In Madrid, Spain, the Christmas spirit is alive and well as lucky holders of 20-euro tickets with the number 88008 are celebrating a big win. The prize? 400,000 euros ($440,000) each, or roughly 325,000 euros after tax, in the top prize of Spain’s huge Christmas lottery. The winning numbers were called out by children from Madrid’s San Ildefonso school, who picked up balls showing ticket numbers and their corresponding prizes from two giant rolling drums. They sang out both figures with a rhythmic cadence that is known to everyone in Spain.
The immensely popular lottery will distribute a total of 2.6 billion euros in prizes this year, much of it in small winnings. People across the country tuned into the television, radio and internet from early morning as the event is televised nationally from Madrid’s Teatro Real opera house. Street and bar celebrations normally break out, with winners uncorking bottles of sparkling wine and singing and dancing.
Purchasing and sharing tickets, known in Spanish as “décimos” (tenths) in the run-up to Christmas is a major tradition among families, friends, co-workers and in bars and sports and social clubs. In the weeks beforehand, queues formed outside lottery offices, especially those which had sold prize-winning tickets in the past.
Spain’s Christmas lottery, held each year on Dec. 22, is ranked as the world’s richest for the total prize money involved. Spain established its national lottery as a charity in 1763 during the reign of King Carlos III, and its objective later became to shore up state coffers. It also helps several charities. The Dec. 22 lottery began in 1812 and has become an integral part of the Spanish holiday season.
This tradition is a major part of the fabric of Spanish culture and brings great joy and excitement to the people of Spain, especially during the holiday season.