Champagne rains as farming town wins 'El Gordo'
Many of winning tickets sold in rural Huesca province, including among a housewives' association
Residents of the tiny farming town of Grañén in the northern Spanish province of Huesca did more than chew the fat this morning; many of them claimed first prize in the "Fat One," Spain's national Christmas lottery.
"I had an indescribable feeling when I heard the number. I laughed; I cried... I can't believe it!" says María del Pilar Arzaga, head of the town's lottery administration of the moment when she heard the number 58268 cried out by one of the schoolchildren of Madrid's San Ildefonso school.
This year's four-million-euro el gordo is the largest in the lotto's history, which dates back to 1812. First prize money was also distributed among ticket buyers from Huesca and the nearby Housewives' Association. One farmer's wife was told yesterday that she was pregnant with a baby girl and today won money in el gordo. Second prizes went to residents of Mainses in Valencia and third prizes, 500,000 euros per lotto number, went to residents of Leganés, Las Rozas and Getafe among others.
