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See all the wonderful things Molly Scott has made

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I found it very interesting that Spain used to be almost 98% Roman Catholic according to the website. It says that this number now is at 40%, but Catholic holidays are still celebrated by a large portion of the population. The website also mentions Spain having higher unemployment rates, but also mentions that 40% of the new businesses in the country were created by female entrepreneurs. Also, something I found interesting is the movement of gender equality in a woman’s ability to take her mother’s surname rather than relying on the fathers surname. I am very curious into the festival, Los Indianos and am curious as to the origins of this festival and the traditions of it.

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I found it very interesting that Spain used to be almost 98% Roman Catholic according to the website. It says that this number now is at 40%, but Catholic holidays are still celebrated by a large portion of the population. The website also mentions Spain having higher unemployment rates, but also mentions that 40% of the new businesses in the country were created by female entrepreneurs. Also, something I found interesting is the movement of gender equality in a woman’s ability to take her mother’s surname rather than relying on the fathers surname. I am very curious into the festival, Los Indianos and am curious as to the origins of this festival and the traditions of it.

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From the fiestas, to the beaches, to the artwork of famous Spanish artists like Picasso and Miró, Spain has a lot to offer any sort of traveller. Spanish culture is just as fascinating as the nation's coastlines and museums, and probably much more nuanced! Even if you spent years in Spain you most likely wouldn't be able to uncover every aspect of the country's vibrant traditions, but that doesn't mean you won't try, right? We're here to help (and get you started on that journey to discovering Spanish culture) with a few interesting facts about Spain and the Spanish way of life.
1. Nudity is legal in Spain
Yep, we thought we'd start off with a bang! According to some people, nudity is legal in the country due to its mainly Mediterranean climate and very hot summers. But just because you're allowed to walk around in the nude, it doesn't mean people do it whenever, wherever. It would be very out of the ordinary to spot someone strolling through central Barcelona without any clothes on, but lying out on the beach naked, for example, is commonplace. People won't bat an eye or even look twice. I mean, how else would you get an even tan?
2. Religion is important
In the days of yore a whopping 98% of Spain's population considered themselves Roman Catholics. In the modern age these numbers have drastically declined to less than 40%, but that doesn't mean religion isn't an important part of Spanish culture. The number of people volunteering in and attending important religious festivals like those that take place during Easter Week is certainly a testament to that. It's obvious that religion and culture go hand in hand and even those who aren't practising Catholics tend to still celebrate the traditions that stretch back hundreds of years.
3. The first 'novel' is Spanish
Perhaps you've heard of a little piece of work called Don Quixote by a certain writer named Miguel Cervantes. Not only was Cervantes Spanish, but he's credited with having written the first modern novel way back in 1605. Even better, in 2002 Salman Rushdie and a whole bunch of other well-known authors got together and voted Don Quixote to be 'the most meaningful book of all time'. With a title like that, it's no wonder the Spaniards are so proud of their writers and artists!
Learning Spanish? Check out our 4. Time is not of the essence free Spanish placement test 5. Wild and wacky fiestas to see how your level measures up! 6. Girl power rules
Locals love taking it easy in Spain and rushing around from place to place is not very fashionable in Spanish culture. It seems that everything in Spain happens a little bit later, like having lunch at 2pm, or being sure not to show up to a party before midnight. Could this be why the country has one of the highest life expectancy ages in the world (82)? According to a 2013 study, Spaniards devote roughly 16 hours out of every 24 to leisure, eating, sleeping, or drinking, so it's very likely the laid back lifestyle has something to do with the Spanish penchant for living long, healthy lives!
What are some of your favourite facts about Spain? Do you have any insider knowledge on local traditions and customs? Share it with us below!
While religious fiestas are a big deal in Spain, locals don't limit themselves to just those. Spain is home to some of the wackiest, weirdest festivals in the world. Whether you're dressing in white and chucking talcum powder at each other in the Los Indianos festival, or pelting people with tomatoes in La Tomatina, there really is no lack of crazy activities to take part in in Spain. Did I mention El Colacho? It's a festival that involves jumping over babies. Didn't I warn you some of these were pretty wacky?

While Spain is known for having high unemployment rates, it's heartening to know that around 40% of new businesses in the country are in fact set up by female entrepreneurs! And while old traditions dictate that individuals should carry their father's last name, these days gender equality is changing that in favour of the mother's surname instead. Sounds like the girls are taking over in Spain!

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6 Interesting Facts about Spanish Culture

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From the fiestas, to the beaches, to the artwork of famous Spanish artists like Picasso and Miró, Spain has a lot to offer any sort of traveller. Spanish culture is just as fascinating as the nation's coastlines and museums, and probably much more nuanced!

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How the Spanish language developed in Spain 

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How the Spanish language developed in Spain 

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https://www.trustedtranslations.com/spanish-language/history-of-spanish/in-spain.asp

As a student of the Spanish language, I was curious to know more about how Spanish developed in Spain and why it is different from the Spanish in Latin America. This website explains that in 2000 B.C., the inhabitants of “Hispania” (what is now Spain) were taught Latin by the Romans. When Latin combined with their native Celtic language, it formed “vulgar Latin”, which was further shaped through time with Arabic influence to become Castilian Spanish. This Spanish was then brought over to Latin America by Spaniard explorer Christopher Columbus, where it was blended with local dialects.

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Before the siestas and the fiestas , health comes first 

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Before the siestas and the fiestas , health comes first 

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Over the years I’ve learned a few things about Spain related to food, amazing places, its interesting history and friendly people. When it comes to Spain two words come to mind: variety (of culture, customs, landscape, festivals you name it) and the second one is the quality of life. Spain has the highest life expectancy in Europe often credited to the healthy Mediterranean diet. But one fascinating thing about Spain is its healthcare system. Spain ranked 3rd  in the list of best healthcare systems of the world conducted by Bloomerang .Moreover Spain also ranked among the 10 best in the world in a study conducted by  The Healthcare Access and Quality Index . Many credited this to good policies and great systems implemented like the opt out option (or presumed consent) regarding donations .By the way Spain currently is the world leader of organ donation .Because before the fiestas and the siestas, health comes fist :)

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The Healthcare Access and Quality Index (HAQ), published in the UK journal The Lancet on Thursday, studied the quality of healthcare in 195 countries by measuring mortality rates from causes that should not be fatal in the presence of effective medical care.

The study analyzed death rates from 32 such diseases and conditions over the period 1990 to 2015 and found that nearly all countries saw their rating improve over the years.

Spain scored 90 points out of a maximum 100, placing it eighth in the world rankings, above the healthcare systems of Italy (89), France (88), Greece (87), Germany (86), the UK (85) and Portugal (85).

Andorra topped the Index with a score of 95, followed by Iceland (94) and then Switzerland in third place on 92 points.

Sweden and Norway made up the top five and 13 of the top 15 countries were in Western Europe, joined by Australia (6th) and Japan (11th).

The UK placed 30th and the US 35th.

At the bottom end of the table was Central African Republic on only 29 points.

The average score across the board improved from 40.7 points in 1990 to 53.7 in 2015, and 167 out of 195 countries "significantly increased" their HAQ rating during that time, said the study.

Inequalities had widened, however. The gap between the leading country and the last was 62 points in 1990 and 66 points in 2015.

The study also compared the HAQ scores to countries' level of development on the so-called socio-demographic Index (SDI) and found that some, such as the US and South Africa, achieved a healthcare quality and access rating that was lower that what should be expected for a country of that level of development.

This is a "warning sign that heightened healthcare access and quality is not an inevitable product of increased development," said the study.

If every country had reached the maximum HAQ for their level of development, the average result would have been 73.8 in 2015, 20 points higher than what was actually achieved, "a clear indicator of untapped potential for healthcare improvement worldwide," said the study.

Some, however, achieved higher than expected levels of healthcare in 2015, including Peru, the Maldives and Ethiopia.

South Korea, Turkey, China also recorded large improvements over the years.

Spain scored the maximum points (100) in its treatment of diptheria, tetanus and measles and just one short of the perfect score when it came to maternity and respiratory treatment.

It's lowest scores were in treatment for Hodgkins Limphoma (64 points), Leukemia (66), gallbladder disease (74) and skin cancer (74).

Spain has both public and private healthcare systems with free basic healthcare provided to those who contribute to the Spanish social security system and their families.

An estimated 19 percent of the population holds private health insurance, which can either be used as a supplement or an alternative to public care.

Spain is the global leader in organ donation, carrying out more transplants per capita than any other nation in the world and has the highest life expectancy in Europe.

READ MORE: How Spain became the world leader in organ transplants

Photo: Pierre-Philippe Marcou / AFP

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Spain's healthcare ranks among top ten in world

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The Healthcare Access and Quality Index (HAQ), published in the UK journal The Lancet on Thursday, studied the quality of healthcare in 195 countries by measuring mortality rates from causes that should not be fatal in the presence of effective medical care.

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https://www.huffpost.com/entry/spanish-stereotypes_n_5822414

The pre-reading questions had definitely made me want to delve further into stereotypes that Spanish people fall prey to.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish-style_bullfighting

I chose this anti-bullfighting movement on Wikipedia because it's still controversial. Basically those who oppose bullfighting argue that it psychologically harms the bull as well as give the bull severe stress and eventually it leads to a slow death. While those who support bullfighting claim that the bull typically lives longer than a meat cow, and other practices such as slaughtering for meat and torture breeding are more controversial. It is quite fascinating to look on both sides because they all make sense. But I also question that how the bullfighting mentally gives pain to the bull. As wiki says, it hasn't been shown any symptoms other than releasing adrenaline. I also think it's good for the bull to exercise daily? further research is needed.

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https://www.donquijote.org/spanish-culture/traditions/education-in-spain/

I chose this article on Spanish education because it stood out to me. The wiki article was a bit hard to follow so I googled education in Spain. One thing that stood out to me was the compulsory nature of Spain’s early education system, mostly because it reminded me of Japan’s own compulsory education system. I also found it interesting how the Bachillerato while non-compulsory, sounds like it’s better preparing students to choosing a path in life. It was also welcome to see vocational training and education in Spain. I know we have them here, but I hardly ever hear about them.

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What I found really interesting when researching the internet was that 58 million tourists go to Spain every year! Its the fourth most visited country in the world. I feel like I know so very little about Spain, and am curious as to what percentage of those tourists are Americans? What I also found interesting is that Spaniards have a lifestyle rhythm that is different than other countries in Europe, having lunch between 1pm and 3 pm and eat dinner very late in the evening, around 10pm! What time do they wake up in the morning then? I definitely am so excited to learn more about this exciting country. Here is the link: https://takelessons.com/blog/interesting-facts-about-Spain-z03

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I recently did research for a class I'm in about LGBT standards in other countries and how it compares to America. There are actually many factors that contribute to Spain being a reasonable country to live in if you're LGBT and a commendable amount of rights given to members of the community in Spain. For instance, having a family in a non-hetero context has been relatively easy compared to other surrounding countries, and same-sex marriage has been legal for almost 15 years now. According to Rainbow Europe, surveys have listed Spain as having some of the biggest pride events not only in Europe, but in the world. I'm not surprised that Spain has such a large LGBT community, but I was surprised to see how it often sets the standards for the rest of the world as far as the LGBT communities are concerned.

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One thing that I learned about Spanish Customs was a poplar dance form that which is the Flamenco dance. This dancing form is rare for the fact that it focuses more on the idea of the vocals and the guitar than the actual dance form itself. Another things that I learned about Flamenco dancing, is that it requires specific outfits to be preformed. The article mentioned that this dance form is often performed spontaneously. I am intrigued about how this would work if this dance from is one that requires a specific outfit.
https://www.tripsavvy.com/spanish-customs-and-traditions-1644353

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https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/national-traditions/spanish-tradition.htm

I chose this article because it really goes in depth about the influences over Spain's traditions. It mentions a couple traditions and customs Spain has such as Running of the Bulls, where bulls would be let loose through the streets, and then La Fiesta de Tomantin, a battle in which individuals throw tomatoes at one another. There is an important, well known tradition known as Los Reyes Magos, the day of The three Wise Men which was celebrated among children.
Though I mainly wanted to focus on the traditions, the article also goes in depth about the food, music, and clothing in Spain.

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https://www.spain.info/en/que-quieres/agenda/fiestas/zamora/semana_santa_de_zamora.html
I chose this article because it explains a religious tradition that part of Spain's culture. In many countries that have a huge amount of people practicing catholicism, holy week is celebrated and in some cases similar but each with their own twist. I have yet to experience holy week outside of the US but I was drawn to find out what Spain does. As holy week starts tomorrow I thought this would be a great topic to look into. I found it interesting that members of the different Easter brotherhoods, dressed in their characteristic robes, parade through the streets carrying religious statues (pasos) to the sound of drums and music – scenes of sober beauty. I love that music, art, color and religious devotion are displayed.

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I chose this article because like many we have already read this term, it discusses the various myths about Spain. After reading this article, it became clear that some myths were much more obviously false than others. For example, myth number ten says, “if you add an "o" to the end of any word, it becomes Spanish.” I found this to be rather silly, but also offensive. I believe becoming aware of a culture’s common misconceptions can help you see the truth and diversity every country or city possess. I think the myth I found most interesting was myth number seven which says, “confusing accents and different ways of speaking Spanish,” this was not something I thought about before. This becomes obvious to many Spanish speakers when watching films or television that depict a Spanish speaking character.

Link:
https://www.enforex.com/culture/typical-or-topical-spain.html

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Food culture is a big thing in Spain as many of the restaurants and bars link to traditional meals with spanish roots. However, I learned that in Spain tipping is not an existing part of your dining experience. Tipping in Spain is entirely optional and it’s not very common in some areas or small villages. I found this interesting and similar to European culture as gratuity is tied into the menu cost or not factored in whatsoever. In America tipping is nearly mandatory at sit down restaurants and your servers rely on those tips following your meal experience to make a living. Thought this was an interesting aspect of dining out culture in Spain vs the US.

https://wagonersabroad.com/tipping-in-spain/

Number 4

https://www.tripsavvy.com/spanish-customs-and-traditions-1644353

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https://www.parador.es/en/blog/10-spanish-customs-will-surprise-you

I chose this website because I love learning about traditions and customs from new places. A few things I thought were interesting is that it is common for people in Spain to have 4 to 5 cups of coffee a day, dinner is commonly eaten around 10 pm, bars are open all night long, woman do not adopt their husbands surnames and the alcohol culture. I specifically found it interesting to learn that when going for a drink there are few options to pick from and generally you do not really get to choose what you want when it comes to ordering  beer and wine. I honestly would prefer not to have so many options because ordering a drink can at times be stressful with all of the options we have here in Portland!