The 2013 Word of the Year: ESCRACHE

A number of new and curious words have made interesting appearances on the Spanish linguistic landscape in recent years including wasapear (to send text messages using the cell phone app WhatsApp) and auto-foto. These terms made the candidate short list, but Fundeu BBVA ended up selecting escrache  as their 2013 word of the year. 

The Fundeu BBVA is an organization that works together with the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) and whose main mission is to promote what they deem as proper Spanish usage in the media. The group was looking for a word that had recently come into the mainstream and was relevant in terms of its usage to describe recent current events. Escrache, in reference to an organized demonstration in front of the homes of politicians and other public figures, seemed to meet those qualifications.

The Argentine and Uruguayan media used the word frequently in the 1990s to describe many demonstrations held to protest crimes committed by dictatorships. Escrache has recently found its way across the Atlantic and into Spain’s popular media, which makes use of the word to describe protests organized by Spain’s Mortgage Victims Platform, a social group that fights against home evictions.  

Escrache’s origins in Argentina likely come from the Genovese scraccâ meaning to spit, or the Italian schiacciare meaning to smash or crush. English speakers however will immediately associate escrache with the word scratch, and Spanish speakers in places with heavy English language influences (like the US) use escrache to describe a scratch. It’s a completely different usage of the word, which makes it even more interesting and added value to its candidacy as Fundeu BBVA’s word of the year.

 Although the RAE’s dictionary does not include the word, it does provide an entry of the verb escrachar as a colloquial Argentine word that can mean either to break, destroy, smash, or oddly enough, to take a photograph of somebody.

This is the first year that the Fundeu BBVA has selected a word of the year, and it’s not the only organization to do it. The American Dialect Society has been announcing words of the year in English since 1991. Not! meaning “just kidding” was 92’s woty. Both Webster and Oxford dictionaries have them too. This year, “selfie” beat out “twerk” and “bitcoin” to become Oxford’s word of the year.

The “most beautiful Spanish word” survey

The Cervantes Institute has launched several online surveys in recent years in search of the most beautiful word in Spanish. The surveys, which coincide with el Día del Español celebrations (which happen in mid June), are open to anyone who wants to participate, and thousands of internet users from around the world compete.

“Amor” won in 2006 but had stiff competition from words with appealing meanings like paz or libertad, and words that sounded attractive such as libélula, albahaca and susurro. In 2011, a word nominated by the celebrated actor Gael García Bernal was elected over other nominations such as sueño, flamenco and alegría: his word was Querétaro, a word with indigenous origins and likely means either “island of the blue salamanders” or “place of reptiles”.

So what do you think is the most beautiful word in Spanish? Which do you think should be the word of the year?

The Spanish flag

The Spanish flag is probably one of the most distinctive flags of European countries. The Spanish flag has caused the colors yellow and red to be seen as the national colors of Spain.

The current Spanish flag went into use on Dec. 19, 1981. The flag consists of two red strips and one yellow strip. The yellow strip is the same height as the two red strips together. The colors red and yellow have been used on the flag of Spain since 1785 and were chosen because, according to King Charles III, these colors would stand out.

The coat of arms of Spain

The left half of the yellow strip depicts the coat of arms of Spain. This coat of arms has undergone many changes in recent centuries. In fact, until 1981, the coat of arms was adorned by an eagle. The coat of arms of Spain consists of 8 different parts. At the top left of the coat of arms is a yellow tower symbolizing the region of Castile. On the upper right is a crowned lion symbolizing the region of León. The four red stripes in the lower left symbolize Aragon. The gold chain with the emerald in the lower right represents Navarre. The pomegranate in the bottom center represents Granada. The three lilies in the center of the coat of arms symbolize Bourbon, home to the royal house. Finally, the coat of arms is crowned with a crown, reflecting the royal crown.

The pillars on the side of the shield are also called the "Pillars of Hercules," the former name of the Strait of Gibraltar. The red ribbon wrapped around the pillars says "plus ultra" which means, "beyond. With this, the coat of arms of Spain includes the former Spanish territories in the Americas.

The Spanish flag without the coat of arms is also commonly used by Spanish citizens and is also called the civil flag. The flag should not officially be hung out between sunset and sunrise, however, Spanish embassies are an exception to this.

Spanish holidays

Spain has an enormous number of holidays. Most of these Spanish holidays are celebrated according to tradition every year. So is New Year's Eve in Spain. Spain has some pretty distinct traditions, customs and practices that are celebrated during New Year's Eve. New Year's Eve is celebrated big and elaborately in Spain, and in Spanish fashion, New Year's Eve celebrations also start relatively late.

New Year's Eve in Spanish is called "Noche Vieja," the old night. On New Year's Eve, most Spaniards stay home with the whole family until noon. In Spain, New Year's Eve begins with a very elaborate dinner with the whole family. After dinner, most Spaniards move to one of the city squares. The most famous square in Spain to celebrate New Year's Eve is Puerto del Sol in Madrid. As such, this is the centerpiece of Spanish New Year's Eve. Around noon, all eyes are on the clock on the Puerta del Sol. This clock is also shown on television so everyone can join in with "Las Uvas de La Suerte" tradition.

Spanish traditions

'Las Uvas de La Suerte' is a Spanish tradition that originated in 1909 when grape growers in Alicante could not get rid of their grapes and shared them out. At noon, grapes are hawked. One grape per chime, for 12 chimes. If you manage to eat twelve grapes before the 12 chimes are over, you will have good luck and prosperity in the coming year. Each grape equals one month of the year.

After the grapes are duly processed, everyone wishes each other a Happy New Year and, as in the Netherlands, champagne is toasted. Increasingly popular is cava, which is a Spanish champagne. Different grapes are used for cava than for champagne. And because it is made domestically, cava is often cheaper than champagne.

Besides "Las Uvas de La Suerte," for women, wearing red underwear such as a bra or socks would also ensure happiness in love in the coming year. However, this underwear must be gifted.

Unlike in the Netherlands, fireworks are not used in Spain as in the Netherlands specifically for New Year's Eve. In Spain, fireworks can be bought all year round, and fireworks are therefore more something for summer celebrations than just for New Year's Eve. After wishing each other a "Feliz Año Nuevo," a happy New Year, the younger generation goes into town. As in the Netherlands, they party until the early hours. And what could be tastier than typical Spanish churros with hot chocolate.

University New Year in Salamanca

Every year on the penultimate Thursday of the academic term, thousands upon thousands of students from all corners of Spain descend on the small Castilian city of Salamanca for the annual Nochevieja Universitaria – translated as University New Year. This impressive celebration was inaugurated in 1999, when students wanted to be able to celebrate New Year with their university friends, before going home for the Christmas holidays. Since then it’s become a highlight in the university calendar, not just in Salamanca, but across the country. People come in busloads from as far as Seville just to be part of this magical night, before heading home early next morning (literally) after a whole night of partying.

A couple of days ago I was lucky to be able to experience Nochevieja first hand, going with some friends from work to see for ourselves what all the fuss was about. We all decided to meet at 10 pm, thinking that the Plaza Mayor – where the ‘countdown’ to the New Year takes place – would already be jammed with people. We were a little surprised to find that at this point it was only half full, if that. Regardless, the atmosphere was extremely jovial, with a raised platform and DJ underneath the famous reloj (clock), playing all our favorite tunes – with Avicii’s Wake Me Up receiving a screaming reception.

Nevertheless, the idea of standing there for the next two hours was not so appealing, so we went to a nearby bar and had a few drinks and some dancing. We stayed there for about an hour, before heading back to the Plaza Mayor for the strike at midnight. On our way there, we bumped into another friend from work who had unfortunately lost her phone, which reminded us all to keep an eye on our belongings, especially since by this point the Plaza Mayor was jam packed. We pushed our way into the center of the square, nestled between a group of Spanish students, and some sweet Americans. There was still about half an hour left before the “big moment”, but it flew by with more club classics from the rather excitable DJ.

Spanish New Year's Traditions

It is a Spanish New Year’s tradition to eat twelve grapes at midnight, one for each time the clock chimes ding dong. On our way into the Plaza Mayor we had each been handed a little box of twelve grapes (for free!) for us to reenact the tradition at “New Year” – or, in our case, when Thursday became Friday… With about five minutes to go, the DJ stopped doing his thing, and was replaced by a spectacle of lights and drumming music. The Plaza Mayor was changing different colors – red and green – and the façade with the clock had a visual show projected onto it. The main theme of this production was a series of dates, but none of us knew what the dates stood for, and my research has so far proved fruitless. Maybe it was key dates in Salamanca’s history, or Spain’s, or of the night’s sponsor, Brugal? Anyway, the point is it was really cool.

The final segment of this 3D mapping show was a 10-second countdown to midnight, at the completion of which we all hurriedly ate our grapes. The task was significantly harder than we’d expected; eventually I found myself with about four grapes in my mouth at once because the clock was dinging faster than I was eating! And then that was it… once midnight had passed it was the end of Plaza Mayor’s turn to host the thirty thousand students, who then went out into the large number of bars and clubs that hug the center of the city – but only after a ten-minute struggle to leave the Plaza Mayor, a difficult task with so many people going in so many opposite directions. We found ourselves at a bar very near to the Plaza Mayor which was playing typical Spanish club songs. I didn’t recognize any of them, but happily danced away for the next few hours.

When we left the club – slightly deafened from having spent all our time next to the speakers – we thought about going to another, but the Englishness in us had work the next morning firmly at the back of our mind, and the thought of partying until 6 am Spanish-style didn’t appeal. But, we were glad we’d experienced one of the highlights of the academic year in Spain, and it will definitely be a great memory for years to come.

Spanish winter

Spain is located on the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, further the country has several mountain ranges and is thirteen times larger than the Netherlands. Not surprisingly, the Spanish climate is very diverse by region. While the south of Spain is very pleasant in the winter, the northwest of Spain is "chilly" by Spanish standards.

Inland Spain has harsh winters versus dry warm summers. In winter there are pleasant temperatures and blue skies, a pleasant climate for getting out and about.

Due to the great diversity in the landscape, Spain has many different climates. In the northwest of Spain and on the Atlantic Ocean there is a maritime climate, which means that in winter it is around 6 degrees Celsius. With a maritime climate, there is a relatively high amount of precipitation throughout the year. The amount of precipitation in northwest Spain can be compared to that in the Netherlands.

In contrast, southern Spain, Andalusia has very mild winters and very warm summers with little precipitation. The average temperature in winter is around 15 degrees and in summer it is not exceptional if the temperature rises to 40 degrees.

Inland Spain has great differences in temperatures. For example, during the Spanish winter it can easily freeze in the higher elevations and in the summer the temperature can reach 30 degrees with little precipitation. In winter, one can ski in the Pyrenees and in southern Spain in the Sierra Nevada.

The Spanish Costas

The Spanish Costa's have mild but wet winters (the further south the drier) and pleasant summers. Summer temperatures are lower than in inland Spain which makes it more pleasant. Spain's Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol are pleasant winter destinations. This is because of the small amount of precipitation that falls and the pleasant temperatures of around 18 degrees. These temperatures make it pleasant to play golf, or to go out and explore the surroundings. For example, from the Southern Costas there are several cities to visit inland, the Alhambra in Granada and the Royal Palace in Seville are also well worth a visit. The Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol, like the Canary Islands, which is also a winter destination, have about 6 hours of sunshine per day during the winter. The Canary Islands have a constant annual temperature that averages between 22 degrees in winter and 27 degrees in summer.

The Balearic Islands also have mild winters and pleasant summers, just like the Spanish Costas. However, more precipitation falls on the Balearic Islands than on the southern Costa's. Typical of this archipelago is the amount of precipitation that falls all at once. The amount of precipitation makes this archipelago less interesting as a destination in winter.

Unknown to many is this lively seaside neighborhood in the city of Málaga. Pedregalejo encompasses a very unique part of Spain where authentic southern Spanish fishing life is cleverly combined with modern entrepreneurship. As a result, more and more students are finding the city.

It is an ordinary Sunday morning sometime in the fall. The beach is empty except for a few young "guiris," recognizable by their long bodies and blond looks, and also by the fact that they are the only ones still venturing onto the beach in bikini outside the high season. Spaniards don't. Looking at the car-free boulevard, it is clear what they do. They stroll lustily past the numerous bars, cafes, restaurants and wooden boats on the beach, where the famous 'espetos de sardinas' are grilled on wood fires. Nice detail is that the same morning these sardines were happily swimming around in the sea you watch from the terrace.

If you look closely at the beach again, you will see that the "guiris" lying there almost without exception have books in front of them. They chose Málaga as a destination to learn Spanish and are pounding out words in the sun for the next test. Pedregalejo is home to the majority of language schools in Málaga. The advantage of staying in this neighborhood is obvious. The beach is on your doorstep, which is very convenient with the sunny climate. The inhabitants are very friendly and helpful, even those who have not yet mastered their language feel welcome. There are plenty of restaurants, the school is nearby and with bus 11, which runs every ten minutes, you are in the old center of Malaga within 20 minutes.

Since the current mayor took over governance there, the heart of Malaga has turned into one big terrace and the choice of bars, restaurants, hip terraces and clubs is endless. For a dose of culture, there are several museums, including the Picasso Museum and the recently opened Thyssen Bornemisza Museum. The port has been completely restyled and is now one of the biggest draws for tourists with fancy stores and - again - entertainment venues. Pedregalejo is riding on this growing attraction of the city, helping to make Málaga one of the most popular Spanish cities to master the language.

10 (at least) Christmas Traditions in the Spanish Speaking World

A number of festive celebrations, some religious and some secular, take place throughout the month of December around the Spanish speaking world, where the holiday season often extends well beyond the 24^th and the 25^th.

Countries located in the southern hemisphere that have strong Christmas traditions greet the season in the middle of their summer time, where culinary and decorative holiday traditions are adapted to warmer temperatures, as they are in tropical neighboring countries near or on the equator.

In many Latin American countries it’s common for the Christmas period to extend from the middle of December until well into the new year and beyond King’s Day (January 6^th). On December 7th in Guatemala, they burn an effigy of the Devil, and on that same day in Colombia it’s el día de las velitas (Day of the Little Candles) when candles are placed everywhere to honor the Virgin Mary. In Honduras, Mexico and Venezuela, starting from December 16^th, the nine-day Posadas celebration begins. In many of these places, the Christmas season doesn’t draw to a close until the day of Candelaria on February 2^nd.    

Madrid metro network

The easiest way of public transportation in Madrid is the metro. The underground in Madrid is the second largest metro network in Europe. Not only tourists like to use the metro in Madrid, the Madrilenians themselves are also big fans of the metro.

The first metro lines in Madrid were built at the beginning of the 20th century. On October 17, 1919, the Madrid metro was opened by King Alfonso XIII. During the Spanish Civil War, Madrid's metro stations served as shelters for the Madrilenians.

The Madrid metro has a narrow network profile and a wide network profile. Metro lines 1 to 5 feature subways that are 2.30 meters wide. Metro lines 6 to 12 have subways that are 2.80 meters wide. Another difference between a narrow and wide network profile is the depth at which the subway lines are located. The narrow metro network profiles are located up to 20 meters below the surface and the wide network profiles are located deeper.

Line 9 was the first metro line in Madrid, passing through the suburbs of Madrid and ending in the suburbs of Rivas-Vaciamadrid and Arganda del Rey. At the beginning of this century, the Madrid airport was connected to the city center thanks to the metro. The entire Madrid metro network is underground with the exception of a small section of lines 9 and 10.

Europe's longest metro line opened on April 11, 2003. Metro Sur, metro line 11, has 41 kilometers of tunnels and the metro line has no fewer than 20 stations. This metro line is the most important metro line in southern Madrid because it connects 5 villages. Line 11 connects with line 10 making the center of the city accessible by metro as well.

A clear difference can be seen between the older and newer metro stations in Madrid. The older metro stations are more compact and and narrower than the new metro stations. Also, the old metro stations often only have a platform next to the tracks while the new stations have multiple platforms. Thus, the busy interchanges have central platforms which makes it easier for travelers to transfer quickly.

Madrid's subway lines are open Sunday through Thursday from 6 a.m. to 1:30 a.m.. On Fridays and Saturdays, the metro is open an hour longer, until 2:30 a.m.. A single trip on the metro costs €2 but there are also 10-ride tickets available that cost €12. These 10-ride passes with a Madrid metro map will make your stay in Madrid even more convenient and fun.

Around the 17th century, an influential period for prosperity, trade science and culture took place in Spain. The Spanish Golden Age is also known as El Siglo de Oro.

Spanish culture 

In the 16th century, Spain conquered the New World and this brought the country great prestige and wealth. This marked the beginning of the Spanish Golden Age, El Siglo de Oro. At that time, Seville was the richest city in the country, partly because Seville was the port for all trade to the Americas. During the Golden Age, Spain was ruled by the Habsburgs and until 1645 by King Philip II, Philip III and Philip IV, among others. Under the rule of the Habsburgs, all peoples had to learn the Spanish language. However, when Philip III came to power, the Habsburg Empire began to show its cracks and the Netherlands and England, among others, showed their dislike. Nevertheless, Spain was still one of the most powerful countries in the world during this period.

Spanish culture, on the other hand, underwent a great heyday in the 16th and 17th centuries. Spaniards produced so many great works of art and literature that this period is known as the Golden Age. This was also the time of Baroque literature. It was a dark period where pessimism prevailed and it was believed that only death could deliver you from this period. Velázquez, among others, painted masterpieces during the Spanish Golden Age.

Drama began to gain popularity during the Golden Age. Well-known playwrights of this era include Félix Lope de Vega and Pedro Calderón de la Barca. Félix wrote 2000 plays that were mainly about honor and love. After his death, Pedro became one of the most famous playwrights. His works are known for his religious drama about Catholic beliefs.
The death of Pedro Calderón de la Barca in 1681 is often seen as the end of the Spanish Golden Age. The Spanish Golden Age was also a successful period for the famous Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes. Among other things, he wrote the modern novel "Don Quixote," one of the most famous novels in Spanish history. In addition to novels, Cervantes also wrote several plays. Miguel Cervantes played a major role in Spanish history and this can still be seen today on the Spanish 10, 20 and 50 cent euro coins.

One of the most famous Spanish paintings

Las Meninas was created by Spanish painter Diego Velázquez. One of the most famous Spanish painters of the golden age, he created many portraits of the Spanish royal family. The Dutch name for Las Meninas is De Hofdames.

Velazquez

Born in Seville, Diego Velázquez began painting at a very young age. At 12, Velázquez was an apprentice painter with Francisco Pacheco. When he moved to Madrid in 1622, he attracted the attention of Spain's King Philip IV.

In 1629, Velázquez left for Italy for a year and a half to study his classical predecessors. All at the expense of Spanish King Philip IV. Upon his return, Velázquez became the court painter of the Spanish royal house. In 1649, he went to Italy again, but this time to procure art for King Philip IV.

Las Meninas is one of the first modern Spanish paintings. A modern painting makes you think about everything on the canvas.

At the center of the painting is the Spanish princess, she was the apple of the family's eye, and at the time the only living child of King Philip IV. It is unusual for a princess to be the center of a painting. At the time the painting was made, princesses were often married to cousins or uncles in the family, to ensure that there was a male heir to the throne.

Everything on the life-size canvas makes the viewer think. For example, the painter has depicted himself, at work, on the canvas. It looks like he is painting Las Meninas. This is not the only thing that makes the viewer think. For example, all the persons in the painting, are looking outside the painting. There is also a mirror painted on the canvas. In this mirror the faces of the royal couple can be seen. The viewer is like the royal couple, we look out over the artist's studio, and the viewer is portrayed.

The main question all this raises is, am I looking at the painting or is the painting looking at me? Find out the answer for yourself during a visit at the Prado Museum in Madrid.