At this time of the year, you have probably already heard about the most iconic New Year’s Eve tradition in Spain: eating twelve grapes at midnight. A couple of minutes before the clock strikes twelve on December 31, you’ll find 46 million Spaniards staring at the TV. That night, all broadcasters in the country show the same scene: Puerta del Sol square, in Madrid. And as the bell strikes, they eat their twelve grapes one by one.

Everything has to run smooth as a Swiss watch (quite literally), because any failure or delay in the procedure may ruin the whole ceremony. For this reason, the master watchmakers in charge of the clock at Puerta del Sol test the system 24 hours in advance. This rehearsal before the moment of truth is called preuvas (pre-grapes). Want to know how you can join the pre-celebration? Keep on reading or switch to the Spanish version of this post.

A Bit of History

At the beginning, preuvas was nothing but a technical run-through. Did you know that Madrid’s Post Office’s clock is almost 186 years old? That being the case, it is not surprising that technicians feel more confident testing its gears before running any event.

However, at some point people from all over the country started joining in and rehearsing New Year’s Eve ritual. The only difference was that, instead of grapes, they used to have twelve candies. Why? Well, simply because grapes are supposed to be bad luck if eaten before New Year.

Over time, the number of attendees increased and now around 25000 people gather each year at Puerta del Sol to rehearse for New Year’s Eve.

Where and When

Puerta del Sol is in downtown Madrid, close to the Royal Palace, the Parliament and the Plaza Mayor. Two of its most iconic symbols are the Tío Pepe advertisement and the Bear and the Madroño Tree statue.

Normally, you can get to Puerta del Sol by train, metro, and bus. But watch out! On December 30 and December 31, there are access restrictions due to the number of people that visit the square. That’s why we recommend you to step down at any nearby station and simply walk there.

Regarding the time of the ceremony, we are glad to tell you that you have two chances to attend preuvas within the same day! The first rehearsal takes place at midday, and the second one at midnight, December 30. But let’s be honest: most people prefer joining the latter.

Please note that in order to attend any of the two, you’ll need to be in the area at least two hours in advance, as the venue quickly becomes crowded and security guards cordon off the whole area.

This Is What You’ll See

This might be your first time rehearsing for Nochevieja, so let’s go over what you have to do. The first thing you will see is a golden globe descending from the top of the clock 35 seconds before the bells start striking. After that, you’ll hear four bell tolls. They are the so-called cuartos. But don’t go that fast! You don’t need to do anything yet.

After the four strikes are complete, it’s your time to start eating. By the end of the twelve strikes, you should have eaten all your grapes or candies.

This is all you need to know to successfully attend preuvas. We encourage you to visit Spain’s capital city on December 30 and join this fun activity while you learn Spanish at don Quijote!

“For it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas.” – Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

THAT time of the year is right behind the corner and all of us, children and adults, can’t wait to celebrate the joy of these days with our beloved ones. Yes, we are talking about Christmas time, a time of giving. And if there is one giving character, that’s the one we are going to talk about in this post. Keep on reading in Spanish if you prefer.

Santa Claus, Papá Noel, Saint Nicholas, Sinterklaas… There are few people with so many names and faces such as Santa. This character is not as popular in other parts of the world as it is America. In some cultures, it has a different name, and in some others, it doesn’t even exist. Not to mention that in some countries there are other magical beings (like the Three Wise Men) who deliver all children’s presents at this time of the year.

Accompany us in our particular Christmas Carol and find out the many faces of Santa around the Spanish-speaking world!

Santa Claus in Spain and Latin America

In Spain, the most popular name for this lovely old man is Papá Noel. Papá means ‘daddy’, while the word Noel is derived from the French Noël, which stands for ‘Christmas’. Father Christmas is a popular nickname for this character in countries such as the UK, France (Pére Noël) or Italy (Babbo Natale).

Although Santa is growing popularity among Spaniards due to globalization and advertising, for many people in Spain and Latin America he is just the leading character of many Hollywood movies. The tradition of leaving presents under the Christmas tree belongs actually to The Three Wise Men – three Kings coming all the way from the Orient with their camels and gifts (or charcoal, if one has not behaved properly throughout the year).

Other Holiday Characters

Only within the Spanish territory, there are five more characters fulfilling Santa’s role: delivering presents to all good boys and girls around the country. And in Latin America you can find at least two more. Learn more about them:

1. Olentzero

This coalman comes out of the forest where he lives only once a year to bring presents to all children in the Basque Country. Initially, he used to announce the arrival of baby Jesus, but with time he ended up becoming the Santa’s counterpart in this Spanish region.

2. Tió de Nadal

Nope, we are not talking about Rafael Nadal, the popular tennis player. Tió de Nadal is a human-shaped log with a smiley face and a red hat coming from the Catalan mythology. This funny character is fed nuts and covered with a blanket for several days until December 24. Then, it comes the miracle: kids look under the blanket to find out he has pooped out their presents.

3. El Esteru

In Cantabria (Northern Spain), the presents that kids find under their Christmas tree are not necessarily delivered by The Three Wise Men, as in most households in the country. It is El Esteru, a woodcutter, who brings happiness to the little ones on January 6.

4. Apalpador

You might know the region of Galicia in Spain for its Celtic roots and its own different language. Apart from that, Galicia also has its own kind of Santa, called Apalpador. He is a coalman (as well as the Olentzero) who comes down from the mountains on Christmas Eve and New Year’s to touch children’s belly while they sleep and checks if they’ve eaten well throughout the year. If so, he gives them sweets and presents.

5. L’Anguleru

This fledgling character was created in 2008 to foster the celebration of a Christmas that’s closer to the unique traditions of Asturias. L’Anguleru is a Fisherman who goes fishing on December 24, then sells what he has caught and uses the money to buy children gifts.

6. Colacho

Colacho is short for Nicolacho, a reference to Saint Nicholas. At the end of the day, this is just another name they use in Costa Rica for good old Santa, with his red suit and his reindeers carrying the sleight. 

7. Viejito Pascuero

In many Spanish-speaking countries, the translation for Christmas time is Navidad. However, in Chile they call this time of the year Pascua. Viejito Pascuero (literally old Christmas guy) is one of the names Chileans know Santa for, along with Papá Noel.

Now that you know the many faces of Santa Claus all around the world, we encourage to travel to any of these countries and get presents from a different Santa this year. With the Winter Break program offered in don Quijote schools, it will be easy to live a full immersion into the Spanish and Latin Christmas traditions.

At today’s blog post, we want to talk about how to apply for Spanish citizenship. At don Quijote, we know that bureaucratic processes can be a maze full of difficulties, something tedious and even frustrating on many occasions, especially under the great pressure and the need to obtain Spanish citizenship. For this reason and to make things a little easier for you, we have decided to dedicate today's blog post to help you carry out these procedures.

Click here to change to the Spanish version.

Steps to apply for Spanish citizenship

1. Meet all the necessary requirements

First of all, and before beginning any type of procedure that entails a waste of money and time that may be unnecessary, you must be sure that you meet all the necessary conditions to obtain citizenship in Spain. These requirements are as follows:

1.1 Prove continued residence:

Except for those who are children of Spanish citizens or have been born in Spain, citizenship is obtained after a period of residence in the country. Therefore, the first thing you should do is to demonstrate that you’ve been a legal resident in Spain for a continuous period of time. The minimum time required depends on the situation of the applicant and their country of origin:

• 10 years of legal and continued residence for most of the countries of origin.

• 5 years of legal and continued residence for refugees.

• 2 years of legal and continued residence for those who come from the following countries: Latin America, Portugal, Andorra, Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Sephardic Jew.

• 1 year for those married to a Spanish citizen, born in Spanish territory or who, although born outside and their parents too, their grandparents are all Spanish.

But be careful, because there are several factors that are very important to consider. First, the study periods or other visas do not count, you must access the residence card. Second, the residence has to be continued. That is, if you are in an irregular situation, you will have to start counting again when you recover the legal residence since the calculation will be interrupted. Be careful with departures from the country too, there have been some cases in which nationality’s been denied due to departures exceeding 3 months. So, to avoid surprises and future problems, if you’re planning to leave Spanish territory for a longer duration, consult the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

1.2 Prove good civic behavior:

The second condition to comply is not to have a criminal or police record, so you will have to present such documentation. In addition, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs they ask the CNI (National Intelligence Center) to issue a report to gather information about you and your career in Spain.

In any case, Spanish jurisprudence stipulates (at the official level) that meeting both requirements ensures nothing. Not having criminal records is only an indicator for good behavior, but they do not guarantee anything in any way, that is, you can get citizenship, even if you have criminal records and vice versa. But, in the real practice, the fact of having these records, imply an automatic refusal of the application. Therefore, it is advisable to cancel such records in the case of having them before applying for citizenship by residence.

1.3 Sufficient degree of integration in Spanish society

The last necessary requirement is to prove a sufficient degree of integration in Spanish society. Before, personal interviews were conducted by public officials, however, the questions could be very arbitrary, so the process was modified and now two more objective tests are carried out.

• Those applicants who do not come from Spanish-speaking countries will have to take the DELE exam (official test accrediting the degree of proficiency and mastery of the Spanish language) – A2 minimum level required. If you want to know how to register, visit our entry How to sign up for the DELE exam in 5 easy steps.

• All applicants will have to take the CCSE test (Constitutional and Sociocultural Knowledge of Spain). This is a test that contains 25 questions taken from a catalog of 300. The good thing is that every year they are published at the Cervantes Institute website. We recommend you prepare it thoroughly.

2. Documents from the country of origin

You will also have to request the corresponding documentation in your country of origin. It is important that you do it after having the rest of the paperwork (language and culture exams, accreditation of good behavior, etc.) since such documentation may expire and you would have to repeat the procedures. Check with your country's embassy or consulate for more information.

3. Submit the application to the Ministry of Justice

Finally, after all the above requirements and steps, you will have to submit the completed application, as well as the rest of the documentation at the Ministry of Justice.

We wish you the best of luck!

Grabbing your remote control and turning on the television is probably one of the activities you perform most frequently at home.

However, do you know how much work is actually behind this simple move? Keep on reading in Spanish to find out.

A Little Bit of History

Before television appeared as we know it today, many technological advancements took place. Some of those experiments led to the emergence of the modern TV.

Back in 1884, people managed to project the light objects issue using a metal disk and a light. However, it wasn’t until 1925 when they used these disks together to make up a real image. One of the disks worked as an issuer and the other one as a receptor.

Little by little, they kept on increasing the distance between both disks and repeating the same experiment, but through a telephone wire.

Five years after that test, in 1930, it took place the first simultaneous broadcasting: image plus audio. But what we know today as TV was still far from being achieved.

This broadcasting was the first of many of them, but they were all irregular and not scheduled.

In 1936, England started broadcasting with a consistent programming, and the United States began doing so in 1939. During the middle of the 20th Century, television started to spread throughout the world.

And What About Color Television?

During all this time there were a lot of scientists trying to achieve color images. But it wasn’t until 1970 when we finally got screens that could show the real color of objects.

Over the years and with a little help from the technological advancements, TV improved its quality and reached more and more houses.

The use of satellites helped broadcasting get faster. This way, TV got faster as well and reached more places around the world. Besides, satellites helped giving access to foreign TV shows.

And if you think that’s already a big improvement, wait to see what happened in the 80s. With digitalization, video production and broadcasting reached a whole different level of quality and speed rates.

As a consequence, TV started replacing the radio as the most popular medium for information.

However, these advancements didn’t arrive at the same time to all countries.

Television in Spain

While England’s first broadcasts took place around 1936, in Spain we had to wait 20 years more for that. The ordinary broadcasts at the time were mass ceremonies, official speeches, classic music concerts, etc. 

In 1959 it took place the very first TV broadcast in Spain: a soccer match. It was Real Madrid playing against Barcelona, causing TV sales to increase significantly before the game.

Until that point, all TV screens sold in Spain were imported. In 1960 they started being produced in the country and, as a consequence, they became cheaper. By the end of the decade, there was a television in almost 40% of the Spanish households.

The first color broadcasting that took place in Spain was the Eurovision Song Contest in 1969, live from Madrid. However, as the cameras and the rest of the equipment was provided by other countries, that was only an exception.

From 1973 on, black and white and color broadcasts shared space in Spain. But in 1978, color took over the power of TV.

World Television Day

And because such advancement should not be forgotten, since 1996 we celebrate World Television Day on November 21, commemorating the date on which the first World Television Forum was held.

The United Nations countries came to an agreement to make TV a broadcast medium for news and relevant information, promoting shows that were focused on peace, safety and social development, among other topics.

And what’s left of this story, you probably know it firsthand. DTT (Digital Terrestrial Television) made it possible to watch more channels with improved image quality and services. Nowadays, we talk about Smart TVs, apps and cutting-edge streaming platforms.

Spanish Presence in North America

For about 300 years, Spain played a conspicuous role in the History of the United States, leaving a significant footprint in the country. During this period, Spanish traditions were exported by the settlers, who had a big influence on North America’s culture and customs. Click here to continue reading in Spanish.

Spain was present in the States for 309 years, and its heritage is still alive. Since Juan Ponce de León landed on the coast of Florida on April 12, 1513, many historic events involving Spanish people took place: Mexico’s Independence in 1822, the Pacific Ocean exploration and the role of the Spanish Monarchy in the Independence of the US are present in many monuments, symbols and place names around the country.

Place Names

Hispanic influence remains present in place names all around the United States. San Agustín, the oldest city in the US, was founded by Spanish explorers. So were San Francisco, San Antonio, Tucson, Los Ángeles, Santa Fe or San Diego. Besides, many places in the country still preserve the name that Christian missions, fortifications and Spanish settlers gave them: Amarillo, Arizona, Alcatraz, Boca Ratón, Bahía Morro, California, Cañaveral, Colorado, Florida, Madre de Dios, Montana, Nevada, Nuevo México, Pima y Tiburón, Puerto Rico and Texas.

Some islands and territories in the State of Washington do also have a Spanish name: San Juan, López, Fidalgo, López y Cortés. In Canada, Victoria and Isla Galiano are also good examples; and in Alaska we have Valdez and Córdova.

In the geography of the States we can also find several rivers with a Spanish name: Bravo, Sacramento, Colorado, Grande.

El origen español del dólar

The dollar was born in 1787 at the United States Congress. What many people ignore is that it was the equivalent to the Spanish duro and the dollar symbol ($) finds its roots in the Pillars of Hercules (Gibraltar), built to represent the Greek vision of the end of the world.

Besides, the so-called Spanish Dollar (real de a 8) was employed as hard currency in the States until 1857. It got even more popular than the American dollar for two reasons: it was thinner, and it weighed less, although it had a greater amount of silver. It was present in the New York Stock Exchange until 1997.

Spanish Symbols in the United States

• The Spanish flag is in the Texas shield.
• One of the six Texas flags is the one Castilla y León (a Spanish region)
• The confederate flag contains Saint Andrew’s cross, the symbol of the Spanish air forces.
• The Spanish flag still stands on the Castillo de San Marcos at St. Augustine, first fort built by the Europeans in the States.
• The shield of Los Angeles City contains the shield of Castilla y León and the date of the Spanish settling.
• The flag of Cupertino, Apple Silicon Valley’s headquarters, shows the helmet of Spanish explorers.
• Arizona’s flag has 13 red and yellow bars honoring the 13 colonies and the Spanish flag colors.

Spanish Landmarks in the US

• Cabrillo National Monument. It marks the location of the first European sea voyage, which departed from California in 1542 ruled by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo.
• Coronado National Memorial. It commemorates Francisco Vásquez de Coronado’s expeditions, that went all the way from Mexico City up to Kansas.
• Hernando de Soto’s Expedition Landing Mark, 1539.
• The Statue of Ponce de León, Saint Augustine.
• The Statue of Juan de Oñate, El Paso Airport. It is the tallest equestrian statue in the world, with 59 feet high, and it weighs 18 tons.
• St. Louis Cathedral, New Orleans. It hosts both the Spanish flag and the one of Castilla y León.
• Statues of El Cid in New York, San Diego’s Balboa Park, and San Francisco’s Lincoln Park.
• Sculptures of Isabella I of Castille at the Capitol of the State of California and at the Organization of American States building in Washington.

The lists above are just a brief summary of the Spanish legacy in the US. You surely are aware of the importance of the Spanish language in this country, where the Hispanic population is expected to reach 99.8 million by 2050. But did you know that there are many more remote places where Spanish is also a key language? Find out which ones with our video.

Spanish is one of the most widely spoken, influential and fastest-growing languages on earth

This member of the Romance family is the second most widely spoken language in the world, with approximately 400 million native speakers, as well as the third biggest language on the internet (after Mandarin Chinese and English). Click here to keep on reading in Spanish!

The Bank of Spain predicted that the country’s GDP will grow 2.4% this year. Meanwhile, according to research from BBVA, Latin America’s GDP is expected to grow 2.6% in 2020, and Statista projects that the United States’ Hispanic population will be of 99.8 million people in 2050.

These are just three of the many reputable sources that estimate a growth in the economic power, commercial and cultural relevance of Spanish-speaking countries and communities.

With enterprises from all regions working to expand to the Spanish-speaking world or targeting Spanish-speakers at home, quality Spanish translation services are becoming a primordial need across industries, and being bilingual in Spanish is, now more than ever, a competitive advantage.

As a widely spoken language with international influence and history in several continents, there’s a lot to learn about the past, present and future of Spanish.

For instance, did you know that, in 2013, the Pew Research Center estimated that 2.8 million non-Hispanic Americans speak Spanish at home?

How about the fact that 20% of Tagalog words have a very clear Spanish origin?

In the following infographic by language services provider Day Translations, we’ll look into 10 interesting facts about Spanish that you probably didn’t know, from its Arabic influences to its unique food-related words.

A Brand-New World

Imagine the situation. It’s been no longer than two days since you set foot on British soil and you’re taking a stroll around the famous Camden Town accompanied by your new Londoner best friend. You’re enjoying its atmosphere, its alternative shops, and its music when your mohawked friend asks you: “Do you fancy Walkers?” At this point, you have no idea if he is talking about Chuck Norris or if he is asking you if you’re a fan of Game of Thrones. Thankfully, before you open your mouth, he takes a bag of chips out of his backpack that looks suspiciously familiar. The classic Lay’s.

Calm down! You’re like flan, but this is not a conspiracy to make a fool of us when we travel to other countries. The reasons why brands change their names depending on the country they’re selling to range from legal, cultural, and linguistic issues to marketing strategies.

Keep reading in English, or click here to switch to Spanish, and learn about some “shape-shifter” brands so you won't get caught off guard during your next getaway abroad.

Lay's/Walkers

The misunderstanding that we experienced at the beginning of this post was due to commercial reasons. The PepsiCo multinational corporation, owner of the brand Lay’s, bought the British company Walkers and decided to keep the brand’s name to keep customer loyalty.

Moreover, it’s a brand whose name differs from country to country: “Sabritas” in Mexico, “Tapuchips” in Israel, “Poca” in Vietnam, and “Chipsy” in Egypt.

Mr. Clean

The history of Mr. Clean, Don Limpio, or Mr. Proper, as it was originally named, is stained by some European distributors’ opportunism. The problem began when some distributors started to send products from countries where they were cheaper to countries where they were more expensive to increase their profit margin. This caused a big internal crisis in the company.

Solution: Name the product differently in each country and negotiate its price in each one of them as if they were different products.

Dunkin' Donuts/Dunkin' Coffee 

The issue with the U.S. police force’s most representative food could only have legal reasons. The arrival of Dunkin' Donuts to Spain was anything but sweet because they found out that the word “donuts” had been a registered brand of the Panrico company for several decades. The North American brand took the decision to partner with Panrico to run the business in Spain and to keep its original name.

Some years ago, Dunkin’ broke off this agreement and changed its name in Spain to Dunkin’ Coffee.

Danone/Dannon

To end, we have a change of name done for linguistic reasons. When the Spanish brand first arrived to the U.S. in 1937, it decided to change its name to Dannon to make it easier to pronounce. (This way, Americans wouldn’t have to argue over whether to pronounce Danone as “Dan won” or “Dah–no–nay.”)

If you want to taste an authentic Danone, to enjoy an exclusive Dunkin' Coffee, or to open a bag of delicious “Sabritas,” take a Spanish course abroad and keep discovering firsthand the many other examples that we can find about the fascinating world of commercial naming.

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so don’t forget to take a look at this video we've put together.

Be quiet for a second. If you listen carefully, you will surely be able to hear what is about to come. If you’re a music lover, we have something important to tell you.

The Spanish summer is much more than just sun and beach (although it does have a lot of both!). With the arrival of this season, Spain becomes a territory where you could hop from north to south traveling from festival to festival.

Keep reading in English or, if you’d like to change your tune, click here to switch to Spanish and discover some of the music festivals that we have ahead this 2019.

DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL

On June 28^th, 29^th, and 30^th, Madrid will host one of the most important events for rock and heavy metal lovers, the Download Festival. This festival’s third edition can be enjoyed in La Caja Mágica (a multipurpose stadium) at the rhythm of some of the most legendary bands of the genre: Slipknot, Scorpions, Tool, and Sum 41, among many others.

A special meeting, without any doubt, for Slipknot and Tool fans because it will be the first time that both bands play in the Spanish capital in more than a decade.

CRUÏLLA

If you read the names Black Eyed Peas, Kylie Minogue, and Vetusta Morla and you can’t help but move your feet as you remember one of their songs, pop rock is your thing, and this is your festival. During July 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th, several special guests come together to celebrate the tenth anniversary of this festival set in Barcelona.

But Cruïlla is much more than music, it’s also all the art created offstage with different artistic offers that go from dance and theatre to painting.

LOW COST FESTIVAL

Don’t let its name confuse you, this festival has hosted top names like The Chemical Brothers. This year, it does not lag behind as it’s bringing groups as important as New Order, Foals, and Bastille. If you’re looking for a non-overcrowded and more affordable musical event, stop by Benidorm (Alicante) on July 26^th, 27^th, and 28^th.   

STARLITE

A stellar lineup for a luxury location. After seven editions, Starlite has become one of the world’s longest festivals with more than 46 days of concerts. This year, from July 5^th to August 23^rd, music, culture, and gastronomy unite in a single place: Marbella (Malaga). Enjoy a starlit stage: Jason Derulo, Luis Fonsi, and Sting, among many others, will be, for sure, the delight of the audience.

FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE BENICÀSSIM (FIB)

We conclude the festival route with the season’s classic, a festival that turns 25 summers old this year. A pop, rock, indie, and electronic music parade located in Benicàsim (Castellón, Comunidad Valenciana) that will allow you to enjoy the good atmosphere, and some paella too, on July 18^th, 19^th, 20^th, and 21^st. Just in case these reasons are not enough to awake your interest, maybe the names Lana del Rey, Fatboy Slim, and Kings of Leon will change your mind.

If this is music to your ears, take a Spanish course in Spain and drop by one of these music festivals. Improve your Spanish skills and stop sounding like a broken record using the same Spanish expressions over and over again.

Countries across Europe are revving up for their beloved yearly singing competition, the Eurovision Song Contest. What began in 1956 as a way to bring Europeans together after World War II is now a long-standing international tradition full of sparkle and fanfare. As per the official rules, politics are left at the door so everyone can fully enjoy this must-see television event.

This year, why not join them? No matter where you are in the world, you can stream the live performances on the official Eurovision website. In today’s post we’ll help you brush up on the basics to get you ready to organize your watch party next week. We hope you’ll be rooting for Spain! Click here to read this post in Spanish and get in the mood.

Who is participating?

This time around, 42 countries are participating in the Eurovision Song Contest. That’s right, this competition goes way beyond the 28 members of the European Union… countries as far-flung as Russia, Iceland, Morocco, and Israel have been welcomed into the Eurovision gang at one time or another. And if you think that’s surprising, you might just lose your mind when you hear that Australia has participated in Eurovision four times. But hey, the more the merrier!

How does it work?

By mid-March, each participating country has to submit a performer (up to 6 people) and an original song (3 minutes or less). Each country has its own system, but usually TV viewers in each country get to vote for who will represent them.

The anticipation builds for over a month before the first live competitions begin in May. This year, more than a dozen countries will be eliminated during the Semi-Finals on May 14 and 16, leaving only 26 countries for the Grand Final on May 18.

We already know six countries who will make it to the Grand Final: the “Big Five” (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK, who qualify automatically every year) and the host country, Israel. Eurovision is always hosted by the country who won the competition the year before.

What happens at the Grand Final?

Each of the 26 acts gives a spectacular live singing performance (live instruments are not allowed). Once everyone has had their time on stage, the voting begins. Each country can award two sets of 1 to 8, 10, and 12 points. One set is determined by a 5-person jury of music industry professionals, while the other set is decided by viewers at home, who can vote by phone, text, or the official app. You cannot vote for your own country.

Tensions mount as each country announces how they will be awarding their points with a live broadcast from an emblematic location (such as the Royal Place in Madrid).

Hearts beat faster and faster as more and more countries’ votes are tallied until the winner becomes clear. The spectators rooting for the winning country jump up and down in ecstasy while the rest Europe breathes a collective sigh of disappointment. The winning act takes a victory lap, performing the winning song all over again before returning home with fame, glory, and the iconic glass microphone trophy.

Spain’s contestant

Spain hasn’t won Eurovision in 50 years, so we’re ripe for a win. Miki, this year’s winner of Spain’s televised singing contest Operación Triunfo will be singing La Venda (The Blindfold), a song was written by Adrià Salas, the lead singer of La Pegatina. The Latin Grammy-nominated band’s songbook includes tunes in several Spanish languages, including Catalan and Galician, but La Venda is sung in Castilian Spanish. Why not learn the words so you can sing along?

Mark your calendar

Now you know the ground rules, but there’s really only one way to truly experience Eurovision, and that’s by watching it! You’ll be glued to the screen as you see some of the world’s craziest outfits, wildest dance moves, and all out fabulous performances.

It’ll give you something to talk to your European friends about — it’s not an official holiday here, but it might as well be!