This is how the last hours before the Christmas Lottery are lived: "I have El Gordo"

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Manoli awaits luck armed with his fur coat, his kilt and his cane.

She is such an early riser that she has been

since Tuesday to be one of the first to enter tomorrow's Extraordinary Christmas Lottery Draw.

At his side is Juan López, who for nine years has been waiting, disguised as a bishop, for the most desired day of the year to arrive:

.

He appeared last Saturday at 7 in the morning and spends the nights in the Plaza de Oriente so that no one steals his place.

"It's very cold, but the illusion can

. We have hostels to wash up and charge the mobile, but at night you have to stand guard," says the nicknamed

.

He has come from León and this year

.

"This theater has magic. The one that comes, repeats. I'm looking forward to this date all year long. For me, it's sacred. It's my vacation. We have made very good friends and we even have our WhatsApp group," he says full of illusion .

At his side are José Antonio Toro and Juan Jesús Saldaña, "the friendliest in Spain", he adds.

They are Quixote and Sancho from the Christmas lottery draw.

Many onlookers and tourists

with them.

Bull is equipped with a homemade costume.

Don Quixote's helmet is

, the vest is the sun visor of the car and the sword is a feather duster with a funnel.

The Rocinante horse is a state-of-the-art bicycle in the 21st century.

Don Quixote has not missed his appointment with the Lottery for three years.

"I've been hooked. For me it's a very special and beautiful day.

, he assures, getting into the role of the character of Miguel de Cervantes.

Sancho Panza wears a poster with a clear message:

.

He wears a garlic necklace because they bring good luck and he wants El Gordo to win him to buy the "Barataria island", which Don Quixote promised him.

and of which Sancho Panza was named governor.

"This is priceless. It's a joy. We come to enjoy and spread joy."

last minute queues

In the last hours before the Christmas Lottery, queues follow one another in many administrations.

There are many who leave the purchase of the tenth for the last minute.

This is not the case of Javier, a locksmith by profession, who buys a tenth a month as soon as the Christmas lottery comes out.

, but it's sold out everywhere," he explains as he leaves the Valderas lottery office, in the Madrid town of Alcorcón.

Beatriz Rubia, the administrator, arrives at the race like an exhalation.

"Oh, I haven't even had time to turn on the televisions!

. It's a very stressful moment, but we're used to it. Besides, you're going to have to come back tomorrow because El Gordo is going to touch us," assures with conviction.

In her administration, she took out two numbers for the neighborhood: the handsome one and the ugly one.

The handsome one has already sold out, the ugly one will have to wait.

Cristina González is one of the farsighted ones.

She has bought tenths

, because she "always plays much more".

She has been one of the graceful ones and eight years ago she won second prize.

"She was the number of the company and she touched me a lot because she had two tenths", she remembers with joy.

In Doña Manolita, the queue to buy tickets goes down Calle del Carmen, up Calle de la Salud and continues on Abade.

The public endures undaunted

.

John has arrived from Asturias this morning exclusively to buy the number.

"Come on, come on, it's our turn now. Let's take a selfie," he says excitedly.

Despite the fact that in real life it is bad luck,

to play the lottery.

"It is a fetish number that is even inherited from parents to children. It is very difficult to subscribe to a 13. Everything is taken. It is very difficult to achieve. You cannot return a 13," says Concha Corona, manager of Doña Manolita.

There are also many who look for

and this year the date of the death of Elizabeth II and the start of the war in Ukraine have been traced.

The number announced by Luis the Oracle, a Tik Tok seer who claimed to know the winning number, has also been exhausted.

This 2022 that says goodbye to people "has recovered the illusion".

And they all express the same wish: "I hope that tomorrow you will write about us

, concludes Beatriz Rubia.

• Fat

  €4,000,000

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• 2nd Prize

  €1,250,000

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• 3rd Prize

  €500,000

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• 4th Prize

  €200,000

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  --.---

• 5th Prize

  €60,000

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  --.---

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According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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