This document is an assignment about Spanish culture for a high school Spanish class. It provides a brief 3-4 sentence introduction to several topics of Spanish culture, including behavioral patterns like meal times and social norms, cultural celebrations like Three Kings Day and Carnival, a short history of Spain, and aspects of contemporary Spanish life such as music, television, and soccer. The document concludes with some credits and sources for the information provided.

1. Assignment for EDN 303
Spanish Culture
Grades 9-12
Jessica Cannady
La Sagrada Familia
7/13/2009
Barcelona, Spain

2. Menu
Content
Posttest
End Show

3. Content
This is an easy activity designed to introduce you to the basics of the Spanish culture. We
will be going into much more depth about each of these topics this year, but this is just a
simple introduction. Please read the instructions carefully, and do your best!
Instructions
1. The buttons on the bottom of the screen will navigate you to the next or previous
page. Please read the content on each page thoroughly, and then use these buttons
to move on to the next slide. If you feel like you should reread a page, please use the
back button.
2. When you have read all of the content, you will be given a short test on the material.
3. Read the question, and click on the appropriate answer.
4. If your answer is correct, click the return button followed by the next button to move
onto the next question.
5. If your answer is incorrect, click the return button to try the question again.
6. Good luck!
¡Buena
Suerte!

4. Patterns of Behavior
• Spanish behavioral patterns differ greatly from
those here in America.
• Meals
– Lunch is typically eaten between 2-4 PM
– Dinner is rarely eaten before 9 PM
– Tapas (a series of small appetizers) are generally eaten
after work and before dinner as a means of tiding one
over between meals. It’s also a manner of socializing
(comparable to going to a bar and drinking/meeting
people) and rarely formal.

5. Patterns of Behavior
• Tobacco and alcohol are both popular, and approved
of, in Spain.
• Tipping (for a meal or service) doesn’t exist in Spain.
• It’s common and typical to kiss a friend or
acquaintance (new or old) on each cheek upon
greeting them.
• Spain has the highest number of coffee
shops, restaurants, and bars in the entire European
Union.
• The vast majority of Spanish shops and restaurants
close from 2-5 PM to allow a siesta. A siesta is a time
to return home and take a short nap/break and
prepare yourself for the evening.

6. Cultural Celebrations
• Three Kings Day
Calbagata de los Reyes Magos de Oriente Ciudad
– Although someone celebrated here in America, Three
Kings Day is typically forgotten-but not in Spain.
– Often recognized as a Children’s Christmas, as children will
leave their shoes by the door in hopes that the Three Kings
will fill them with candy and small gifts.
– Celebrated on January 5-the day believed the three
Wisemen arrived in Nazareth to bring gifts to Baby Jesus.
– http://www.spain4uk.co.uk/three_kings_day.htm
This site tells you all about Three Kings Day in Spain.

7. Cultural Celebrations
• Carnival
Carnaval
– Generally a week-long street festival to mark the beginning of Lent (a
40 day period of abstinence.)
– People dress up as animals, the opposite gender, wild and crazy, as
anything they want. There are parades, parties, floats, and
celebrations. Anything goes!
– Franco banned the celebration in 1938, but it was re-established
alongside democracy in 1981.
– Though the celebration has changed and warped over time, Carnaval
is thought to have been influence by Rome’s wild, winter solstice
ritual: Saturnalia.
– Begins on Fat Tuesday and ends with Ash Wednesday.
– http://www.carnaval.com/spain/carnaval/

8. Carnaval
Videos of Carnaval Spain:
http://www.pond5.com/stock-footage/146057

9. A Brief History
• Spain was originally inhabited by Celts, Iberians, and
Basques, before becoming part of the Roman Empire in 206
BC.
• Has been through numerous religious changes, influenced
mostly by the leader or population at the time, before
being declared Roman Catholic in 1942.
• Spain was taken over in 1939 by conservative army officer
Francisco Franco Bahamonde. Franco ruled from 1939-1969
when Prince Juan Carlos Alfonso Victor María de Borbón
took over as king.
• In 2004, after a series of terrorist attack, José Luis
Rodríguez Zapatero of the Socialist Party was elected Prime
Minister, and remains so today.

10. Contemporary Life
• Music
– As in any culture, music is a large part of everyday life.
– In Spain, popular music is often very similar, or the same, as what’s
popular right now here in America.
– The number one song in Spain right now is “Colgando en tus Manos”
by Carlos Baute and Marta Sanchez.
• The Song has been on the charts for 27 weeks, peaking at the number 1
position.
• Carlos Baute has been on and off the Latin charts since 2003. Venezuelan
born, he hosts a TV show, and is very popular in Spanish speaking
countries, but has yet to cross any international borders.
• Baute’s Website: http://www.carlosbaute.com/ Click here to read about
Baute, listen to his music, and look at his pictures.
– Though the number one artist right now is Latin American, there are
several popular American artists on the Latin charts right now such as
Beyonce, Pitbull, and Lady Gaga.

11. Contemporary Life
• Televisión Espaňola (TVE)
– This is the national state-owned public-service television
broadcaster in Spain.
– It was the original television broadcaster in Spain, and was
the ONLY channel until the early 1980’s.
– It now hosts several different channel including a 24 hour
news channel, a sports channel, a kid’s only channel, a
documentary channel, and several more.
– Like many American channels, TVE recently made the
switch to high definition programming on several channels.
– TVE will change drastically in 2010 when all of Spanish
television when the digital television transition begins.

12. Contemporary Life
•Fútbol
•Though we call it soccer, here in America, it is indeed the same
thing.
•Fútbol is HUGE in Spain-everybody has their team, and of that
team, they are a diehard fan.
•Fútbol is played in four professional leagues with promotion and
relegation taking place at the end of each season.
•The season runs from mid September until mid May.
•During this time, each Saturday and Sunday sees over 100
professional fútbol games taking place across the country.
•Real Madrid and Barcelona are currently Spain’s reigning
teams, and have mass amounts of popularity here in the States, as
well.

13. What is the standard tip for a meal in
Spain?
a) 20%
b) 18%
c) 15%
d) 0%

14. In what year was the Carnaval
celebration reinstituted?
a) 1938
b) 1981
c) 1946
d) 2004

15. Who is the current Prime Minister of
Spain?
a)Francisco Franco Bahamonde
b)Prince Juan Carlos Alfonso Victor María de
Borbón
c) Carlos Baute
d)José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero

16. How many fútbol games will be played
throughout the country of Spain, on
any given Saturday or Sunday, during
the season?
a) 1
b) 2
c) 4
d) >100

17. Not quite! Try again!

18. Great Job!

19. Credits
• http://monicasuma.wordpress.com/2008/10/12/fun-facts-about-spain-and-spaniards/
• http://monicasuma.wordpress.com/tag/spanish-behavior/
• http://www.gospain.org/fiestas/
• http://www.spain4uk.co.uk/three_kings_day.htm
• http://www.carnaval.com/spain/carnaval/
• http://acharts.us/spain_singles_top_50
• http://www.carlosbaute.com
• http://www.rtve.es
¡Termino!