How are the Spaniards?

Historical tradition has determined the way Spaniards are. Heirs of a culture that mixes religions and ideas, Spaniards are very hospitables, open and kind, and always protectors of their unity as a nation, what they have been doing for centuries.

Some of the cultural characteristics of Spaniards are:

Regional feeling: Spaniards are united and  passionate about fighting for the conservation of their traditions and history. Every region, province and town keeps their ancient legends and traditions almost untouched. Spaniards take so much care of their history that they turn it into present in every popular festivity. This feeling is also present in the conservation of the historical patrimony: churches, monasteries, convents, squares and houses of famous people are protected by the State. On the citizen's side, they assume this responsibility telling foreigners the stories of these places.

Strong character: Spaniards are proud of the way they are, particularly regarding the conservation of their geography, which they defend above everything. Spanish economic crises along the 20th century have flourished the other side of the Iberian character: protection of their employment sources and competitiveness with other European nations.

Habits: despite many habits have changed due to the new ways of working, Spain still maintains the habit of taking a break in their working day, between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. to eat with their families. Spaniards like abundant food and very well seasoned. Lunch is usually plentiful and the variety of dishes is very big and, sometimes, they have to take a nap. At night, dinner is around 10:00 p.m. and after that there is an exciting night life where the noisy character of Spaniards becomes evident.

Expressive and frank: Spaniards spend a lot of time out of home and they have developed an open and fluent ability of talking; it is very easy to establish with them a conversation in bars, taverns or any leisure area in general. The salutation with two kisses, one on each cheek, is the closest physical contact they offer to foreign visitors. Other kind of contacts is reserved for couples or old friends, though people are not very expressive in that sense. Between men, the contact is limited to shake their hands. They speak fast and imperatively, though it does not imply superiority, disagreement or distance. . Spaniards are direct and expressive in their opinions and judgements, which they usually defend with honest and frank arguments.

Appreciation for the Monarchy: in general, Spaniards are proud of having their Monarchs as Heads of the State. This is a characteristic that goes beyond the laws and regulations that contemplate it, in a true attitude of respect and appreciation for the Monarchy, an institution that belongs to the Spanish character. For many people, the Royal Family is the example of family life. The role of the king in the transition period and the coup d'Etat in 1981 has strengthend his position up to our days.

Appreciation for freedom: after living under a dictatorship for thirty years, Spaniards have developed a collectivity feeling full of freedom and licenses, that some people called 'el gran destape' (the great liberation). This new social feeling found its biggest manifestation in the capital city, which led to a movement called 'Movida Madrileña' (Madrilean Movement). This social movement was in its best form in the 80's and soon spread to the entire country, mainly to the important urban centres like Madrid, Barcelona, etc., leading to the outburst of artistic manifestations, namely in music, cinema and literature. Generally speaking, we can say that nowadays there is still a particular tendency in Spain to fun, parties and relaxing situations, as a way of remembering the freedom achieved.

Sense of humour: one of the favourite hobbies of Spaniards is making jokes in almost all situations, and they are even proud of the ability to laugh at themselves. Spanish sense of humour is evident in their comics; the most famous characters are 'Mortadelo y Filemón', secret agents with almost 40 years of existence, they are considered a good example of Spanish sense of humour. 'Zipi and Zape' mischievous twin brothers, whose mischiefs are a little innocent nowadays, were very famous too. A little more modern is 'Super López', a charismatic Spanish style version of Superman

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