Spaniards over the World
n this edition is explained what are some
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traditions of the Spaniards and their customs. Also you’ll find their behaviors in family and
in the Costa Rican country and the similarities they have with this specific country.
osta Rica has many sub-cultures and all of them are important because
C
they contribute to Costa Rican Culture. Spaniards in Costa Rica is one
of the interesting sub cultures that this country has. According to Instituto Nacional de Estadística de España in 2012 there were 16 502 Spanish citizens in the country. It is important to know that most of the Costa Rican people are of Spanish descent because the colonization. Places like Heredia, Alajuela, Escazú, and Tres Ríos were founded by Spaniards. Some cultural activities, language, attitudes and gastronomy are going to be analyzed in this magazine.
I
n many countries the three kings day or Epiphany is celebrated, but for people in Spain this celebration is like Christmas, the
arrival of the three kings is celebrated along Spain with a joyful parade called the “Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos� (Three Kings Parade) which takes place in every city and town and this officially starts the festivities on the night of January 5th. So in Spain there is not Santa Claus or Baby Jesus who brings the gifts, rather the Three Kings does. On January 6th the breakfast is a special occasion with the Three Kings Day cake, this is a sweet bread full of dried fruits inside, bakers put inside this bread a prize and it is supposedly that the first person who finds it would be
consider a King or Queen for the day. January 6th is a very important date for Spaniards because as in many American and Latino American Countries they gathered with their families and exchange special meals, gifts and of course time together. In Spain this traditional celebration is part of their identities, it is like Christmas Day for Americans or Latinos and that Santa Claus for them is quite-known I many countries for being the one delivering toys for children but the real stars in Spain are “Los Reyes� who are in charge of delivering them their toys on January instead
of
December as we are used to in many places.
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piphany or as it is commonly known the " Three Kings’ Day" is a Christian Feast Day that celebrates the revelation of God in
his son as human in Jesus Christ It commemorates the first two occasions on which Jesus’ divinity, according to Christian belief, was manifested: when the three kings (also known as wise men or Magi) visited infant Jesus in Bethlehem, and when John the Baptist baptized him in the River Jordan. The Roman Catholic and Protestant churches emphasize the visit of the Magi when they celebrate the Epiphany. The Eastern Orthodox churches focus on Jesus’ baptism. Epiphany is considered one of the oldest Christian feasts, and it is celebrated since the end of the second century. Epiphany is one of the oldest Christian feasts. It was celebrated since the end of the second century, before the Christmas holiday was established. Like other Christian seasons, the church appropriated Epiphany from an old pagan festival. Some of the symbols were various paintings, artworks and sketches that show the
three wise men and Jesus. Some paintings artworks show the three wise men on the way to Bethlehem or adoring baby Jesus. The kings are important because their visit illustrates that Jesus was the king of all kings who came for the Jews and the Gentiles. The star that guides the wise men to Christ also symbolizes Epiphany, as well as the three gifts they gave to Jesus: Gold (fit for a king). Frankincense (used to worship at a temple). Myrrh (used for embalming, as well as a salve for irritations such as diaper rash). Many
Orthodox
churches
consider Jesus’ baptism to be the first step towards the crucifixion. And the liturgical color for the Epiphany season is white.
T
he Spanish gastronomy has been influenced by many cultures through the history. Ismael Díaz says that African and Asian
products were one the first contributions to Spain cuisine; they included new vegetables and fruits. The Arabs, called Moro, also made a valuable contribution, they introduced important agricultural technics. The production of citrus fruits and pastries were their most large contributions to Spanish food; some recipes such as “el mazapán, las albóndigas, el alajú,” and others are typical food made by Arabs. During the colonization in America, the Spain cuisine had a new influence because they found products that there were not exist in Europe, such as tubers. It is interesting to known how was made a
typical food known as “Paella�; with the news products from America, people putted all the ingredients, that they had, together to cook them and that was the origin of this plate. New products and different way to cook them have made of Spain a very creative culture in the cuisine because they have variety of products that they mix. According to Diaz, Spain cuisine is one of the most prestigious in the world. In Costa Rica and in other countries, every single chef tries to keep the original recipes and shows their culture through their meals, they said that the richness of its gastronomy lies in the variety.
S
pain
is
one
of
the
many
subcultures that Costa Rica has.
Some activities they practice during meals and how they prepare food are interesting differences for people from others cultures and subcultures. According to Fernandez; breakfast, lunch, coffee, and dinner are important meals for Spaniards, but also they have other tradition as Tapas and Sobremesa. Traditionally, breakfast consists on “the vastly popular churros, served sprinkled with sugar or dunked in hot chocolate� said Fernandez. During lunch, Spaniards have a completely
work of art; lunch for them is composed by three courses: the lighter part of the meal, the strong plate, and the dessert respectively. For the first course it consists on soup or salad, for the second course it is usually fish or meat dish, and the dessert is a piece of fruit, sweet pastry or cake. The coffee, which is served after the dessert, can be coffee with milk or without milk and coffee with some milk. The last meal is the dinner; it is composed by salad or sandwich. Spaniards say that the most important meal is lunch. Tapas, that is an activity which consists on travelling from bar to bar with friends, and sharing special plates of the bars; is an important custom that those people enjoy. Another is the “Sobremesa�; it is a conversation after meal instead of taking the last bite and leaving. (Fernandez, 2008).
Finally, every single meal has its importance for Spaniards around the world, and it is easy to see strong differences between their customs to Costa Rican customs; in the gastronomy field.
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lthough, Spaniards and Costa Rican speak both Spanish, there is a big difference regarding vocabulary. The fact that Costa
Rican people spend significant time being kind with other people and they use praise words such as “Que Dios me lo acompañe,” “¿Cómo amaneció?” and
also
really
long
farewells
are
commonly used every day. Also Spaniards think that “ticos” are really religious and they always have God present in their words, for example, “Si Dios quiere”, “Si Dios los permite”, and “Gracias a Dios”. On the other hand,
Spaniards do not have that kindness vocabulary and are not accustom to be that kind with others like in Costa Rica, this sometimes can cause confusions and Spaniards may be misunderstanding as arrogant in Costa Rica. Also, there are many idiomatic expressions mostly used for teenagers that can cause confusions even for native adults. For example, in Spain the idiomatic expression “comerse los mocos” means that you have no sexual activity, while in Costa Rica it just means that you eat disgusting snots. Another example, is the Spanish expression “tío” that is the equivalent of “mae” in Costa Rica, that means friend or comrade.
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foreign culture has different rules of communication that is why
travelling can be so uncomfortable sometimes, because of the unknown nonverbal
communication.
Facial
gestures used on your culture, could offend other cultures, and not necessarily only facial gestures, but also affectivity is totally different. Spanish culture is known for being more affective than American culture. When Spaniards are in quality time with family, friends, or even meetings, they like to have shaking hands, hugs, and kisses on cheeks with noises. Spaniards tend to be closer in terms of meeting,
their confidence is surprisingly high. The body language relies heavily on what they are, the use of hands while speaking to go straight to a point, and facial expressions makes an opinion about a topic or intend to give a message. Interrupting a conversation is very common, that actions show an interest on the conversation, but depends on the formality of the conversation, for instance, in a business meeting comments will not be expressed, but nonverbal cues will be. It would be better to avoid actions that may have sexual explicit content, because for Americans is too normal if these gestures have this meaning, but Spaniards take it very personal according to the expression. Cultures can consider rude certain actions that others do not.
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or many of us family is very important, right? Well Spaniards are not the exception. Family is a big concept in Spain and it is
present in almost every stage of their life. According to Justin Aldridge in the article “What we can learn from Spanish.” “Lola is already making sure her kids spend lots of time with all their cousins further reinforcing the importance of the family for future generations.” Lola in this case is an Spanish mom and for her the most important aspect of her life is the family because they stay together confronting their problems and helping each other, therefore, she aim to taught her children the same. Even when they eat they think in family, eating for them is like a ceremony. For them having lunch cannot be in a hurry,
they prepare very carefully the food, then they sat at the table and they eat slowly. The most important aspect of “having lunch” is socialize and interact with each other, talk about their day, anecdotes and so on. Family is more like a “value” for them is very sacred. When Spaniards come to C.R, they stick to their traditions and costumes. They take their time when they have lunch, and they still consider that family is very important in their life. Here in Costa Rica family is also important, spending time together and be aware of each member of their family is part of our culture as well. An important fact of the both cultures is that in both (Spanish and Costar Rican) is normal to live with their parents until they get married. Nowadays in other countries this
family bow is not that important, therefore, is always nice to hear that in some countries this “value� is still preserved.
What do you think are the main variations of the dialect in the Spanish from Spain and Spanish from Costa Rica? “I think that
the
main
difference is the vocabulary variations. In Spain, we use “tu” and in Costa Risa is used “vos” and “usted.” So, it is a little bit confusing
What are some examples of phrases or words that are the most difficult to understand?
sometimes
in
the
conjugations
of
verbs
because Costa Rican does not say it in the same way, and
we
just
cannot
“Mainly when Costa Rican people speak like in “pachuco” sometimes I cannot
understand the objective of
understand words or phrases. Actually, I came to Costa Rica when I was a child
what they are saying because
so I grew up here, and now I can speak “pachuco” too, but for my parents it is
for us it is difficult to put the
harder to understand phrases such as “ya voy pa’ mi chante” that is more like
words in the context and
colloquial vocabulary in Costa Rica. Another example is the bathroom because
understand what they are
Costa Ricans used just the word “baño,” while in Spain we say “cuarto de baño,” so when they say “voy al baño” Spaniards will not understand if you say that you are going to the bath because in Spain “baño” is like a verb of taking a
shower, so they will be confusing whether you are going to the toilet or going to take a shower.”
referring to.”
"Spanish Eating Customs." - Spanish Culture. Web. 06 June 2016. <http://www.enforex.com/culture/spanish-eating-customs.html>. Díaz, I. "Real academia de gastronomía". Web. 24 May 2016. http://www.bne.es/es/Micrositios/Exposiciones/Cocina/documentos/cocina_estudios_4.pdf "Spanish Eating Customs." Spanish Eating Customs. Web. 06 June 2016. <http://www.whatbarcelona.com/spanish-eating-customs.html>. Jerga juvenil de España. Wikilengua. n.p. Web. <http://www.wikilengua.org/index.php/Jerga_juvenil/Espa%C3%B1a>. pepino1966. “Vivir en Costa Rica - Españoles en Costa Rica”. Los viajeros. Web. 28 May 2016. < http://www.losviajeros.com/foros.php?p=2300418 > Time and Date SA. "Epiphany" www.timeanddate.com. 2015. Time and Date. 5 de June 2016 www.timeanddate.com/holidays/common/epiphany. Carolina Moreno. "Three Kings’ Day Celebration: History and Traditions behind ‘El Día De Los Reyes’. "www.huffingtonpost.com/. 6 June 2015. TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. 05 June 2016 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/06/three-kings-day-celebration-. Aldridge, Justin. (EOS). "What We Can Learn From The Spanish." Eyeonspain. May 28 2016.Web. 07 March 2010. Spanish Culture. <<https://www.eyeonspain.com/spain-magazine/learn-from-spanish-people.aspx.>> Eric Solsten and Meditz, Sandra. "Social Values and Attitudes.” Country Studies. 28 May 2016.Web. 07 March 2010. <<http://countrystudies.us/spain/43.htm.>> Hebze. "Nonverbal Communication in Spain.” 28 May 2016.Web.06 June 2012. <<https: //hgagetravels.wordpress.com/2012/06/06/332-nonverbal-communication-in-spain/.>> Stanic, Claudia. "Nonverbal Communication Rules in Spanish Cultures." May 29 2016.Web. 13 July 2006. <<http://www.ehow.com/list_6863857_nonverbal-communication-rules-spanish-cultures.htm>>l.
Ana Judith Alpízar Paula Delgado Berenice Mendoza Juan José Vargas Luciana Villaneiro