h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Spanish Customs - A14022947
Author: Cal Fortuneswell "I want to leave but I just get stuck, a broken record running low on luck" - U193866

*Drops it in and s*

I was expecting this to be about Spanish Customs and Excise

Good work - only one nitpick:
During the ceremony you might see El lazo --> El Lazo#

Alex

Except without the #...

Thanks Alex

Nicely written stuff. Easy to follow and chatty tone, which I'm all for.

However, just a few things I thiught when reading -

Not everyone will have to hop on a jumbo to visit Spain (don't forget we're an international site - or should be), some might catch the train, or drive, or even ride a bike (although I'm not sure of their snaity...)

And I knw you've gone into Fiestas and talked about the Running of the Bulls, but I'm sure there's a few fruit/vegetable throwing festivals worth mentioning (isn't their some where they throw oranges or tomatoes? or am I getting some Italian festivals mixed up?)

And I think there's some fun religious ones too we're you pretty much either drink sangria and eat candy. Although again, I might be getting them mixed up with some Mexican ones...

All in all though, I enjoyed the tone of the Entry and it's made me rethink Spain as a holiday destination.

There is a religious festival on 6th January : Los Reyes Magos, it's quite an important religious feast, the kids write lists for the gifts they wnat to get, very similar to what kids do here before christmas.

La Tomatina Festival, is held on the last Saturday in August and involves tomatoes being thrown around for three hours. Apparently, men cannot wear shirts and all the tomatoes have to squashed before they thrown in order to prevent serious injury. A claxon is sounded to start off the fight and when it goes again that signifies the end.

B that festival is when the spanish celebrate christmas, I can put that in if you like

Yes I know about the tomato festival I shall put that in

Good stuff! I only heard about it the week on Good Food Live, sounds verry messy, but fun

I wasn't so sura anymore about that , Cal, it's been a couple of years since I've done any Spanish, so had difficulties with skimming my booklet. Is that when they burn the starw puppet, or is that yet another festival ?

My grandmother is telling me that Los Reyes Magos is a mexican festival but is trying to explain somethig that the spanish do celebrate in january

It's a huge festival in Madrid every year, with a 'cabalgata' and all people going to watch it and stuff. Maybe the oringins are in Mexico, I don't know, but my Spanish teacher was Spanish.

Looke here, Cal, I've found a link http://www.red2000.com/spain/madrid/1fest.html

and it's on 5th January

Twelfth Night is certainly a big New Year festival; the Cabalgata de Reyes. Most towns and villages will have a big parade of the three kings, and bigger places fireworks and fairs as well.

The Dia de San Antonio is interesting. I think it's held on 31st January every year. In days gone by, people would take their animals to church to be blessed; a very Iberian answer to the quandary of whether animals have souls (let's bless 'em just in case) In some places, they still do so for family pets, but the days of shepherds bringing a whole flock of sheep through church sadly seem to have gone.

I've not seen it myself, but am told that at midnight on New Year's Evethe Spanish partake of Las Uvas - the grapes. They must eat one grape on every stroke of the midnight clock.

I'll have a scan of my diaries and see if I can find anything else

Oh, and don't forget the festivals in Villa Riba and Villa Bacho , which end up with the villagers washing huge fatty frying pans - the village that uses Fairy Liquid wins

B that links in Spanish

Guys, this entry is ment to give you a taste of spain, I don't want to be explaining every single festival that happens there

I know it's in Spanish - thought you speak Spanish ?
And my mention of the villages was a joke, it's from some ad for Fairy liquid, I don't even know if the villages exist.
Nobody expects you to mention every single festival, there are far too many, but I still think los reyes magos are worth a mention. But it's your entry, Cal, it's just a suggestion

No, but Twelfth Night is a massive festival. Every village, town and city, as I say, has a BIG celebration. Not mentioning it would be like talking about American customs without mentioning Thanksgiving.

The Dia de San Antonio is one of those typically quirky festivals that really say something about a country. A few lines about this would help the Entry considerably, and say more about the place than the tourist flamenco shows.

Still, it's your Entry