Culture And Customs of Spain

Roman and Arabic culture have the greatest impact when discussing Spain's culture. It was when the Visigothic Kingdom was reigning the peninsula of Iberia and France's southwestern region that the Christians were able to rule the Hispanic region. The Moorish influence in the Iberian Peninsula widened during 711 A.D. up to the 15th century. The period from 1000 to 1492 A.D. saw the fall of Moors and this was also known as the period of Reconquista.

Spanish Culture Facts

Castillan, Catalan, Galician, Basque and Aranese are some of the names by which the languages Spain speaks are known. Widely spoken among these is Castillan also known as Castellano. A representation of Spain during the pre-historic times can be seen in the Iberian, location catalogne, Megalithic as well as Celtic cultures. It was during the Roman period when urban development took place mostly and after this period, contributions to architecture were added by Taifas, Caliphate of Cordoba as well as others. The different influences that Spain's literature has can be found in Cantar de Mio Cid, a cantar de gesta, or a form of literature used to exhibit heroic actions through verses or songs.

Fiestas

La Tomatina or Tomato Festival is only one of the many festivities that are celebrated here in Spain, and sure enough festivals or fiestas happen almost every day of the Spanish year all throughout the country. The well known Tomato Festival is celebrated on the last Wednesday of August at Bunyol, where people play a kind of battle using tomatoes as their weapon. Major highlights of this festival are of course the fireworks as well as dances, music and the traditional attire worn by many people at these fiestas.

Romerias

Romerias are more popularly known as pilgrimages in which the people from small towns participate as those from the city are not fond of these pilgrimages. Generally done on foot, the duration of these journeys of course varies with the distance that the participants have to travel.

Bullfights

This suspense-packed tradition dates from way back. It takes place during the San Fermin's fiesta in Pamplona every July. In this event, red and white clad people chase the bulls into the bull fighting arena which leads to the bull fight itself.

LA Vuelta a Espana

Because of the endurance these athletes exhibit and the strength cyclists possess, cycling had become a very famous sport in Spain leading to the birth of the well known La Vuelta a Espana, a cycling competition which is actually part of the three "Grand Tours" of cycling done in Europe.