airwaves will be filled with the sound of singing – and not Christmas carols, but numbers.

The pre-Christmas date sees the drawing of the eagerly awaited Loteria de Navidad – sometimes called Sorteo de Navidad. As the biggest lottery (in terms of the total payout) in the world, El Gordo is a huge event amongst the Spanish community and even visitors to the country are drawn into the atmosphere of excitement and anticipation.

The format for Loteria de Navidad ticket sales is confusing for the uninitiated. Each ticket has a five digit number printed on it along with a series number, and this same number will be printed on numerous tickets. Tickets cost 200€ each, however for those who want to try their luck without spending a fortune, smaller portions of tickets known as décimos can be purchased. Décimos have the value of 10% of a full ticket and cost 20€. It is very common for families, friends and groups of work colleagues to purchase décimos as a group, sharing the prize if their number comes up. Tickets go on sale as early as August, which means that even if you won’t be in Spain for the lottery drawing itself, you can still join in the fun.

The televised drawing of the Loteria de Navidad is a major part of Spain’s Christmas festivities and is steeped in tradition. One notable aspect of the ceremony is the aforementioned singing of the numbers and prizes. Traditionally children from San Ildefonso School in Madrid have played the important role of relating the results of the draw, making this event truly unique. Formerly, the school was a orphanage for the children of public servants, however it is now open to children from a variety of backgrounds.

The lottery begins when two spherical cages are filled with numbered balls – one set to represent the ticket numbers and the second which denotes the prizes. One ball is drawn from each machine, repeating the process until the 13 main prizes and 1,774 smaller ones have been selected. Further winning numbers are determined from the winner of the top prize, “El Gordo” (the fat one).

After the Loteria de Navidad is drawn, ticket holders rush off to claim their prizes while those who Lady Luck forgot to smile upon tear up their tickets in disgust. Many of those who won a smaller prize, choose to reinvest their winnings by purchasing a ticket for El Niňo(the child), which takes place in New Year.