One of the elements of Christmas in Madrid that most surprises those who come to the capital from outside is to see how many nativity scenes located in public institutions are accompanied by the Spanish flag, placed by meters to cover the tables on which the assemblies sit.
The current origin is linked to the response of PP leaders to the Catalan independence referendum in 2017, in the form of a Spanish nationalist fervor that politicians like Almeida displayed in traditionally Madrid elements like Christmas lights or the depiction of the birth of Jesus.
But the first female politician to bring together this unexpected combination was Esperanza Aguirre. He did so unexpectedly, due to a misunderstanding he had with his then general director of institutional relations of the Community of Madrid, Fernando Martínez Vidal, then also leader of the PP and today Vox advisor to Madrid City Hall.
The chronicles of the time say, in an error that Esperanza Aguirre herself admitted, that at Christmas 2004, while she held the position of president of the Community of Madrid, she opposed the nativity scene installed in the courtyard of the Casa de Correos, seat of the regional government. “Fernando, this nursery doesn’t have a flag,” he told the manager, who took note and pulled strings to adapt the assembly to the president’s tastes.
The next day, the nativity scene in Puerta del Sol displayed a huge Spanish flag, attracting the attention of all passers-by and also of Aguirre herself, who once again demanded the presence of Martínez Vidal, to attract his attention again and assure him that he had not understood: instead of the “flag”, the regional president had asked him to place a “laundress”, as is the tradition in this type of staging.
The story was recalled on TikTok a few days ago by journalist David Andújar, who described the anecdote as “the best Christmas story in history”.
To look at you with tenderness
I learned since I was little
Because you are pure glory
Because you are pure glory
Madrid cocidito
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