Happy 2021!!

Spanish New Year’s Eve Traditions

Embassy of Spain USA

· 3 min read

The countdown to New Year’s is on! New Year’s Eve is a very special celebration in Spain. There are a lot of special traditions to welcome the new year that you might not know about. You may have heard of “lucky grapes,” but luck, love and prosperity in Spain come with a whole new group of interesting superstitions and traditions.

Keep reading to discover all the details about 5 Spanish New Year’s Eve traditions that could bring you good luck next year:

12 Lucky Grapes

In Spanish homes, families and groups of friends eat 12 grapes, one by one, at the stroke of midnight as the bells toll in the clock tower of the Puerta del Sol in Madrid. Each of these twelve grapes represent one month of the year. The tradition says that you should finish eating all 12 grapes before the bells finish chiming. This often results in a hilarious race to ring in the new year with your relatives and friends!

Wear red underwear

If “falling in love” is one of your New Year’s resolutions, then you should make sure that you start the new year with some snazzy red underwear. By doing so, Spanish tradition holds that Cupid will find your better half and will bring you love in the new year.

Toast with Cava

Good fortune is one of the most popular wishes for the new year. In Spain, many people drop a gold ring or coin into a glass of Cava before the midnight toast. Those couples that are married toast with their wedding ring inside the glass of Cava.

Play the lottery

A few days before the New Year’s celebration Spaniards pay careful attention to the Spanish Christmas lottery drawing. Some people even believe that rubbing their lottery ticket against a pregnant woman’s belly or a bald man’s head will make it a winner!

Starting the New Year on the right foot

The first step to get love, fortune and luck in the new year is starting the new year on the right foot. Be sure that you put your right foot ahead of your left while you are eat your 12 grapes this New Year’s Eve!

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

https://youtu.be/nfuTBGaEQ-E

Breaking news on Brexit

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/newsreview/unit-16/session-172

Jumble words warming up

Listening: missing sheep( Bachillerato)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/lingohack/ep-200506

Listening : Bed story " The new realisation"

https://youtu.be/Nw5KQMXDiM4

Listening on Cabin Fever ( Bachillerato)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/the-english-we-speak/ep-200427

Play Online The Picture of Dorian Gray

https://youtu.be/zwd_vDK32q0

Short stories ( All levels)

http://www.saberingles.com.ar/stories/

Feria

Feria de Abril in Seville: Basic Guide

The well-known Feria de Abril in Seville is coming. This one week consists of fiestas that last throughout the night filled with music, drinks, and traditional dances that occur in “casetas”. The 2019 Fair begins on Saturday, May 4th at 23:59 with the “alumbrao”, consisting of thousands of light bulbs that light up the streets leading up to the entrance, and ends on Saturday, May 11th at 24:00 with fireworks. This basic guide will go over the history of La Feria de Abril, and how you can fit in/party like a Sevillano!

spain-feria-april fair-sevilla-seville-guide-erasmus-study abroad-we love spain-blog

WHERE DID IT COME FROM?

The April Fair first began in 1847 as a market to buy and sell cattle for the locals in Southern Spain. As the exposition continued to grow in El Prado de Sebastián, the festive environment did as well, and the fair soon moved to Los Remedios in 1973 to celebrate as they do today. Soon the attendees started to put up “casetas” and light fireworks to keep the fiestas going. Over the years Seville’s April Fair has become an internationally known celebration of flamenco.

WHAT ARE “CASETAS”?

The Spanish word “caseta” most closely translates to hut, or tent. These tents are set up in the fairground in Los Remedios like stalls in a market and are used as little homes for fairgoers to come together and celebrate with family or friends. Each tent has a “pañoleta” on top with a number and name of its owner. Although a majority of these casetas are privately owned by locals, the parties always flow into the surrounding streets. There are, however, a handful of publicly owned tents that anybody can enter. Click HERE to learn which you can enter on our FaceBook Page, or go to the Information Booth at the entrance!

If you aren’t interested in checking out the casetas, be sure to head over to “Calle del Infierno” (Hell Street) with rides, games, and vendors!

WHAT TO WEAR

The ‘official’ party attire for men is a classic short suit, and a flamenco dress for women (Traje de Flamenca). These dresses come in all colors and sizes and are beautiful, especially when dancing Sevillanas. Although this is the traditional attire, it is not required, but it is always fun to dress up in your best clothes! The Sevillanos value it when you are “de punta en blanco” or well dressed in the caseta.

Though most flamenco dresses can be very pricey, it is definitely possible to buy/rent one for cheap. A few places to check out are: the mobile app “Wallapop” to search for “vestido de flamenca/sevillana” for second hand options, Calle Feria has second hand stores (check out Humana) and a street market every Thursday morning, rent one on various SITES searching “alquilar traje de flamenca”, or buy a new one in one of the many shops around Seville (for around 99-120€).

FOOD & DRINKS

Typical food for Feria includes: tortilla de patatas, jamón serrano, croquetas, montadito de lomo, gambas, queso, pescado frito, and various meat dishes.

Typical drinks while at the fair are ‘’Manzanilla’’, which is a type of white wine, and more commonly “Rebujito’’ which is Manzanilla mixed with Sprite. These are both drank as “catavinos” which is a small glass used for trying different drinks. The “Caldito del puchero” is a typical drink if you need to recover from a hangover.

CR-MANZANILLA — Jamón serrano and Manzanilla (drink very slowly!)

Another aspect of the Feria week is ‘Los Toros‘, the bullfights that are held every day!

Don’t live in Seville but still want to come to La Feria? Learn how to easily travel around Spain in our recent blog POST.

We hope that you get to check out this week of festivities for yourself and experience the true heart of Seville. Be sure to tag us in any photos that you post using #WeLoveSpainExcursions

Visit our online shop now and get the perfect Gift for you and your friends!

Coronavirus : solidarity in UK communities

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/lingohack/ep-200422

Perfect Modal verbs on speculation ( movie plot)

https://moviesegmentstoassessgrammargoals.blogspot.com/2018/01/bokeh-modals-for-speculation.html?m=1

Heart warming story

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/newsreview/unit-13/session-139

Listening Bachillerato

https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/study-break/video-zone/how-wash-your-hair-space

Present Simple ( ESO)

https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/grammar/beginner-grammar/present-simple

Useful vocabulary on Coronavirus

Incubation period
Personal protective equipment ( PPE) : masks and gloves
Risk of contagious
Symptons: fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, lost of smell or taste or severe ones such as ARDS ( severe lung inflamation) or septic shock
Side effects: fibrosis
Medication is at clinical trial so isolation, lots of fluids, rest at home and intensive care and ventilatory support for severe cases
Death toll
Strategies to tackle the problem:
1.Flattering the curve ( slow down or prevent contagious)
2.Raise the line ( meaning to increase the health capacity)
3.Mass testing
4.Contact tracing
5. Major lockdown ( meaning residents stay at home except for essential activities, so shutdown non essential business and roads blocked off)
6. Screened people to detect symptoms ( temperature)
7. Vaccine hopefully in 2021
Prevention meassures:
1.Social distance

2.Avoid touching your T-zone

3.Hand washing

4. Use PPE ( personal protection such as masks and gloves)

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The big challenge:getting to know other cultures

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Feria de Abril in Seville: Basic Guide

WHERE DID IT COME FROM?

WHAT ARE “CASETAS”?

WHAT TO WEAR

FOOD & DRINKS

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