The tradition of Christmas hampers being sent by businesses to their clients or their staff is widespread in Spain, but few people know that this festive tradition actually dates back to Roman times.
Every year, thousands of baskets full of gourmet goodies like cured meats, cheese, wine, cava, marzipan treats, turrón and polvoroneswing their way to customers and employees thoughout the month of December.
Although the festive box itself is a relatively new concept, the custom of workers receiving a gift at this time of year began many, many centuries ago in ancient Rome.
The first historic references to the practice date back to the time of the Roman Empire, when small gifts were typically distributed to slaves by their masters in the days running up to Saturnalia, a major pagan festival held between December 17th and 23rd.
At this time of year, slaves and workers received a series of small gifts from their masters and one of these gifts would be the famous sportula, similar to today's hamper of food.
The festivities would begin in the Roman Forum with a sacrifice at the Temple of Saturn, followed by a public banquet, where roles were reversed and masters waited at their slaves' tables. Wicker baskets full of figs, laurel leaves, and other seasonal food items would be exchanged.
The carnival atmosphere would continue for several days, with non-stop partying and even gambling, not normally permitted in Roman society. Small figurines made of wax or pottery known as sigillaria were also exchanged.
In Spain, the tradition of giving Christmas hampers dates back to the end of the 19th century, when this became the standard yuletide gift given to people working in public office. However, it was not until the mid 20th century that the tradition became truly consolidated in Spain, with both government departments and private businesses gifting the kind of gourmet hampers we see today.
