The different peoples that passed through Spain throughout history, the border situation of the peninsula between two continents with very diverse cultural traditions, the long period of political influence of the Hispanic monarchy, and its expansion in the American continent, have determined that the cultural, artistic and patrimonial heritage of Spain is one of the richest, most varied and influential in the West.
The Iberian nation is home to distinguished men and women both in painting, literature, performing arts, architecture, music, among other manifestations of culture. Names such as Francisco de Goya, Diego Velázquez, Pablo Picasso, are great geniuses of painting who have carried the name of Spain very far, others such as Miguel de Cervantes, Benito Pérez Galdós, Federico García Lorca and Juan Ramón Jiménez have filled with glory no only to the letters of Spain but to Castilian literature and universal literature.
As a country located in Europe according to PAYHELPCENTER, Spain is much more than flamenco, bullfighting or wine, it is a nation with an impressive culture, which has influenced half the world, especially the Hispanic cultures of the Latin American region including Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, where Spanish culture forged the cultural nationality of these nations
Holidays and traditions
The best known worldwide among Spanish folk traditions are certainly Flamenco and Toros. Bullfights will actually be found throughout the country, the most popular and well-known shows being the running of the bulls held during the Sanfermines in Pamplona internationally. But bullfights are a plot that will appear in Spain at any Fiesta.
Flamenco, on the other hand, is the folk tradition of the south, particularly Andalusia. And it is in this land where you will learn about the roots of flamenco singing, guitar and dance. In April the Feria de Abril is held in Seville, a week full of singing and dancing, where Jerez wine and other delicious wines from the area are drunk, accompanied by ham and old cheese among other delicacies of the area: another exceptional celebration that the city offers is Holy Week, with its famous brotherhoods.
Another event that attracts millions of people to a small town located in the province of Huelva is El Rocío, a pilgrimage to the town of the same name where the Virgen del Rocío is venerated.
In traditional and simple decorated carts and within the most authentic flamenco typism, crowds will come, not only from the area but from points much further away, on foot, on horseback or by cart, celebrating a unique show, where folklore and joy mix with religiosity in a curious and colorful combination.
Another exceptional festival is Las Fallas de San José (in Valencia), which takes place in March, when the entire city becomes a huge scene of festivities and art, with immense quantities of the most extraordinary pyrotechnics.
Near Valencia is the town of Buñol, where the Tomatina is celebrated every year on the last Wednesday in August; the biggest tomato battle in the world. More than 40,000 people, 100 tons of tomatoes, are figures that indicate the size of the event, where for an hour everyone who moves is bombarded with tomatoes. The beginning of this tradition is as simple as it is humorous, since it goes back to a massive fight that occurred in 1945 during a parade of “giants and big heads”, it seems that the residents did not find better weapons than the tomatoes they took from a stall. vegetables there located. The interesting thing about this is that it has become an exceptional event attended by thousands of visitors from various countries.
A wild week can also be found in San Sebastián during the month of February, when La Tamburrada is celebrated. The most typical festivals in Madrid are those of San Isidro, in May. On these dates one of the most important bullfights of the year are held. The carnival is popular in many different parts of the country, the one in Santa Cruz de Tenerife being well known for its beauty, the one in Sitges and the one in Cádiz. Within its traditions there are also traditional sweets and desserts such as the fan of ice cream, very easy to prepare and widely accepted by the population.
Cinema
- Goya Award
- Pedro Almodovar
- Antonio Banderas,
- Penelope Cruz,
- Javier Bardem.
On September 11, 2012 the cultural VAT was raised from 10% to 21%.
In 2014, Spanish films earned 123 million euros, 21% for the Treasury (26 million). [19]
- The child
- The minimum island
- Torrent 5
Sports
In sports, Spain is one of the great European powers in sports such as football (of which its men’s national team was champion in 2010) as well as sports such as cycling, basketball, tennis, handball, motor sports and the athletics. The great sporting impulse of Spain had its highest point during the celebration of the Olympic Games in Barcelona 1992 since from that stage the government began to allocate large amounts of funds to sports mass programs.
Spain has been and is the cradle of great athletes, such as Raúl González Blanco, Rafael Nadal, Iker Casillas, Johann Mühlegg and Manuel Estiarte Duocastella, among others.
The nation has had champions of the world in such different sports like football, paddle tennis, handball, hockey skates, water polo, sailing, karate, judo, taekwondo, boxing, tennis, athletics, gymnastics, trial, enduro, triathlon, swimming, windsurfing, golf, motorcycling, rallying, cycling and, more recently, formula 1 and basketball.
