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 2 women in mantilla and
peineta by SirRichard
When are you supposed to use it? The use of mantilla is not as widespread as it was in previous centuries. Nowadays you won't see women with mantillas unless you go to a wedding (and only the mother and a few familiars will use it), in Easter week processions or if you go to a bullfighting. Leave a Comment
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 Penitentes by SirRichard
It is celebrated in all Spain, though maybe the most famous are the celebrations in Andalucia, specially those in Sevilla, where there is people who really "live for it" all year round.
You will find some more info at one of my Travelogues. Leave a Comment
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 Balthasar by SirRichard
On the 5th January evening there are processions and parades in all the main cities, the 3 Kings arrive to town and on that night they leave the presents for the kids... Leave a Comment
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 2 tickets by SirRichard
BTW, I never won a single euro in this, but is a tradition after all!! Leave a Comment
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 Allan Eating Valencis
Orange in Spain by deecat
The four that I noted the most were: olives, oranges, dates, and saffron.
Olives . . .I love all kinds of olives; so, of course, I learned as much about them as possible. Spain has one of the largest olive crops in the world! Olive trees [which can live for more than 2,000 years] grow throughout this country. They can grow olives most anywhere, even in areas with little water because the tree's roots spread over large distances to absorb any trace of moisture in the ground.
They grow both black and green olives for eating, and they also make Spanish olive oil, a big export item.
I noticed lots of locals eat a popular snack at tapas bars: olives stuffed with tuna or anchovies.
Dates and Saffron Dates grow on palm trees. Around the town of Elche; there are about 200,00 date palm trees. Elche is in the southeastern part of Spain, and it has the largest palm grove in Europe! Lots of delicious sweet desserts are made from these dates.
Saffron is a rare spice that is made from dried orange stigmasof the crocus flower. It has to be handpicked because it is delicate; thus, Saffron spice is rare and very expensive. It's used as a spice in Saffron Rice.
Oranges It was the Moors who first planted orange trees in Spain literally hundreds of years ago. The Spanish word for orange is naranja, which derives from the Arab word naranj. Spain grows all kinds of oranges: navel, sweet Valencia, blood oranges, clementines, and bitter Seville oranges [used to make marmalade]. When we stayed at a Bed/Breakfast in Xativa, they gave us a bag of Valencia Oranges from their orchard. Leave a Comment
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 Spanish Guitar at Flamengo in
Seville by deecat
The most characteristic instrument of Spain, by the way, is the Spanish guitar. It is derived from the Roman cithara. It was brought to Spain around the time of Christ.
The Spanish guitar has gone through many forms before evolving into the instrument we see today. When the Moors were in charge of Spain, the Moorish musicians used a type of guitar that was rounded and resembled a lute. But, by the 16th century, there were all kinds of guitars being made and used. Some of these guitars had as few as four strings while others had as many as seven strings.
By the time the Spanish guitar started to resemble a large fiddle, it was commonly called vibuela de man[vee-HWAY-lah day MAHN-oh"]. This meant 'fiddle played by hand instead of bow".
After many years, the six-string guitar that has a large sound box and a long-fretted neck became the most popular guitar; it is the kind of Spanish guitar that is used today.
The Spanish guitar is one of three elements used in Flamenco; the other two are song and dance.
I think this particular guitar suits the Spaniards well...it emits impassioned sounds and rapid rhythms which go along with the Spanish Flamenco. Leave a Comment
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 Allan and an Elderly
Woman in Peniscola by deecat
In Spain an invitation to the home of friends is considered an honor because Spaniards generally open their homes only to family & close friends.. Therefore, guests rarely refuse invitations because to do so would be an insult. When visiting a friend, a guest brings a small gift such as sweets, flowers or a present for small children in the family.
We discovered that Spaniards greet with affection and warmth. The men shake hands when they meet; the women give a kiss on each cheek.
It is interesting & imperative to know that Spaniards consider small talk to be superficial or at least impersonal. Instead, Spaniards usually express their strongly-held opinions directly [sometimes even on the first meeting!]
The Spanish are very proud people. They certainly take pride in their birthplace, their culture, & their region. That's probably why the regional separatist movements [especially the Catalans & Basques] still exist.
A woman who ran one of the hotels where we stayed told me this: "Spaniards would rather do a bad job well than a good job poorly." I personally noted that personal wealth is not as important as family & respect.
Once cited as the most conservative country in Western Europe, it is becoming increasingly liberal. Now that Spain has freedom of the press & no censorship, they are starting to adopt some of the progressive views in the world. Of course, that leads to changes, especially with the young. For instance, now public displays of affection are common; once that was unheard of.
Here's a helpful warning: Even though Spaniards are expressive people & use gestures with or to substitute for the spoken word, they consider it RUDE for an outsider to mimic their mannerisms.
In the larger cities, Spaniards seldom entertain at home; instead they entertain in restaurants or tapas bars. Leave a Comment
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When we first arrived in Spain, we had no idea about anything in the country. By the end of the 38 days, we had learned a great deal, thank goodness.
In Spain, the people generally follow continental customs when it comes to table manners. Spaniards eat with the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right hand. The knife is used to push food onto the fork, and then the fork is raised, upside down, to the mouth. Usually neither fingers nor bread are used to put food onto the fork or into the mouth.
I discovered after some "looks" that wrists are kept on the table, and diners never rest their hands in their laps.
I liked the idea that there is no pressure put on guests who do not partake of a certain food or drink. Spaniards do not feel insulted; they hate to see food wasted so they consider it more polite to decline extra helpings than to leave food untouched on the plate.
Table manners for eating at tapas bars are quite informal. I LOL when I saw that olive pits and shells from shrimp are discarded quite naturally onto the floor!
But, taking up spare seats at a table that's already occupied is considered VERY RUDE.
Don't be taken aback by the number of wild game that is offered in restaurants, especially rabbit. I was at first. At the time that we were in Spain, we had a tame, indoor rabbit as a pet. However, I learned to get over it, and on 3 different occasions, I ate rabbit in different recipes. All of them were delicious. Other game available is wild frog, partridge, pheasant, and wild boar. Either Allan or I tried all of these.
At some markets, customers will bargain over prices. It's viewed as a dialogue between customer and vendor. You won't be considered "cheap" for suggestion a lower price because it's always assumed that a reasonable price can be agreed upon. Leave a Comment
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 Religious Celebration
Before Easter in
Guadalajara by deecat
Religious festivals are really important, and the most cherished religious festivals are Holy Week before Easter and Corpus Christi in May.
The Seville Spring Fair [Feroa de Abril] is held each year at Easter. The main event is a horseback parade with men in broad-brimmed hats and women in wild dresses.
Holy Week is made up of processions and sermons commemorating the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Hundreds of robed and hooded people walk through the streets, and some carry heavy wooden crosses just as Jesus did.
Corpus Christi is a religious feast that usually falls at the end of May, and it celebrates the triumph of good over evil with a parade through the streets that are carpeted with flowers and scented herbs We were told that even the young children stay up all night to make these "flower" carpets.
January 6 is the Feast of the Three Kings where gifts are exchanged on this day to commemorate the visit by the 3 kings of Orient to the baby Jesus.
February could be called fiesta month in Spain. Carnival celebrations are held all over the country before the beginning of Lent. It's an opportunity to be merry before the sacrifices of Lent.An annual fiesta in Bunol, Valencia, is called La Tomatina where people throw thousands of tomatoes at each other. It looks like a giant food fight!
The Feast of San Fermin is celebrated every July in Pampiona. The highlight of the week is the running of the bulls. Each morning 6 bulls are released into the streets; hundreds of people test their own speed and daring by running in front of and alongside the bulls. Leave a Comment
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 Cordoba, Andalucia. by blint
In the Cadiz province the other thing you should watch out for is the way they 'eat' certain words and past participle endings. For example. Estado become estao or the word pescado (which means fish) becomes pescao.
Oh, and don't forget the people in Cadiz like to play around with the th (ci or ce). Sometimes they say it someties they don't. So Cerveza (beer) can be pronounced Therbetha or cerbeza or cerveza or thervetha or therbeza or cerbetha. It's very confusing when your new to Spainish and trying to understand. But it's great becuse you almost can't pronounce it wrong!
You'll notice too that they say B for V which is common all over Spain.
Also the phenomenon I mentioned above can be heard outside of andalucia, in less well off areas. Leave a Comment
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