“El Mayor Premio es Compartirlo.” This is the slogan of the annual Spanish Christmas lottery, which means, “The greatest gift is to share it”. As a Korean family living in Spain, we decided to participate in this lottery ourselves this year!

The Christmas lottery, called “El Gordo” (The Fat), is a critical part of the Spanish end-of-year culture. With the top prize being 4 million euros (around 5.4 million won) and hundreds of smaller prizes available, this entertaining diversion actually has dark roots: the very first lottery took place in Cádiz, in 1812, when the Spanish government set it up to raise money for the Spanish militia fighting against Napoleon’s troops. As of today, it is reported that Spanish people spend an average of around 66.16 euros each on lottery tickets. A full lottery ticket costs 200 euros, and a single ticket, or décimo, is worth 20 euros. A décimo has a specific number printed on it, and there are 10 décimos (all with the same number) in a full ticket. The prize for the winning number is shared among everyone who has that same number. Meaning that if you buy a full lottery ticket (10 décimos) and that number is chosen as the winner, you alone get the prize. However, as a tradition and as mentioned above, it is encouraged that you share the prize with your family and friends. 

[ Our lottery ticket, Photo Courtesy: Yujin Choi]

We bought a décimo (one ticket) for 20 euros at a lottery shop, or a “loteria” in Spanish. My mom wanted to buy the ticket because she had a lucky dream and we wanted to fully experience the Spanish culture. The man working there handed us the lottery ticket, and we took it without hesitation - we wanted to be confident with our decision. We felt a rush of adrenaline as we held the ticket in our hands, with thoughts and conversations starting with “What if we win a big prize?”. But soon reality caught up with us and we set our expectations low knowing that we had only bought a decimo. The lottery results, the moment of truth, is revealed through telecast on the morning of the 22nd of December. You will see joyful children from the San Ildefonso school reach into two gigantic containers, pulling out wooden balls with numbers one at a time. Singing the numbers melodically, the unique ticket number is sung on the Spanish National television with millions of eyes watching. 

[ Our Prize, Photo Courtesy:Yujin Choi]

On the morning of the 22nd, we carefully turned the TV on as we waited for the results. At first, we all knew this was just for fun and experience but as the day the results came out approached, we all had the same wish that the number the kids sing, every 5 digits, would be the same as ours. Unfortunately, the goddess of luck wasn’t on our side (well what can we expect she had around thousands of options to choose from), and our number wasn’t picked. However, we did get a very modest prize of 20 euros, making a total profit of 0 euros.Christmas is forever a holiday where people celebrate love and blessing for one another. However, these days, it seems like consumerism and materialist satisfaction sits at the heart of this holiday rather than gratitude and tenderness. Kids and adults are looking forward to a nicely wrapped iPad or some shiny Nike shoes rather than spending a heartwarming day with their family and friends. Although El Gordo might seem no different from some materialistic earning through luck, if you dig deep you’ll find the profound message of warmth, intimacy, and happiness. With its main purpose being sharing with close ones and having a magical Christmas, there is nothing more exhilarating, fun, and full of love than this lottery. This end of the year, like the meaning El Gordo has, share your blessing and thankfulness with the people around you!

 

 








Yujin Choi
Junior (Grade 11)
American School of Barcelona

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