"Spain's 'El Gordo' Christmas Lottery: Millions in Prizes and Peculiar Rituals"

Spain's annual Christmas lottery, known as "El Gordo," has begun distributing millions of dollars in prizes. The immensely popular lottery will award a total of 2.6 billion euros ($2.8 million) in prizes, with the top-prize winners receiving 400,000 euros ($440,000). Families, friends, and co-workers traditionally purchase and share tickets, and the winning numbers are announced by children from Madrid's San Ildefonso school. The lottery, established in 1812, is a major tradition in Spain and is considered the world's richest in terms of total prize money.