From the beginning of December, everything changes in Spain! Christmas decorations are hung in the streets, stores are decorated. Families like to get together at Christmas to eat and drink together, celebrate, and get presents.

Typical dishes of Spanish cuisine for Christmas Eve are suckling pig and lamb on a spit, turkey, not to mention, of course, fish and shellfish. After everyone has eaten a lot, the night mass is attended ´La misa del gallo´. But of course not before drinking a glass of cava, one of the traditions in Spain!

On Christmas Day, children receive gifts from ´Papa Noel´, but the gifts on January 6 from the Three Kings, Los Reyes Magos are much more popular! Especially for children, this is a big celebration! Weeks in advance they are busy writing letters and wish lists for the kings. The party is similar to our St. Nicholas party, with processions, water prepared for the camels and also charcoal for the little kids who were not so sweet. Furthermore, Christmas Day is mainly an addition to Christmas Eve. The family is visited and festive meals are eaten according to typical traditions in Spain.

As you probably know, good food is very important to Spaniards! Spanish cuisine has many delicacies. Real Spanish Christmas favourites are Turron from Alicante, Bacalao with cauliflower, crab, lobster, scallops, roasted prawns and turkey.

Other typical recipes for Christmas in Spain are dishes with oranges. such as caramelized oranges, flambéed oranges, fish filet á l´orange, there is an awful lot to choose from!

On Epiphany, a typical cake with decorations of dried fruit, or "Roscón de los Reyes," is eaten for breakfast or after lunch. The fruit symbolizes the rubies and emeralds of the three kings. There are 2 figures hidden in the cake. A gift that, when you find it, makes you kings or queens for the rest of the day. And a bean, which means whoever finds it will have to pay for the cake next time.

After Christmas is over, Spaniards have another fun tradition. Namely, on December 28, they celebrate ´1-April´. This is called the Day of the Innocent Saint or "Día de los Santos Inocentes" in Spain. On this day, Spaniards play pranks on their friends and family and strange and absurd news appears in the newspaper.

Spain is a wonderful country to live in or to spend some time.... Here you will also find many kinds of animals! As in the Netherlands, and many other countries, quite a few dogs are kept at home. This is often done in a house with a garden or just in their apartment in the city, all can be done here with all those parks!

Many people have an apartment in the city and a bigger house with a garden in a village. In this village they usually live in the summer or on weekends and holidays. If they have a dog it often lives in the village. Also many people just have a dog in their apartment. These are usually smaller companion dogs. And they can stay just fine in an apartment, which is perfectly normal in Spain. They are let out in one of the many Spanish parks.
When you are on vacation in Spain, you can easily take your dog with you too! You bring it to a part-time or full-time dog hotel. So when you want to go shopping or to the beach for a day without your dog, you can bring it to the dog hotel. This also applies when you live in Spain with your dog. Many foreigners who have settled in Spain, but also (rich) Spaniards themselves regularly bring their dogs to the shelter.

In Spain it also happens that people do not take good care of their dogs and there are quite a few stray dogs that end up in the shelter. What is unfortunate is that many of these shelters in Spain are already overcrowded. This is of course not nice for the dogs at all! As a Dutchman you have many opportunities to adopt a Spanish dog and give them a better life.

Many things are written about animal welfare in Spain. There are many different opinions, negative and positive. I can only write from my own experience and it is positive. Fortunately, I have never noticed anything strange! When I walk down the street or along the water here in Spain, or run through the park on weekends, I see many people walking and playing with their dogs. There are even true meeting places where people get together with their dogs!

Bullfighting in Spain. Some consider it a wonderful Spanish tradition, and others abhor it. Bullfighting is very popular in Spain, and for many Spaniards it is a cultural activity. They see it as a kind of artistic expression and are proud of it.

Bullfighting is one of the oldest Spanish traditions. Centuries ago, the first fight already took place. The bulls are first put in a pasture for 6 to 7 years so they can eat a lot. They have (usually) had a nice life, unlike other animals. This bull meat is therefore considered the best of the best. When they are ready, they are taken from the pasture and have to perform.

A fight takes place between bullfighters, also called toreros, and a bull. This fight is made up of several phases, with each torero having his own phase. It begins with chasing the bull so that it becomes wild. Next, riders on horses enter the arena and stab the bull a few times. What follows is the matador who carries 2 sticks and uses them to poke the bull in the neck.

Then you hear a trumpet and the torero gets a knife. The idea is that he stabs the knife between the shoulders of the bull straight into the heart, otherwise he dies immediately. If this does not happen, he will continue to live and thus suffer for several minutes.

Basically, it's very simple. The one who stays alive wins. It is a matter of life or death where the toreros are given the task of making it a spectacular show. The torero who kills the bull is also called matador. If the audience thinks the matador did a good job, he gets loud applause and "olé!" is shouted. And, if it was really very good, the audience waves white scarves or other items. If the audience is dissatisfied, they stay frosty quiet or they start shouting.

In Seville you will find one of the oldest bullrings built specifically for bullfighting, the Plaza de Toros de la Real Maestranza. The beginning of the construction of this bullring was made in 1758. Therefore, Seville is known as the best place to watch a bullfight.

We may not think of Spain as the basketball country par excellence, but the national team has achieved many successes. The team has won silver in the past two Olympics and even became world champions in 2006.

One of the most important players on this team is Pau Gasol. He has also put basketball in Spain on the international map and has become a national hero. For example, he was even allowed to carry the flag for Spain during the opening ceremony of the London Olympics.

When he enrolled in 1998 to study medicine at the University of Barcelona, his career lifted as well. In 1999, Pau Gasol began his professional career with the club FC Barcelona Bàsquet and put his studies on hold. In the two seasons he played for this club, he won the national league, the Liga ACB, both years. A move to America was in store for him, and so in 2001 he was enlisted at the Memphis Grizzlies club in the United States. At this club, Pau Gasol was active until February 2008. His younger brother Marc Gasol also followed him to this club.

After almost 7 years, the star basketball player joined the famous team of the LA Lakers. With this team, he even became champion of the NBA in America in 2009 and 2010.

Connoisseurs of Spain and lovers of hiking have undoubtedly heard of it, ¨El Camino de Santiago de Compostela¨. Located in the province of Galicia in northwestern Spain.

Making the trek on foot is a top feat, from the Netherlands it is about 2,500 kilometers and if you start from the Pyrenees 800 kilometers. In days that would be 100 days of walking from the Netherlands and a month from the Pyrenees! Every year 100,000 pilgrims undertake this journey. To know why this pilgrimage route is so popular, a little history.

According to tradition, it is the place where the mortal remains of the Apostle James the Greater, the patron saint of Spain, lie, so it is the ideal place to pray. After James was beheaded in Palestine, his body was placed in a boat and this boat reached the Galician coast by itself. The two disciples who traveled with him buried the body at Mount Libredón. Until the hermit Paio rediscovered the tomb in 813, the tomb of James had fallen into oblivion.The tomb has since become an attraction for Christians from around the world and not least for the ¨ordinary¨ hiker, who sees the trek as a challenge.

There are many roads that lead to Rome, including Santiago. From Europe there are several ways to Santiago, from the Netherlands the obvious way is via France. There is a pilgrim's pass in which the pilgrim can collect stamps from the villages he visits during the route. Once you arrive in Santiago de Compostela, you receive the ¨Compostela¨ a certificate that the pilgrimage route has been completed. In the Middle Ages, criminals could get a reduction or remission of punishment through this certificate.

You can see the great cathedral of Santiago from afar, then you know you have almost completed the route! In the square in front of the cathedral, pilgrims from all over the world gather and visit the cathedral. Inside the cathedral the air of incense hangs and an organ plays. And then, of course, there is the statue of St. James that you can hug. You sometimes have to stand in line for it, but it's worth it after the long trip! Outside in the square you can get the coveted certificate, the ¨Compostela¨, the crowning achievement of the pilgrimage, the Camino de Santiago.

As I’m now heading into my final few weeks in Spain (leaving this 32°C heat to go back to rainy England doesn’t bare thinking about!) I’ve already started getting nostalgic about the time I’ve spent here. Salamanca is a really fantastic place to study Spanish, but it’s the city’s quirks and unique character that I’m going to miss.

The tradition and its origins

One of my favourite days here was Lunes de Agua. This tradition is observed the first Monday after Lent, and dates back to the Catholic roots of Spanish society. In order to keep the city ‘pure’ for the Semana Santa celebrations at Easter, in XVI century the king Phillip II expelled the city’s prostitutes from Salamanca, so that the men to keep their minds on the religious goings on!

So the prostitutes were rowed away on boats to the outskirts of the city each Ash Wednesday, to await “Water Monday” as it is known, when they were allowed back into the city. The men of Salamanca were so excited at the prospect their return, that every Lunes de Agua, the Salmantinos would spend all day sitting, waiting and being merry by the river until the row boats moored on the banks by the city and the real party got started!

The festivity nowadays

I’m not entirely sure when the prostitutes of Salamanca stopped getting kicked out every Easter, but the festivities remain to this day. Nowadays it’s fun for all of the family, and the city's river banks are full of picnics and parties on the first Monday after Lent. Although it’s not technically a public holiday (sadly I still had to work, although in true Spanish style the party keeps going into the early hours of the morning), many of the smaller businesses shut for the afternoon in order to be part of the merriment!

Another part of Lunes de Agua which has stood the test of time is the hornazo. This amazing meat pie, so full of chorizo, jamón, salchichón and everything else that would horrify a vegetarian, is taken down to the river as sustenance for the day. The hornazos are huge; mine took me the best part a week to finish! They were designed so that the men wouldn’t need to keep popping into town for food and risk missing the prostitutes’ return. They are surprisingly moist for a meat pie, although very often they get washed down with a six-pack or two!

What I really enjoyed about this crazy tradition (apart from all the vino...) was that after the very solemn week of Easter celebrations, where the focus is on penance for all your sins, the Salmantinos go above and beyond in enoying themselves for a very un-holy reason! It was one of my favourite days in Salamanca (although the day after was pretty difficult!) and if you’re thinking of visiting, I’d definitely suggest co-ordinating your trip with Lunes de Agua!

Spain is known for its delicious and, above all, special hams. Most hams are produced in Spain, yet Italy exports more. The reason is that each Spaniard eats an average of 5 kilos of ham per year, which is twice as much as in Italy. Spain has many types of Spanish ham from Serrano to the famous Pata Negra. The most famous are discussed below.

Serrano ham originally comes from the mountains. Today, this Jamón Serrano is produced with a special Spanish breed of pig. Still the hams are dried in the original way with coarse sea salt for a time of 6 to even 36 months.

Surely the most famous Spanish ham is the Jamón ibericó Pata Negra (black leg). The production of this ham is located in Guijuelo in the municipality of Salamanca. The pig lives in the forest where it is generously fed with fresh grass, herbs, roots, olives but above all acorns. Because the pig can walk freely, the meat has a spicy and nutty flavor. In Spain they call this ham ´Jamón Ibérico´. There are 3 different types of this ham:

• The most famous and therefore most expensive ham is called ´jamón ibérico de bellota´, bellota means acorn in Spanish. In the last 4 months, the pig eats only acorns, which gives it its special nutty taste.
• Another type of ibérico is the ´jamón ibérico de recebo´. This ham is from pigs that in their last period ate only acorns and grain.
• The last type of ham is the jamón ibérico de cebo, or simply just jamón ibérico. The pigs have eaten only grain in their period, and are aged for 24 months.

Did you know....

• the pigs have been gaining 800 grams to a 1 kilo per day for the last 4 months.
• the ham loses 35% of its total weight through drying.
• the ´jamón ibérico de bellota´ is the most expensive ham in the world.
• front legs mature 6 to 8 months shorter than hind legs.

Spanish wines are a well-known and especially unmissable part of Spanish cuisine. Spain is the largest wine country in the world! Although it is only the third largest producer of wine, this is due to the climate and the low yield of wine. The drought that prevails is Spain is a big problem, also because irrigation of vineyards is prohibited. Over the years, Spain has managed to distinguish itself with ´mundial´ wines as small-scale wines in addition to the famous sweet wines like Sherry and Malaga.

History

During the time of the Romans, the first vines were planted after a conquest 200 BC. After the fall the Roman Empire, things went downhill with the Spanish wine regions. In the Middle Ages, it was the monks who breathed new life into viticulture. During the century, this spread to all of Spain. The Spanish produced alcoholic Spanish red wines and produced white wines oxidatively (under large amount of oxygen) due to lack of knowledge. In the ^19th century, Spain gained international fame for their sweet wines such as Sherry and Malaga. Only at the end of this century did the first red Spanish wine called the Rioja wine emerge. Around 1900, the production of sparkling wines ("bubbly wines") took off in Catalonia called Cava, which would go on to bring worldwide success. With the restoration of democracy and accession to the European Union, Spain began to modernize in winemaking. Today, this is visible and small traditional Spanish farms are being bought up by large companies in order to increase their market share.

Climate

Because Spain has a large surface area there is also a lot of difference in its climate. In the mountains inland where muggy summers but also icy cold winters take place in contrast to the south where long hot summer temperatures can reach as high as 40˚C. As mentioned, drought is a common problem in Spain, especially since irrigation of vineyards is prohibited. This causes the low number of vines per hectare which results in lower yields than in the rest of Europe.

Spanish label

Spanish wines all have a controlled designation of origin, a denominación de origen (DO). There are now about 60 different DOs (place of viticulture). Rioja has the status of denominación de origen calificada (DOC) as does the Priorat. A special council (consejo regulador) oversees compliance with the DO´s rules. Each brand uses its own logo.The designation varies according to the maturity period into which type of category the wine falls: Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva, Jovén (young).

Spanish wine regions

Spain has many different Spanish wine regions, however, most are located in the north and east of the country. La Mancha is the largest wine region in the world and is located south of Madrid. Spanish wine bars can also be found all over the country. Of course, there are more Spanish wine regions but these are the best known and most important of Spain in a row.

Rioja

Rioja borders Navarre. With Spanish Rioja wine, they focus more on rosado (rosé) than reds because they have a reputation to uphold. This area also allows foreign grape varieties unlike other areas.

Ribera del Duero

Ribera del Duero is one of the fastest emerging wine regions in Spain, founder of the most legendary wine Vega Sicilia. Most wine in this area is red and made from tempranillo (type of grape).

Somontano

A fairly small new area at the foot of the Pyrenees where everything is done in a hyper-modern way. The area is also called the new world. Spanish white and red wines are made here but are also worthwhile.

Rias Baixas and Rueda

In Rias Baixas, the wines are made from the albariño, a very pricey grape that also raises the price of wine significantly. In Rueda, however, prices are somewhat lower with still good quality.

Central Spain and the Levant

Emphasizing Spain's largest wine region, La Mancha. Until recently, they produced here mostly Spanish white wines from the airén grapes. In the future, more normal table wines, both white and red, will be added. The southern part of La Mancha (Valdepeñas) has its own DO and specializes in Spanish red wines.

Catalonia

The region around Barcelona has been one of the most important wine producers since Roman times. Surely the most famous wine is Cava, a sparkling wine made in the manner of champagne. The town of San Sadurni de Anoia is surely the Cava center.

Jerez

Jerez, also called Sherry is a special wine. It all starts with a normal white Spanish wine made from palomino grapes. The wind from the sea cools it and the young wine gets an alcohol content between 15 and 18%. Sherry has to age for a long time and during the aging process the wine barrel is topped up with younger wines so the Sherry is a mix of different vintages. This creates the delicious taste.

There are many National Holidays in Spain. For starters, nearly 96% of Spain's population is Roman Catholic; the rest are Protestant, Muslim or Jewish. Because so many Spaniards are Catholic, Catholic holidays are always celebrated Nationally. It is a celebration of everyone and for everyone. Below are a few examples of the best known Spanish National holidays, of course there are many more but it varies by region.

January 1 - New Year's Day (Año Nuevo)

New Year's Day in Spain, as in many other countries, is a day off. This is where the beginning of the New Year is celebrated and families gather to talk about the past year and their good intentions for the coming year. The night before on Dec. 31, Spaniards eat one grape at each stroke of the clock at midnight. According to tradition, this is said to bring good luck for the coming year.

January 6 - Epiphany (Reyes Magos)

On January 6, Spaniards commemorate the journey of the three Wise Men in search of the son of God. About a week before Christmas when everything is already in the Christmas spirit, children write letters to the three Wise Men expressing their wishes for January 6. Children receive gifts from the "Three Wise Men" on January 6. It is similar to Sinterklaas in the Netherlands.

April 8/9 - Easter (Pascua)

At Easter, Christians celebrate that Jesus rose from the dead. Easter lasts two days, a Sunday (Easter Sunday/1st Easter Day) and a Monday (Easter Monday/2nd Easter Day). The Friday before Easter is called Good Friday to commemorate the death of Jesus. The Sunday before Easter (April 1) is also called Easter Sunday (Domingo Ramos). On this day, the children go to church in their newest clothes where they are given palm branches. With these palm branches, the children walk through the city to commemorate Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. At the end of the day, the children give their palm branches to their grandparents in exchange for candy.

May 17 - Ascension Day (Ascensión)

The fortieth day after Jesus rose from the tomb, Christians celebrate Jesus being transferred to heaven to become the right hand of God. This is a day off in Spain, and many other countries.

May 27/28 - Pentecost (Pentecostés)

On Pentecost, Christians in Spain commemorate the descent of Jesus on his apostles and therefore the birth of the Catholic Church.

August 15 - Assumption of Mary (Asuncion de la Virgen)

On this day people celebrate the ascension of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary did not ascend by herself but was helped by God Himself. This is a national holiday in Spain.

October 12 - Spanish National Holiday (Día de la Hispanidad)

This celebrates the discovery of America by Columbus in 1492. The biggest celebration takes place in Madrid including bullfighting and parades. The whole country is free on this day.

November 1 - All Saints' Day (Todos los Santos)

With All Saints' Day, all the saints of the Roman Catholic Church are honored and commemorated together. In America, this is similar to Halloween.

December 6 - Constitution Day (Día de contitución Española)

Constitution Day, on December 6 in 1978 92% of the population voted for a new constitution. Since then, Spain has had a new constitution and a new Royal House.

December 8 - Mary's Immaculate Conception (Inmaculada Concepción)

On December 8, Mary received an immaculate soul. Mary now had a purifying soul because she gave birth to Jesus Christ. Because of this, she obtained a special status.

December 24/25 - Christmas Eve (Nochebuena) Christmas Day (Día de Navidad)

Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. This is a family celebration and everyone has a sumptuous Christmas meal before going to church for midnight Mass. This special midnight mass is also called "La misma del Gallo." Gallo means rooster in Spanish, this is because a rooster announced the life of Jesus Christ.

Often foreigners have doubts or hesitations when they greet or meet someone in Spain. Should they give a kiss on the cheek? Is it appropriate to give hugs? It is very usual to have these kind of questions when you first get to know a country or culture.

Different countries, different traditions

Latin American greetings traditions

Both in Latin America and in Spain greetings are generally handshaking and on informal occasions kissing on the cheek, even among strangers. In Colombia the usual greeting among men is a handshake. Women, however, prefer a verbal greeting or kiss on the cheek. The greeting in Argentina in most cases is a single kiss on the cheek even among men, although it depends on the degree of familiarity. In Mexico, for example, the greeting between two men is limited to a handshake.

Spanish greetings traditions

In Spain, it is advisable to distinguish formal situations from informal ones. The greeting with a kiss is seen among people who have a close or family relationship: between parents and children, close friends etc. Men do not often greet each other with kisses unless they have a family relationship instead they rather shake hands. It's not often give hugs when introduced to someone, this is available for people who maintain a close relationship as friends or family. Between friends, in addition to hugging often accompanies with a pat on the back.

For verbal greeting, “¡Hola!” is used as a valid and neutral greeting almost any occasion yet on formal occasions, it will be more correct to use expressions like “¡Buenos días!”, “¡Buenas tardes!” and “¡Buenas noches!” which also can be used to say goodbye. On informal occasions, there are a variety of expressions like: ¿Qué pasa?, “¡Buenas!”. If you are introduced to someone new, you can say Encantado/a or Mucho gusto. And while saying goodbye generally these expressions are used“¡Hasta luego!” , “¡Nos vemos! or simply" Chao! ".

After a while you get used to both customs and the culture and there is no reason to hesitate to do the right gesture as Spanish people are very welcoming and warm. However, if you are still in doubt, you can wait for the first move and do what the other person does. Bear in mind that best things in life happen at the hellos and goodbyes!

Vocabulary set

Here is a small list of Spanish vocabulary used at greetings and farewells: