Beers with friends during the week, beer after work or, of course, an aperitif are just some of the social moments that Spaniards dedicate to “beering”.They like it so much that Spain has been leading the ranking of countries with the highest density of bars per inhabitant for years. In few countries will it be so easy to find a place to have a drink. […]
Epiphany (6th January)Marching of the Magi (or marching with a star) is known in many regions of Slovakia and can therefore be found in various variants and modifications.Epiphany (6th January) used to be the ending of Christmas time. The customs connected to this day show how the old Slavonic customs, enriched by the elements of the Roman culture, overlap with Christian rites.Among the best known […]
Christmas in Spain begins on December 22 with the Christmas lottery draw. This has such a deep-rooted presence in the country that until the premiere of the Christmas fat advertisement it is quite an event. This long-awaited ‘spot’ is so well known that it has even created figures such as “the bald man of the lottery”.At Christmas “almost 70% of Spaniards, around 25 million people, […]
On November 1st each year, the Feast of All of the Saints is held and this particular public holiday centres around remembering dead family members. Most people will visit the graves of relatives and decorate them with elaborate floral displays. Roads around cemeteries will be crammed with traffic, flower sellers line the streets and, in many places, additional public transport services are organised. Although this […]
Hodina H hosts the Short-term staff training course “Recover promote cultural heritage” from to October 2021.The main contents of the training are competencies in the field of ICT and its applications in the field of preservation and transfer of traditions and cultural heritage, as well as intergenerational sharing.The group of participants has the opportunity to get to know various ICT tools, learn to work with […]
The majority of the Spanish population is Catholic. The presence of Catholicism in Spain is historically and culturally pervasive. However, in the past 40 years of secularism since Franco’s death, the role that religion plays in Spaniards’ daily life has diminished significantly. Law prevents the Spanish census from recording the religious affiliation of the population. However, in 2018, the Spanish Centre for Sociological Research estimated […]
Many Spaniards are named after a saint or religious figure, e.g. Jose (St. Joseph), Maria (Virgin Mary), Antonio (St. Anthony). In these cases, people have a ‘santo’ (name day), which is the day of the saint that they were named after. People can celebrate their name days as if they are birthdays. However, as there are so many santos in the calendar (between one and […]
The family (familia) is the most important aspect of most Spaniard’s lives. Spaniards tend to manage their personal problems through their family, relying on relatives (parientes) for support when in difficult situations. This family network of support was particularly crucial during the financial crisis and recession when many Spaniards lost their jobs. Some people had to move back into their family home after years of […]
Visualize this scene: two ladies sitting in the doorway of their house with some folding chairs watching life go by. Such a manners scene has a name: ‘sitting outside’ and it is one of the most pleasant domestic customs we have. Although in large cities it is not so common, in almost all smaller ones it is a key image. It is usually done in […]
Are siestas a myth or a reality?In the past, the Spanish had daily siestas. This was more a habit for people working in the countryside who awoke extra early to work and avoid the heat.Summer afternoons in some parts of Spain are so hot it’s difficult to be outside between 2pm and 6pm. In such places, you’ll hardly find anybody out at that time and […]
