Saint Nicholas has his day!

On Saturday I tried to drive into our village late in the afternoon only to find both access routes blocked. Then the sky exploded into fireworks and I remembered that Christmas has arrived and the Wake Up the Village Committee was officially switching on the Christmas lights. Crowds of people gathered to watch fireworks in the rain, rather cold rain at that so maybe the fireworks cheered everyone up. The village certainly looks very bright and sparkly since then.

I also remembered that Saturday December 5th was the day that the Concello de Vigo planned to switch the Christmas lights on. I don’t remember there being fireworks last year for the official switch-on.

Why December 5th? I wondered. I was aware that the weekend involved some kind of festivities in Spain (one of my former students had been agonising on Facebook about where to spend the puente, bank holiday weekend) but I was blowed if I knew what it was all about. My low church Anglican with a bit of Methodist thrown in upbringing did nothing to enlighten me.

So, of course, I Googled it. It turns out that December 6th is the feast day of Saint Nicholas who over time and with a bit of help from Coca Cola turned into Santa Claus and started to wear a red suit and deliver presents to everyone. So that explains it!

Here in Greater Manchester the rain continues to fall with occasional moments of respite, just enough for a quick stroll. I seem to have changed my view of the ría for views of fields of sheep and some rather fine winter skies.

I read in the Galician newspapers online that there have been floods in some parts of our borrowed homeland. So maybe I should count my blessings and be glad to be in the land of over-decorated houses ready for Christmas as seen in this amazing picture from yesterday’s Guardian newspaper.

Global warming obviously doesn't worry some people.