Paul Moss

That's why you'll often see friends, families or whole workplaces club together, buying strips of decimos, so if their number comes up, everyone gets a share.

In the months leading up to the draw, that shared anticipation grows everywhere.

Then, every 22nd of December, pretty much the whole of Spain tunes into a four-hour TV extravaganza broadcast live from Madrid's Teatro Real Opera House.

During the programme, young schoolchildren pick the winning numbers from two large spinning globes and sing them out to the crowd.

For Spaniards, it's an instantly recognisable sound, and it's how millions of people find out in real time whether they've won.

And once the final prizes are announced, the broadcast often cuts straight to the places that sold the winning numbers, where people can be seen flooding the streets and popping champagne bottles outside lottery shops.

By lunchtime, the draw is over, but the conversation isn't.

People compare what they won, mourn their losses, and think about whether they'll buy in again next year.

And of course, plenty of people get nothing at all.

But the tradition of El Gordo endures because of what it brings to Spain, a shared sense of community.

Carla Conti.

And that's all from us for now, but there'll be a new edition of the Global News Podcast later.

If you want to comment on this podcast or the topics covered in it, you can send us an email.

The address is globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk.

You can also find us on X at BBC World Service.

Use the hashtag hash global news pod.

This edition was mixed by Derek Clark and the producer was Muzaffar Shakir.

The editor is Karen Martin.

I'm Paul Moss.

Until next time, goodbye.