Spanish Culture and Traditions

 A Brief Introduction to Spanish Society Culture, Traditions, and Beliefs

¿Conoces España? Spain is an european country and has been a prominent country in the world history for centuries. However, most people’s knowledge of Spanish history and culture is limited to what they learned about the conquistadors in history class. 

Country of Spain has an incredibly very rich and diverse culture. Do you want to learn more? Let’s discover what are the diverse cultures there in Spain and what the Spanish culture includes! We’ll cover everything from food to society, customs and traditions!  

Spain: An Overview

For the last several centurues Spain has played a crucial role in history. Spain is Not only the birthplace of the world’s second most spoken language, but it also boasts a interesting, fascinating and multi-ethnic culture.

What language is spoken in Spain?

Official language of Spain

The official language is Spanish. While the vast  (90% population) of Spaniards speak Spanish (or Castilian as they call it in the country of the Spain), there are also three other languages are also prominent within the country. Since some people’s mother tongue is the catalan, Galician, or Basque language but they speak Spanish as their second language. 

Spain totall population is the 47 million, 75 percent are Castilian and 16 percent are Catalan. The remaining two groups, Basque and Galician, make up about 9 percent of the population. 

And these different ethnic groups and languages give Spain its diverse culture. Each of the  17 regions of the country has its own unique culture, traditions  and geography. However, you can find out the rich history throughout the land. Tourists flock to the ancient castles,structure, Roman  and medieval masterpieces, as well as the developed and modern cities full of colorful art, music, and dance. 

Same like the government in the United Kingdom, country of Spain is ruled by a constitutional monarchy. The current king of the country of Spain is Felipe VI. He and his wife, Letizia of Spain, have two kids and both are the daughters. 

Fun facts about Spain

·         Average person lives 83 years in the Spain that’s why Spanish have the second-highest life expectancy rate in the world.

·         In the European union Spain is the second-largest country.

·          There are 47 million people live in Spain, making it the country with the fifth-largest population in the continent of Europe.

·         The country of Spain has 47 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 

·         Not all Spaniards speak Spanish wihtin the country.

·         Almost half of the world’s olive oil is produced in Spain.

·         In Spain Dinner is not served until 9 p.m. at the earliest

·         Siestas (afternoon time rest) are an important part of each afternoon

·         To celebrate the New Year with the family, Spaniards eat a grape every time the bell tolls. Each of the 12 grapes represents a lucky month in the year to come and bring happiness for them. 

Spanish Culture: Society

Food

What are the famous dishes in spain?

Fir uts delicious Mederterranean dishes Spanish food is famous around the world. 

The most well-known and famous dish is paella, which has a rice base with a mix of meat, vegetables or seafood. Saffron gives this crowd-pleaser its characteristic deep yellow color. 

If you have ever talked to any Spaniard or with  someone who has gone to the country of Spain, they probably raved about the tapas (dish). However, tapas aren’t a specific dish but rather a style of eating within Spain. 

In spain you can have a wide variety of food served in the tapas form, which just means lots of small food portions for sharing with your family and friends. One delicious tapas option is “fierce potatoes” or  patatas bravas. They are spicy fried potatoes that come with Garlic mayonnaise, ketchup, or paprika sauce. 

If you enjoy the hot soup, you might be surprised by cold gazpacho from Andalucia. It is a  tomato-based soup with the peppers, garlic, olive oil, and bread. In the heat of summer People eat it chilled.

And, we can’t forget famous tortilla! However, the Spanish tortilla looks nothing like the corn or flour  tortillas you use to make the tacos. The tortilla is also called a Spanish omelet in Spain. The basic ingredients are eggs and potatoes , but you can also find tortillas with onion, sausage, olives, and peppers.

What are the other Spanish foods?

Other traditional Spanish foods include:

·         Pimientos de Padrón :– a type of pepper from Padrón, Spain.

·         Fideuá :– a seafood dish like paella with noodles.

·         Jamón :– ham.

·         Croquetas: – fried pieces of leftover meat and vegetables combined with a bechamel sauce.

·         Albondigas: – meat-balls.

·         Migas: – meaning crumbs, it is a mixture of water,garlic, bread, olive olive and paprika.

·         Bacalao: – dried, salted codfish.

·         Fabada :– bean stew.

·         Leche frita: – fried milk, flour, and sugar.

·         Churros: – fried-dough pastry.

The Arts

There are a lot of skilled artists in spain. Spanish culture is full of incredible artists who have made a name for themselves worldwide and made them world top artist. 

The most famous Spanish artists include Picasso Goya and  Dali. They put hot efforts and Their work has inspired people around the world to look at art in a new way.

If you have studied about the Spanish language, you may have heard of Don Quixote. Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (author of  book )wrote this book over 400 years ago, and it’s still a classic, well-loved story.

While much of Spain’s architecture dates back several centuries, a more recent architect, Antoni Gaudí, made an incredible mark on Madrid and Barcelona. Born in the late 19th century, Guadi designed very beautiful, whimsical structures that are still beloved today.

When it comes to Spanish music, dancing draw and iconic Flamenco guitar music interest from around the world. Other popular genres include fandango and zarzuela. 

Spanish Culture: Customs and Etiquette

Greeting

To greet each other in Spain while you may expect everyone to kiss on the cheek, a handshake is more common among casual acquantances or strangers. With more familiarity (to whom you know very well), those who are very close to you or just like your family members you can expect a warmer greetings while meeting each other.

A double kiss is socially acceptable and common between female friends.  While meeting each other Male friends may give a hug with the warmly pat the other person’s arm or with a handshake. 

Don or Doña are the titles and these titles roughly translate to “Mr.” and “Mrs.” but come before the first name, not the surname that are used in some formal settings. You may hear people introducing each other with these titles.

Names

In Spain Speaking of names, the idea of middle names doesn’t exist in the country of Spain. Each person in the Spain typically has two first names.

They will often give both of their first names while introducing themselves. However, you don’t have to call them by both names they present for themselves. Some people prefer them both names together, while others prefer either just the first name or the second name. You may even hear different people calling them various versions of their name!

Each person’s two first names are followed by two last names, the first one from the father name and the second from the mother name. Some women choose not to change their last name when they get married in order to carry on both parents’ names and some women preffer to use their name with the life partner.

Gifts

Gift giving in the Spanish culture is common thing, you are expected to bring a gift for the hosts when they invites you to their house for dinner. And this culture varies from region to region like in the United States, this can be anything from wine to flowers (mostly red flowers are given). If you are going for a dinner and you choose flowers for a gift, make sure to get an odd number of flowers, but not thirteen because it is unlucky number! No matter red flower is considered as a sign of love but Also, avoid red roses, white lilies and chrysanthemums. Don’t forget to bring regalitos (small gifts like toys) for any children in the home, as well. 

If you receive a present, open it immediately so you don’t offend the giver.

Taboos

Be careful to stay away from taboo conversation topics, such as religion, your business success and bullfighting. 

In Spain It is considered as a vulgar gesture to make “OK” sign with your hand that’s why Don’t make the “OK” sign with your hand! 

Finally, don’t sit down in someone’s office or house until you are invited to take a seat.

Spanish Culture: Traditions and Celebrations

Spain with a rich history comes diverse celebrations. Semana Santa, is One of the most prominent Spanish celebrations, or Holy Week. Celebrated during Easter week, Spectacles and elaborate parades fill the streets. 

While you may associate Carnival with Brazil, Every February Spain actually holds the second-largest celebration in the world. In Santa Cruz they celebrate the holiday, that is the capital of the Tenerife in the Canary Islands. The two weeks of Carnival are full of dancing, elaborate outfits, music, and Ash Wednesday traditions. 

For enjoying and for a completely unique celebration, do visit Buñol, a Valencian town. Near the end of the month of August, the townspeople gets huge gathering to celebrate La Tomatina by having a tomato fight. Everyone enjoys smashing and throwing each other with tomatoes, resulting in a glorious red mess.

More incredible holidays in spain include:

·         Día de los reyes magos

·         Running of the bulls and Saint Fermin

·         Festa major de Gràcia

·         The Fallas of Valencia

·         La Feria de Sevilla

·         Cristianos y Moros

Spanish Culture: Beliefs

Religion

What religions are there in Spain?

Religion is a major part of each country. In Spanish,  Everywhere you go you will see cathedrals, religious processions, and apparel or apparel or sacred jewelry. 

The majority people of Spain are Catholic, but each year that number is decreasing very fast. While it used to be about 90 percent, the percentage of Catholics is down to 68.5percent. More people are becoming irreligious (16.8percent) and atheist (9.6percent) each year. Other religions in the country make up a small fraction of the population. 

Nevertheless, throughout the country Catholic holidays and traditions are still popular.

Family

Family is a very crucial part of any culture. That’s why family is also an important part of Spanish culture. Years ago, the extended family and nuclear would live together under one roof, strengthening the familial bond. 

While the family is still a vital part of the Spanish culture, most of the families no longer live with their extended relatives. In fact, the average family size in Spain has been steadily decreasing. Nevertheless, childs are still taught the traditional values of respect and obedience, especially for the elders.

In the families, traditional male and female roles for their kids are changing, and now both parents (mother and father) take more equal roles in parenting and general responsibilities. With the drastic changes over the past few decades, Spanish women more likely to pursue their own career and have become more independent.

In Spain School for the children officially begins at age 6 and goes to 16. However, some families choose to put their childs in preschool. Once the kids have finished studying, they can go on to high school for their studies, start working in any Organization, or get vocational training. 

What Do You Think about Spanish Culture?

Give your feedback.

We want to hear from our readers! let us know by commenting below with your favorite part of Spanish culture, or something that you’ve experienced first-hand in Spain Culture! 

if you want to know more about languages of Spain click here Spain Official language