by Tom Harper
(translation below)
We've all heard the stories: men being chased by bulls through the streets, one of the biggest food fights in the world, and candy skulls. From the British point of view, Hispanic culture is filled with a range of very strange traditions and superstitions, which when compared with our own beliefs give the impression that the Spanish people have lost their minds. However, this is only the surface. Inside the lost and found box of Spanish culture, there is a wide range of traditions and festivals that remain more or less forgotten by most of the planet because of their anachronistic and crazy nature.
Firstly, with respect to festivals, the Hispanic world has always been subverting our own perceptions of many famous celebrations. On the one hand, you've heard of the Spanish interpretation of Halloween: 'The Day of the Dead '. Instead of dressing up in scary costumes or watching horror movies, Hispanic people celebrate the dead by decorating skulls and leaving food on the graves of loved ones . This may seem a bit occult, but do not forget that from their point of view we ourselves have the strangest version . In fact, our demonization of death can seem almost disrespectful, because Hispanic people believe that the dead should be respected and even cared for. However, it is true that New Year’s Eve is much more extravagant in Spain and Latin America than here, because whilst the clock counts down the last twelve seconds, there is a relatively unknown tradition that involves grapes. For every second that passes you have to eat a grape, and many people have been hospitalised due to choking! By exploring in more detail the 'lost' side of Hispanic culture, one also finds the bizarre tradition of ' Caganer '. While we assemble simple nativity scenes at Christmas, some Spaniards in Catalonia hide a small gnome-like porcelain figurine somewhere in the scene for the children to find. As if that were not enough, the gnome is defecating! It is possibly the scariest game of ' Where's Wally?' ever....
Also, if you think that the superstition of coins bringing you luck is odd, clearly you have not been to Mexico . Not only do the Mexican people think it is unlucky to give salt to someone else and even scratch the palms of their hands, but they also believe that a penny can help stop a nosebleed. Although it is a lesser known belief, according to some you must lick the penny and place it on your forehead. In my opinion, there is an obvious reason why this has been lost in recent years ....
To make matters worse, there is a clear distinction between " lost" and "found" in Spanish culture in terms of the traditions that involve animal cruelty . You would have had to have lived in a cave to not have heard of ‘Pamplonas’ running through the streets while being chased by bulls and 'Bullfighting', which is one of the most popular Spanish pastimes despite the killings associated with it . However, the Spanish-speaking world can treat animals in more horrific ways. Take the example of the Feast of the Geese: a dead goose hangs over some water while many men grab onto it, trying to see who can hold it for the longest. Moreover, it is believed that the people of Manganeses Polverosa still throw a goat from the belfry of their town as part of local celebrations . Ridiculous!
In summary, the Hispanic culture is full of strange traditions: some are lost, some still happen and are known worldwide. In any case, it's obvious why many people think that the Hispanic population have lost their minds: a range of festivals should have stayed in the past. However, it is imperative that we recognize why these traditions are still 'found' instead of 'lost'. They represent the variety of Spanish culture, and although they are sometimes a tad crude, they make the Spanish-speaking world unique.
Todos hemos escuchado las historias: los toros persiguiendo a los hombres por las calles, una de las mayores peleas de alimentos por todo el mundo, y las calaveras de dulce. Desde el punto de vista británico, la cultura hispánica está llena de una gama de tradiciones y supersticiones muy extrañas, que cuando comparadas con nuestras propias creencias dan la impresión que la gente española han perdido sus mentes. Sin embargo, esto es solamente la superficie. Dentro de la caja de objetos perdidos de la cultura española, se encuentra una gran variedad de tradiciones y festivales más o menos olvidadas por la mayoría del planeta debido a su carácter anacrónico y loca.
Primero, con respecto a las festivales, el mundo hispánico siempre ha estado subvirtiendo nuestras propias percepciones de muchas celebraciones famosas. Por un lado, se habrá oído de la interpretación española de Halloween: ‘El día de los muertos’. En vez de vestirse en trajes de miedo o ver las películas de terror, la gente hispánica celebra a los muertos adornando las calaveras y dejando la comida en las tumbas de los seres queridos. Esto quizás parezca un poco sobrenatural, pero no olvide que desde su punto de vista nosotros mismos tenemos la versión más extraña. De hecho, nuestra demonización de la muerte puede parecer casi irrespetuosa, ya que la gente hispánica cree que los muertos deben ser respetados y aún cuidados. No obstante, es cierto que Nochevieja es mucho ms extravagante en España y Latinoamérica que aquí, porque mientras el reloj cuenta atrás de los últimos doce segundos hay una tradición relativamente desconocida que involucra las uvas. Cada segundo que pasa, hay que devorar una uva, ¡y mucha gente ha sido hospitalizado debido al atragantamiento! Explorando más detalladamente el lado ‘perdido’ de la cultura hispánica, se encuentra la tradición rocambolesca de ‘Caganer’. Mientras montamos los belenes simples durante la Navidad, algunos españoles en Cataluña se esconden una pequeña figura de porcelana con aspecto de gnomo en algún lugar de la escena para que los niños la encuentren. ¡Por si eso fuera poco, el gnomo está defecando! Es posiblemente el juego más espeluznante de '¿Dónde está Wally?' nunca….
Además, si piense que la superstición de monedas que le traen suerte es raro, claramente no ha estado en México. No solamente la gente mexicana opina que es la mala suerte de dar sal a otra persona e incluso rascarse las palmas de sus manos, sino también cree que una moneda puede ayudar a parar una hemorragia nasal. Aunque es una creencia menos conocida, según algunos se debe lamer la moneda y colocarlo en su frente. En mi opinión, hay una razón obvia por la que esto ha pasado desapercibido en los últimos años….
Para colmo, hay una distinción clara entre "perdido" y "encontrado" en la cultura española en cuanto a las tradiciones que implican la crueldad hacia los animales. Usted habría tenido que haber vivido en una cueva para no haber oído hablar de los Pamplonas que corren por las calles mientras siendo perseguidos por toros, así como ‘La Corrida de Toros’ que es uno de los pasatiempos más populares españoles a pesar de los asesinatos que se asocia con ella. Sin embargo, el mundo hispanohablante puede tratar a los animales en las maneras mucho más horríficas. Tome el ejemplo de la Fiesta de los Gansos: un ganso muerto se cuelga encima del agua, mientras que muchos hombres saltan para agarrarse a él, tratando de ver quién puede aguantarlo por el más tiempo. Por añadidura, se cree que la gente de Manganeses de la Polverosa tira una cabra desde el campanario del pueblo como parte de las celebraciones locales. ¡Qué insano!
En resumen, la cultura hispánica está llena de las tradiciones extrañas: algunas se pierden, algunas todavía suceden y son conocidas por todo el mundo. De todos modos, es obvio por qué mucha gente opina que la población hispánica han perdido sus mentes: una gama de sus festivales deberían haber quedado en el pasado. Sin embargo, es imprescindible que reconozcamos por qué estas tradiciones todavía son ‘encontradas’ en lugar de ‘perdidas’. Representan la variedad de la cultura española, y aunque a veces son un poco toscas, las hacen que el mundo hispanohablante sea único.
A Culture Found by Losing one’s Mind
Firstly, with respect to festivals, the Hispanic world has always been subverting our own perceptions of many famous celebrations. On the one hand, you've heard of the Spanish interpretation of Halloween: 'The Day of the Dead '. Instead of dressing up in scary costumes or watching horror movies, Hispanic people celebrate the dead by decorating skulls and leaving food on the graves of loved ones . This may seem a bit occult, but do not forget that from their point of view we ourselves have the strangest version . In fact, our demonization of death can seem almost disrespectful, because Hispanic people believe that the dead should be respected and even cared for. However, it is true that New Year’s Eve is much more extravagant in Spain and Latin America than here, because whilst the clock counts down the last twelve seconds, there is a relatively unknown tradition that involves grapes. For every second that passes you have to eat a grape, and many people have been hospitalised due to choking! By exploring in more detail the 'lost' side of Hispanic culture, one also finds the bizarre tradition of ' Caganer '. While we assemble simple nativity scenes at Christmas, some Spaniards in Catalonia hide a small gnome-like porcelain figurine somewhere in the scene for the children to find. As if that were not enough, the gnome is defecating! It is possibly the scariest game of ' Where's Wally?' ever....
Also, if you think that the superstition of coins bringing you luck is odd, clearly you have not been to Mexico . Not only do the Mexican people think it is unlucky to give salt to someone else and even scratch the palms of their hands, but they also believe that a penny can help stop a nosebleed. Although it is a lesser known belief, according to some you must lick the penny and place it on your forehead. In my opinion, there is an obvious reason why this has been lost in recent years ....
To make matters worse, there is a clear distinction between " lost" and "found" in Spanish culture in terms of the traditions that involve animal cruelty . You would have had to have lived in a cave to not have heard of ‘Pamplonas’ running through the streets while being chased by bulls and 'Bullfighting', which is one of the most popular Spanish pastimes despite the killings associated with it . However, the Spanish-speaking world can treat animals in more horrific ways. Take the example of the Feast of the Geese: a dead goose hangs over some water while many men grab onto it, trying to see who can hold it for the longest. Moreover, it is believed that the people of Manganeses Polverosa still throw a goat from the belfry of their town as part of local celebrations . Ridiculous!
In summary, the Hispanic culture is full of strange traditions: some are lost, some still happen and are known worldwide. In any case, it's obvious why many people think that the Hispanic population have lost their minds: a range of festivals should have stayed in the past. However, it is imperative that we recognize why these traditions are still 'found' instead of 'lost'. They represent the variety of Spanish culture, and although they are sometimes a tad crude, they make the Spanish-speaking world unique.
Why on earth would you right it in spanish, none of us can read it!
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