Spanish Club hosts Christmas Lottery

This holiday season, the Spanish Club hopes to spread the Christmas cheer by bringing Sorteo Extraordinario de Navidad to SMIC-I. Sorteo Extraordinario de Navidad, or the Spanish Christmas Lottery, is one of the largest and most famous lotteries in the world. The tradition of the lottery survived the Spanish Civil War, the overthrow of the Republican government, and the Franco regime. Since its start in 1812, the tradition has earned its place as the second longest lasting lottery in the world. The lottery is nicknamed El Gordo—the Fat One—for its extraordinarily large prizes, and a sizable portion of the Spanish population take part in this Christmas tradition each year. 

Lottery tickets were available for purchase from Spanish Club members throughout December 20 – 21 for 5 RMB each. A few people chose to buy several tickets, hoping to increase their chances. Even teachers participated. First place would win a battery pack, second place an animal throw pillow, and third place San Andres chocolates, imported straight from Spain. With one first place prize, two second place prizes, and three third places prizes drawn from a total of 100 tickets, the odds of winning a prize were in the participants’ favor. Those who participated were invited to the draw, which took place on December 26, the day after Christmas, in the Spanish classroom (A212) during lunch. The president of the Spanish Club, Leon Cheng (11A), drew the winning tickets out of a black felt hat decorated with bright flowers. The results are as follows:

1st: Brenda Chen (11C)

2nd: Mr. Yang, Katherine Liu (11A)

3rd: Iris Jiang (11B), Yuwen Chen (9B), Alex Chu (11A)

“The chocolate was good,” Yuwen, who had won third place, commented. She continued, “I am happy that I won.” As the lottery was a success, club president Leon remarked, “Spanish Club will host [a] similar event on a larger scale in the future.” For those who missed the opportunity this last time or wish to try their luck once more, another lottery is likely in the cards. 

Featured Image- Christmas lottery poster Courtesy of Esther Wang

by Esther Wu