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What to Expect at Christmas and New Year |
This is a question which keeps coming up on our Forum, so I thought I would answer it here. I know it is still a while until Christmas, but most people going on holiday over the festive season will have already booked.
Firstly, on the mountain it will be pretty much business as usual. Everything will be open and ski lessons will run as normal. In the town, again most things will be open. All the bars will be open, as will the restaurants. Restaurants will be busy though so it will be best to book a day or two in advance. In the bars there will probably be some extra entertainment, and things will be busy as well. On New Year's Eve there will certainly be parties, but then in Arinsal in the winter there are parties every week.
Some places will be closed however on Christmas Day and New Year's Day, and will close early the day before. In particular the supermarkets, pharmacy, bank and laundry will be closed, so plan ahead if you will need any of these. Self catering visitors in particular need to get the supplies in early. Andorra follows the pattern of Spain for the holidays. The big occasions are Christmas Eve (Noché Buena - expect a special meal in your hotel), New Year's Eve (Noché Vieja) and January 6th (Dia de los Reis or King's Day when most presents are given). The latter is also a public holiday when the shops will be shut. The locals usually mark Christmas Day itself only with a family lunch.
The Christmas decorations are up throughout Andorra and will remain so until well into the New Year, like most ski resorts. Of course nature adds its own decoration with pine trees and snow giving a Christmassy look right up until after Easter.
For those looking for the more traditional meaning of Christmas, La Massana usually has a church service in English on Christmas Eve. Number One has reported on what has happened in previous years:-
The English Speaking Church held a Carol service in the Church in La Massana. (about 3 miles away). The building is a Catholic Church but the service was sort of Anglican, but several different people took part, including the local catholic priest. The children were given a "Christingle" which I thought was East European Orthadox but I may be wrong. Silent night was sung, with verses in Catalan, English, French and Spanish.
This took place early evening and seemed a nice way to get into the Christmas mood especialy after the hot wine and mince pies. It is possible to get here and back by local bus. There was a bus back from La Massana at 8-30 pm and 9 pm.
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