Spanish Culture

Spanish culture is widely known for Flamenco music and dance, bullfights, fantastic beachesand lots of sunshine. But what is Spain known for? It has much more to offer than that. It is - and has been for thousands of years, one of the cultural centers of Europe.

"Spain is different!", Spaniards use to say. They don't specify compared to what: to the rest of Europe, to the rest of the world, or even to itself? We don't know either, but we do our best to supply you with lots of information about Spain´s culture so you can find the answer to this question and many others by yourself.

Spain has an extraordinary artistic heritage. The dominant figures of the Golden Age were the Toledo-based artists El Greco and Diego Velázquez. Francisco de Goya emerged in the 18th century as Spain's most prolific painter and he produced some wonderfully unflattering portraits of royalty. The art world in the early 20th century was influenced by a remarkable group of Spanish artists: Pablo Picasso, Juan Gris, Joan Miró and Salvador Dalí, ambassadors of the artistic culture in Spain.

Spain's architecture ranges from prehistoric monuments in Minorca in the Balearic Islands, to the Roman ruins of Merida and Tarragona, the decorative Lonja in Seville, Mudéjar buildings, Gothic cathedrals, castles, fantastic modernist monuments and Gaudí's intricate fabulist sculptures in Barcelona. They are all representative of the culture of Spain.

Another example of Spanish culture is the invention of the Spanish guitar, which was invented in Andalusia in the 1790's when a sixth string was added to the Moorish lute. It gained its modern shape in the 1870's. Spanish musicians have taken the humble guitar to dizzying heights of virtuosity and none more so than Andrés Segovia (1893-1997), who established classical guitar as a genre. Flamenco, music rooted in the cante jondo (deep song) of thegitanos (gypsies) of Andalusia, is experiencing a revival. Paco de Lucia is the best knownflamenco guitarist internationally.

His friend Camarón de la Isla was, until his death in 1992, the leading light of contemporarycante jondo. In the 1980s flamenco-rock fusion (a.k.a. "gypsy rock") was developed by the likes of Pata Negra and Ketama, and in the 1990s Radio Tarifa emerged with a mesmerizing mix of flamenco and medieval sounds.

. The family is the basis of the social structure and includes both the nuclear and the extended family, which sometimes provides both a social and a financial support network.

. Today, it is less common than previously for family members to work in a family business, as personal preferences are important and university education is general

. The structure and the size of the family vary, but generally, people live until longer lives, have fewer children than before, and fewer people live in their homes with extended family.

. Familial networks have become less tight. The greatest changes have occurred inside families, between men and woman, and the parents and children because the values that inspire these relations have changed.

. The majority of Spaniards are formally Roman Catholic, although different religious beliefs are accepted.

. During the history of Spain, there have been long periods of where different religious groups have coexisted, including Muslims, Jews and Christians.

. Still some traditions manifest more like a cultural event than a religious one.

. During Holy Week, many participants of the processions wear peaked, black hats as the sign of a penitent and walk barefoot, carrying a burden of some kind.

. Religious history is apparent in every small town, where the most grandiose building is typically the church. In the large cities the Cathedrals are almost museums.

Relationships & Communication

. The Spanish prefer to do business with those they know and trust.

. It is important that you spend sufficient time letting your business colleagues get to know you.

. Once you develop a relationship, it will prevail even if you switch companies, since your Spanish business colleagues' allegiance will be to you rather than the company you represent.

. Face-to-face contact is preferred to written or telephone communication.

. The way you present yourself is of critical importance when dealing with Spaniards.

. It is best to display modesty when describing your achievements and accomplishments.

. Communication is formal and follows rules of protocol.

. Avoid confrontation if at all possible. Spaniards do not like to publicly admit that they are incorrect.

. Trust and personal relationships are the cornerstone of business.

. Spaniards, like many societies, are concerned that they look good in the eyes of others and try to avoid looking foolish at all times.

Food Eating out in Spain is relatively cheap and meals are usually substantial instead of gourmet. The Spanish tradition of tapas is a good way to sample the local food. Tapas are small dishes of snacks which are served anytime especially in small bars. They cover all types of foods from seafood to vegetables. Many Spanish people make an evening of hopping from bar to bar trying different tapas. Another of Spain's favourites is Serrano Ham. Spain is famous for its fish delicacies and simply must be sampled, especially if you get to coastal areas. Paella has long been a Spanish favourite, based on either meat or seafood. Every region in Spain has its own specialities. See Spanish recipes here

Drink

Primarily Spain is a wine drinking country with each region producing its own special wines, however there are several large breweries within Spain producing the light, lager-like beers popular everywhere. The principal table wines are the Riojas and Valdepeñas, named after the regions in which they are produced. In general, Rioja, from the region around Logroño in the northeast, resembles the French Bordeaux, though it is less delicate. Valdepeñas is a rougher wine, but pleasant and hearty. It will be found at its best in the region where it is grown, midway between Madrid and Cordóba. The Jerez area is famous for its sherry. Jerez is the place from which this wine was first exported. Britain now buys 75% of all sherry exports. There are four main types of sherry, being fino which is pale and dry, amontillado, dry, richer in body and darker, oloroso, medium, fragrant and golden and dulce, which is sweet. In the Basque Country, chacoli is a favourite, green wine, slightly sparkling and sour. The majority of Spanish sparkling wines are sweet and fruity and even the inexpensive supermarket wines have an important place in the wine culture. Cider also has an importance in Spain. See our full section on wine.

Dress codes

In general the Spanish have a very modern outlook on clothing. They are keen on designer clothes but quality is more important than a designer name. Spanish made clothes tend to be high quality and reasonably priced.

Teenage girls tend to wear trousers more than skirts. Denim is definitely 'in'. Teenage boys are keen on designer wear and appearance is important to them. Mature Spaniards dress conservatively and with style. Older men in particular tend to wear high quality clothing.

It is unclear what the Spanish think of scantily clad holiday-makers but it is not acceptable in small villages, away from the coast. One should be particularly careful of dress code if entering churches. Swim-wear and short skirts are frowned upon.

IThe name España is of uncertain origin; from it derived the Hispania of the roman Empire. Important regions within the modern nation are the Basque Country (País Vasco), the Catalan-Valencian-Balearic area, and Galicia—each of which has its own language and a strong regional identity. Others are Andalucía and the Canary Islands; Aragón; Asturias; Castile; Extremadura; León; Murcia; and Navarra, whose regional identities are strong but whose language, if in some places dialectic, is mutually intelligible with the official Castilian Spanish. The national territory is divided into fifty provinces, which date from 1833 and are grouped into seventeen autonomous regions, or comunidades autónomas. Spain occupies about 85 percent of the Iberian peninsula, with Portugal on its western border. Other entities in Iberia are the Principality of Andorra in the Pyrenees and Gibraltar, which is under British sovereignty and is located on the south coast. The Pyrenees range separates Spain from France. The Atlantic Ocean washes Spain's north coast, the far northwest corner adjacent to Portugal, and the far southwestern zone between the Portuguese border and the Strait of Gibraltar. Spain is separated from North Africa on the south by the Strait of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean Sea, which also washes Spain's entire east coast. The Balearic Islands lie in the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands in the Atlantic, off the coast of Africa. Spain also holds two cities, Ceuta and Melilla, on the Mediterranean coast of Morocco. Spain's perimeter is mountainous, the mountains generally rising from relatively narrow coastal plains. The country's interior, while transected by various mountain ranges, is high plateau, or meseta, generally divided into the northern and southern mesetas.

The 'Tomatina' Tomato Fight

Surely the worlds' biggest food-fight: every year around 30,00 people descend on the Spanish town of Bunol (in the Valencia region of Spain) to throw more than 240,000 pounds of tomatoes at each other. The festival is started with a ham-on-a-stick contest where competitors raced up a pole to retrieve a smoked leg of ham. When the ham is cut down, people put on eye protection and cry for tomatoes as trucks dump the squishy produce onto the village streets. They then proceed to pelt each other with them until all have been used up.

The festival on the last Wednesday of August is called 'the Tomatina' and is basically a town-wide tomato fight. It is thought the tradition began in 1945 when a fight erupted among two young members of a carnival crowd. A vegetable stall was nearby in the town square and every started throwing tomatoes at each other. Exactly one year later, young people met at the square, but this time with their own tomatoes. Another food-fight started but was broken up by police.

In the following years this practice was banned by the authorities, but due to popular demand was given official recognition in 1959. This was only to occur if participants would respect the start and the end of tomato-throwing being announced with a banger.

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