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Spain
Spain is a developed country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. It is Western Europe’s second biggest country by area with 504,030 sq km. Its topography, history and rich cultural heritage attract tourists from all over the world.
6,835 Questions
The peseta was the currency of Spain between 1869 and 2002. Along with the French franc, it was also a de factocurrency used in Andorra (which had no national currency with legal tender.The peseta was replaced by the euro (€) in 1999 on currency exchange boards. Euro coins and notes were introduced in January 2002, and on March 1, 2002, the peseta lost its legal tender status in Spain,
What do people do in Spain for Christmas?
Most people in Spain go to Midnight Mass or 'La Misa Del Gallo' (The Mass of the Rooster). It is called this because a rooster is supposed to have crowed the night that Jesus was born.
Most families eat their main Christmas meal on Christmas Eve before the service. The traditional Spanish Christmas dinner is 'Pavo Trufado de Navidad' which is Turkey stuffed with truffles (the mushrooms not the chocolate ones!) In Galicia (a region in north-west Spain, surrounded by water) the most popular meal for Christmas Eve and for Christmas Day is seafood. This can all kinds of different seafood, from shellfish and mollusk, to lobster and small edible crabs.
After the midnight service, people walk through the streets carrying torches, playing guitars and beating on tambourines and drums. One Spanish saying is 'Esta noche es Noche-Buena, Y no Es noche de dormir' which means 'Tonight is the good night and it is not meant for sleeping!'
A few different languages are spoken in different regions in Spain. In Spanish Happy/Merry Christmas is 'Feliz Navidad'; in Catalan it's 'Bon Nadal'; and in Galician 'Bo Nadal'. Happy/Merry Christmas in lots more languages.
December 28th is 'Día de los santos inocentes' or 'Day of the Innocent Saints' and is very like Aprils Fools Day in the UK and USA. People try to trick each other into believing silly stories and jokes. Newspapers and TV stations also run silly stories. If you trick someone, you can call them 'Inocente, inocente' which means 'innocent, innocent'. 28th December is when people all over the world remember the babies that were killed on the orders of King Herod when he was trying to kill the baby Jesus.
New Year's Eve is called 'Nochevieja' or 'The Old Night' in Spain and one special tradition is that you eat 12 grapes with the 12 strokes of the clock at Midnight! Each grape represents a month of the coming year, so if you eat the twelve grapes, you are said to be lucky in the new year.
Apart from Christmas, there is another festival that is celebrated in Spain that is about the Christmas Story. It is called Epiphany or Kings' Day and is celebrated on 6th January. This is the twelfth night after Christmas. In Spanish, Epiphany is called 'Fiesta de Los tres Reyes Mages': in English this means 'The festival of the three Magic Kings'. Epiphany celebrates when the Kings or Wise men brought gifts to the baby Jesus.
Children have some presents on Christmas Day, but most are opened at Epiphany. Some children believe that the Kings bring presents to them at Epiphany. They write letters to the Kings on Boxing Day, December 26th, asking for toys and presents. And on Epiphany Eve (January 5th) they leave shoes on windowsills or balconies or under the Christmas Tree to be filled with presents. Gifts are often left by children for the Kings, a class of Cognac for each King, a satsuma and some walnuts. Sometimes a bucket of water is left for the camels that bring the Kings! If the children have been bad, the Kings might leave pieces of coal made out of sugar in the presents!
Some big towns and cities have Epiphany Parades with each King having a big float that is shaped like a camel. Sometimes there are also real camels in the parade. The Three Kings in the the Spanish Epiphany are:
- Gaspar, who has brown hair and a brown beard (or no beard!) and wears a green cloak and a gold crown with green jewels on it. He is the King of Sheba. Gaspar represents the Frankincense brought to Jesus. Frankincense is sometimes used in worship in Churches and showed that people worship Jesus.
- Melchior, who has long white hair and a white beard and wears a gold cloak. He is the King of Arabia. Melchior represents the Gold brought to Jesus. Gold is associated with Kings and Christians believe that Jesus is the King of Kings.
- Balthazar, who has black skin and a black beard (or no beard!) and wears a purple cloak. He is the King of Tarse and Egypt. Balthazar represents the gift of Myrrh that was brought to Jesus. Myrrh is a perfume that is put on dead bodies to make them smell nice and showed that Jesus would suffer and die.
In the Basque country (which is a part of northern Spain and southern France), on Christmas Eve children's presents are deleiverd by a magical man called Olentzero. He's a big, overweight man wearing a beret and smoking a pipe. He dresses like a Basque farmer.
In the Catalan area of Spain there's a Christmas character called 'Tio de Nadal' (the Christmas log) or he's sometimes known as 'Caga tio' (the pooping log!). It's a small hollow log propped up on two legs with a smiling face painted on one end. From the 8th December (the Feast of the Immaculate Conception) Catalan families gives the log a few morsels of food to 'eat' and a blanket to keep it warm. On Christmas Day or Christmas Eve, the log then 'gives out' small gifts! People sing songs and hit the log with sticks to help its 'digestion' and the log drops sweets, nuts, and dried fruits. When garlic or an onion falls out of the log, all of the treats are finished for the year.
A special cake called 'Roscón' is eaten at Epiphany. Roscón means 'ring shape roll'. It is very doughy and is bought from a bakery on Epiphany morning. Roscón can be filled with cream or chocolate and contain a little gift.
Did the king of Spain have a lisp?
I don't know, but it certainly would have nothing to do with why Spaniards pronounce soft c and z with the 'th' sound. If it had something to do with it perhaps they would pronounce the s with a "th" sound. Anyway, how would an entire people come to imitate the speech impediment of a king during a time when a minute fraction of the people would have ever heard the man speak? Furthermore the distinction of the soft c and z from the s has important utilitarian aspects allowing the hearer to know what the speaker means when using words that would otherwise sound the same if spoken in American style Spanish.
What does Spain had to trade in 1500?
Spain had recently become very involved in the gold and silver trade, so that was their biggest trade asset.
They also had your typical wine and cheese type stuff but gold and silver was more effectively used in trading for necessities.
What Christmas songs does Spain sing?
Let"s look at the facts. Christmas is, for God"s sakes- A religious holiday- the various religious Christmas songs- Silent Night- Adestes Fidelis, O Holy Night, etc are designed for ecclesiastical use and were originally written in Latin based languages ( O Holy Night was originally written in French- it translates too easily into that tongue!) OKay Silent Night was German or Austrian but is religious. the basic religious carols are in effect cosmopolitan and have found their way into the Hymnals. Oddly some artificial Spanish Christmas songs ( Mamacita- Santa Claus)- (Feliz Navidad) are artificial commercial jobs not native Spanish songs.
Where is the oldest bullring in Spain?
The oldest, and most beautiful bullring, is in Ronda, a province in Andalucia (southern Spain)... there are several in Spain and Mexico
Who was the first Bourbon king of Spain?
The First Bourbon King of Spain was King Philip V of Spain. Philip Duke of Anjou, second son of Louis, Grand Dauphin and Grandson of King Louis XIV, was born in Versailles on Dec 19, 1683.
Philippe V of Spain "el Animoso", ("the brave") reigned from 1700 until 1746.
What languages are spoken in Rota Spain?
They speak Spanish. Most Spaniards also studied English in schools, so do know some English as well.
Spain ruled the world from the 15 Century till the begining of the Spanish war of Independence near the 18s. The first glimpse of decline of the Spanish Empire was after the trafalgar sea battle that literally wipe out the Spanish Navy forces and encourage the Spanish American Colonies to get independent.
Why was Queen Isabella of Spain important to the exploration?
No, but she financed ( not by selling royal jewels, either) the Columbus missions, yes, task force l492. She also did wear armor in the field as a Queen at Arms- and introduced horse-drawn ambulances into the Spanish Army medical corps. She has given her name, in Spanish- to the Palomino horse- they are called Ysabellas.
Where could one find reviews about hotels in Spain?
One can find information and details about Spanish hotels from looking at hotel and tourism websites like the Marriot Hotel, Travelodge, and lastminute, and more specialist info from gomadrid, and The Spain Hotel faq at travvelinginspain.
No. It is in the southwest of Europe. See the map at the link below.
Who was the spanish writer who mocked the ideals of chivalry?
Miguel de Cervantes - author of Don Quixote
What languages are spoken in the Navarre and Basque Country regions?
Spanish (Castillian) is the dominant language in both Navarre and the Basque Country, but both regions recognize Basque as a co-official language. Around 30% of Basque Country residents speak Basque (but almost all of them also speak Spanish) and a far smaller number, around 10% speak Basque in Navarre.
What is a short summary of Spain's history?
Spain was a Roman province until the demise of the Roman empire. It then had an mixture of Spanish, Gothic, Celtic and Christian territories until the Moors invaded in 711. The Northern Kingdoms then began to recapture territories that it had lost during the Moorish invasions starting in the late 12th century. The Reconquista (as it known) was completed when the Spanish reclaim the last Muslim territory of Granada in 1492. This was the same year that Columbus set out to discover a new trade route to India. He happened to find the Americas along the way. From the late 15th - late 19th century Spain was in it's colonial period. The end of the colonial period was marked the Spanish-American War of 1898. After that Spain underwent series of government reforms until the the Spanish Civil War in 1936. With Franco's victory in 1939 the Spain was in what was called the Franco period until 1977 with his death. After that Spain formed the Second Spanish Republic which lasted until 1992 when the European Union was officially formed politically. It has been a part of European Union since then.
How far away is Barcelona Spain from Hawaii?
The distance between the above places is 4710 miles. This distance is point to point straight distance. The actual distance may vary according to the flight path chosen. Also this is not the airport to airport precise distance.
How many vegetarians does spain have?
It is rare in Spain, For more information refer to the related links
What are popular Spanish foods?
The most well known Spanish dish is paella which is a rice dish with vegetables, meat, prawns and sausage. The combination of ingredients in paella vary depending on the region. Other typical dishes include tapas, tortilla and gazpacho.
Is Spain broken up into states?
Spain is divided into both provinces and regions. See the related links for listings.
Father Christmas is traditionally the British name for a figure of Christmas (who is now associated in the U.S. with the development of Santa Claus). However, a similar figure does exist in Spain and many other countries. In Spain, he is called Papa Noel or Padre Noel.
