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Spanish Customs & Culture

The Spanish are a lively bunch of people who like to talk and be listened to. They are renowned for their noise level when speaking normally, something which us foreigners find difficult to get used to.

But once you’ve lived here a while and are used to the culture you’ll also find yourself talking in an extremely loud voice to make yourself heard. The Spanish love a heated discussion and they often sound like they’re arguing when they’re just discussing the events of the week.

The Outdoor Life
Much of this discussion takes place outdoors in the street. In most of the smaller towns in our local area you’ll notice how everyone seems to know everyone else. Many of these people have grown up together and have never left their home town, where generations of the same family live.

The warmer months bring everyone outdoors and it’s a time to celebrate the famous Spanish fiestas. Each local town has its own fiesta dates when shops will be closed and the whole town parties for a week or so. To really enjoy this take off your watch, forget any deadlines you have and join in. You will be welcomed by the locals and this is a great way to get to know people.

Spanish Family Life
The Spanish are true family people. Walk past a primary school at the end of the day or when children go home at lunch time and note how many grandparents there are collecting the children. These days many parents work full time in the larger towns and rely heavily on the grandparents.

A Spanish family meal is a lively affair with all members of the family sitting round the table. The television is likely to be on in the background with no one watching it and there will be several conversations going on at the same time. Everyone gets stuck in to the food that has probably been prepared by grandma, and there’s no air of politeness. If you’re hungry you eat. Children will be seated at the table and will often get up and down to play during the course of the meal (again something we British find hard to accept as we’re used to trying to get children to sit quietly at a family table –not always successfully!).

On the subject of Spanish children, don’t be surprised to see them playing outside or even having a birthday party in a street where cars drive by. If you’re a foreigner this takes a bit of getting used to, but remember that many Spanish children live in flats and townhouses that don’t have gardens so this is their only option. Local communities tend to be close knit and people watch out for each other’s children.

Unless they get married or go to university the Spanish often don’t leave home until their thirties. This is mainly due to economical reasons as it’s cheaper to live at home than rent a flat.

Contact with Spanish People
Physical contact is another thing Spanish people are big on. As well as the traditional greeting of a kiss on each cheek they tend to hold your arm when explaining something or give you a hug if they haven’t seen you for a while. It won’t be long before you find yourself mirroring these greetings.

In our local area people are friendly and have time to stop and chat. In the street people make eye contact and will greet you even if they don’t know you. This camaraderie extends to the local shops where you’ll often hear ‘bon día’, ‘buenas días’ or ‘buenas’ from a customer walking in, whether they know everyone or not.

Click on the topics below for more information:

Local Language

Being on time

Leisure

Dining in Spain

Spanish Siesta

Religions in Spain

Spanish Weddings

Spain - Baptism

Spain - First Holy Communion

Spanish Three Kings

Better way of life?

Spanish Royal Family

The Spanish Government

Spanish Corruption
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