Lottery lives: Spain’s gender violence epidemic
Spain begins summer with one of the worst days on record for gender violence.
The Lotería de Navidad is one of the great institutions of life in Spain. Christmas lotto jackpot FOMO is unbearable for many and, this summer, Spaniards will once stand in line below the throbbing sun to buy tickets, or decimos, while on vacation — because you never know where the luck could land.
The December 22nd televised draw is a surreal spectacle. Nerve-wracked school children screech out numbers and cash amounts like fingernails raking across a chalkboard. Unlike other countries where the winner takes it all, in Spain - like most aspects of life here - it’s more about the collective, sharing. It’s about the ilusión, the hope and excitement, of winning one of the cash prizes together with family, colleagues at work or friends in the local bar.