Spain's culture

Question

What do you know about Spain's culture?

Answer 1

Most Spaniards speak Spanish and one or more regional dialects or languages.

The Fiesta de San Fermín is a very popular event, known to others as the Running of the Bulls, where bulls are chased down the streets of Pamplona.

I thought it was the bulls that were doing the chasing. No? - 0095ca4c, Nov 14, 2013

Answer 2

First of all, good for you that you have persisted and worked so hard on this site!

Second: The culture of Spain from 1492 until 1978 was highly influenced by the Catholic church. There are both positive and negative aspects of this influence. A good understanding of that church will explain a good deal of Spanish culture.

Before 1492, Spain was a model of sorts of a peaceful coexistence of the 3 monotheistic faiths: Christian (the remains of the Roman Empire), Jewish and Muslim. For whatever reasons perhaps geographic, Spain always seemed to be about 50 to 100 years behind what was happening in the rest of Europe. This was especially evident in literature and music.

Spain is also the birthplace of many cultural giants: St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, Ignatius Loyola, Francisco Goya, Gaudí, Picaso, Dalí, and the contemporary Jordi Savall.

You might find it more interesting to look at what is currently happening in Spain as well, although my personal preference lies with the more distant past, because world culture is taking over national cultures.