But the times they are a-changing, and not purely because of globalization. More and more Spanish families are celebrating with Papá Noel, Santa's Spanish counterpart. Their reasoning is that by giving kids gifts on December 25th, they have weeks of vacation to play with their new toys, compared to the single vacation day for toys received from the Kings. Fair enough.
In Galicia, however, there has been a surge in popularity of a specifically Galician Christmas character: the Apalpador. Apalpador translates to the guy who pats. He's a burly coal maker from the Ancares (or O Caurel), mountains in the eastern part of Lugo province. Once a year, he comes down from the mountains to visit the children of Galicia. He pats their bellies to see if they've been well-fed, and gives them some magic chestnuts to be well-fed and strong all year round. Now, when I first heard the story, it was rather alarming. A strange man rubbing kids' tummies...Call the cops! But now that I've seen the Apalpador in action, it's cute and not creepy.
This year, the Apalpador was spotted in several Galician cities, and even more towns and villages. In Lugo, where he has been going for years, he was greeted by a horde of delighted children. In Pontevedra where he is a relative newcomer, I met him and participated in his walk around town. More and more children must learn about him in school, because quite a few recognized him in the street. Others (like myself originally) were skeptical about this big, bearded man approaching them. But they quickly relaxed when a girl their own age (the Apalpador's unofficial helper) gave them chestnuts.If in Spain they're going to lose the tradition of the 3 Kings, I hope at least it gets replaced by an original, traditional character like the Apalpador.
