¡Te Quiero Papá! Father´s Day in Spain

As America, along with many other countries around the world, gears up to celebrate Fathers Day this coming Sunday, we thought we’d take an in-depth look at how the Spaniards do it – or rather did it, back on March 19th.

Relative to Mothers Day, the tradition of setting aside 24 hours for the exclusive celebration of fathers is particularly new, having originated with a widow of Washington State, and having been endorsed for nationwide adoption by President Calvin Coolidge just last century in 1924. When the idea arrived in Spain, along with many other Roman Catholic European countries, it was naturally tacked on to their existing March 19th feast day in honor of St. Joseph, or San José, the counterpart to the Blessed Virgin Mary as Jesus Christ’s biological father.

Among the new customs that appeared for ‘el día del padre’ were the obligatory (and hopefully heartfelt!) hugging of fathers, with the words “Te quiero (I love you, or literally I want you) papá”, along with gifts of jamón, homemade cards and other nick-nacks, but it´s the rich cultural framework of traditions, rituals and observances already in place for the Feast of St. Joseph that make Fathers Day in Spain just that little bit more special.

And of no region is this truer than Valencia, and especially the city of Valencia, where the Fallas festival is truly legendary. Each of the five days leading up to the Feast of St. Joseph proper is broken in with La Despertá, a boisterous brass band and firecracker wake-up call down every street from eight in the morning, followed by more firecrackers, fireworks and other pyrotechnics in the main square at two. The festival culminates on March 19th with a fiery parade of burning floats, rockets, gunpowder, fire eaters and fire dancers along Calle Colon to the Porta de la Mar, and finally with the burning of the ninots and falles, the monumentally hand-crafted puppets and effigies of politicians, celebrities and fictional characters dotted around the city. All of these festivities are of course punctuated by peerless Spanish delicacies, from the sizzling and mouth-watering paella Valenciana to the gorgeous buñuelo donuts and thick hot dunking chocolate.

You might be wondering what any of this has to do with St. Joseph, and the truth is that no-one really knows for sure. One theory goes that Valencian carpenters of the middle ages used planks of wood to support candles for light to work by through the dark winter months, which they would then burn in the spring when they were no longer needed. As the influence of Roman Catholicism spread, this carpentry practice became linked to the biblical carpenter, Joseph, and a tradition was born. Whatever the origin, though, the modern las Fallas is an explosive five days and, as anyone knows, dads love explosions!

Elsewhere in Catalonia, though eaten all year round, the smooth and sumptuous Crema Catalana makes for a more subdued highlight for any Fathers Day. Alternatively referred to as La Crema de Sant Josep, this delightful dessert´s caramelised sugar crust and creamy custard interior is almost universally eaten as a traditional ending to the Fathers Day family feast, whether at home or in a restaurant.

Dishes for this feast at home will typically be chosen from among the favorites of the father himself, and in this way old family recipes are handed down the generations. Although there is no set standard for a Fathers Day meal, like any other feast in Spain, grandeur is key. Hearty dishes like salted bacalao (cod) and steaming baked potatoes, scorching hot cochinillo asado (roast baby pig), or thick and juicy gambas ajillo (super sized prawns in olive oil, garlic and chilli) are all popular, as are the myriad jamóns, chorizos, fuets and butifarras of Spain. All this awash with wines from across the country and Cava from the north makes for a truly eventful Fathers Day.

Maybe we could all learn a little from the Spanish this year and go that extra mile for all the fathers we know and love. Come and celebrate this Father’s day with Ataula’s Sunday brunch; bring your papá and treat him with a plate of our Jamón Iberico, sangria and don’t forget about the donuts!