Stub it out!

In Spain, since January 2011 there has been a smoking ban (nueva ley antitabaco) in public places indoors, including offices, workplaces and banks.

Actually, this is a modified version of the first smoking ban that was introduced in 2006 which forced cafe-, restaurant- and bar-owners to create a separate smoking room or area where people could indulge in their addiction.  So all these businesses modified their interiors to accommodate this 2006 law so as not to lose clientele and what did the government go and do?  Change it a few years later meaning all that expense for nothing and some very angry people!  As there are lots of terraces here in Alicante, those who have not given up smoking can still light up happily and the cafe and bar owners who did not have an open-air space have created small terraces in their entrance to get around the ban.

This is just another example of how, in my opinion, Spain has been catapulted into modernisation in line with northern European countries, like the UK.  Being here since 2004, I really have seen this change with my own eyes... but that's another post waiting to happen!
  
This new smoking ban is now also applied to open air areas in schools, hospitals and children's playgrounds.  The fine if you are caught lighting up in a prohibited area is 30 Euros, for a one-off incident.

I remember when I first came to live in Alicante, I was surprised at seeing bank tellers fag-in-hand counting out my Euros.  Also, I hated that after a night out on the town my clothes and hair smelt like an ash tray.  I am a non-smoker and always have been.  Also none of my close family nor extended family smoke so my first impression of Spain was a nation of tobacco lovers.

So why am I talking about smoking?  Because I saw a cute cigarette stubber outside the Hogueras museum the other day that I hadn't noticed before.

Weddings in Spain - part 2

I will continue from where I left off from the first post about weddings in Spain, which was when we all went to the wedding venue after the ceremony.

Apéritif and canapés

In all of the bodas (weddings) I have been to over here you never go straight in to the wedding breakfast room.  We are usually outside on a terraza (terrace) or in a reception area where drinks and nibbles are brought around on trays.  This gives everyone a chance to gather and mingle before the meal.

In this wedding there was a small boat filled with ice from where you could help yourself to Spanish bottled beers. 

Next to that was a man serving sidra Asturiana in the traditional way.  Pouring from a height aerates the drink as it's not a fizzy drink as some of you may know cider to be.  Asturias is a region in the north of Spain (where the famous Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso comes from).  This was chosen to be served because the bride and groom live in Asturias, however the bride is from Seville and the groom is from Cádiz.

There was a man cutting and serving jamón de bellota.  For those of you who do not know what the cured ham, jamón ibérico, is I will dedicate another post to it.  Bellotas are acorns, which is the main diet of the pig which produces this top quality fine cured ham.  You definately have to try it one day.  Here, short bread sticks are being served with the ham.

Apart from all the canapés that were being served on trays, a cooking station was set up frying quails eggs (huevos de codorniz) on a hotplate which were then placed on top of chunks of fresh baguette with a slice of jamón.

Course after course

Once we entered the main room and sat down the courses came.  The Spanish take their food seriously and there is no holding back at weddings.  Quantity and style of presentation can vary but there is usually a starter, a fish course, a sorbet, a meat course and then dessert and coffee.  I will not go into detail about the selection at this wedding but I will just show you a photo of the basket of shellfish that was put in the centre of our table. 

For those of you who like seafood this was a delight - there were prawns right down to the bottom of the basket.

Traditions and gifts

In the UK it is quite common that a certain quantity of people are invited to the ceremony and the meal, and then some more people are invited to come along after the meal is over and the dancing starts.  I suppose that is to being costs down?  That doesn't happen here in Spain.  You are either invited to the whole event or nothing at all.   There were over 300 people at this wedding distributed amongst the top table, the childrens table and the various tables of groups of friends and family.

The meal part of the wedding could last anything up to 4 hours!  So randomly during the meal, guests shout out things like ¡vivan los novios! (long live the bride and groom!), or ¡que se besen, que se besen! (kiss, kiss! - demanding that the bride and groom kiss) while a coordinated clapping of the hands goes on.  The Spanish are known for being loud when in groups and this is always the case at any of the weddings I have been to over here... but in a good way!

In between courses the bride and groom always get up and go round to each table to thank their guests individually.  They usually give each person a keepsake or gift as a thank you, and is quite often something personal from their place of origin like olive oil from a local producer, soaps, or some decorative object like a shawl for the ladies.  It could be cigars or some kind of bottle of special alcohol for the men.  However since the non-smoking ban has been in place in Spain, no one has given cigars as a gift (as they would always be lit up immediately!).

The wedding gift to the bride and groom that is expected from the guests is money.  I've never seen a wedding list for the ones I have been to over here.  It is common that in the invitation to the wedding the bride and groom give an account number where you can transfer them money directly.  Sometimes we put cash in an envelope and give it to them when they come round the tables during the meal.  It is a general rule of thumb that you give at least what you think it costs for the meal and drinks per head.  I know that's one thing that is different to the UK. 

The bride does throw her bouquet for some hopeful young lady to catch, like in the UK.

Not in Spain

There isn't normally a 'best man' in Spain, nor bridesmaids.  As I mentioned in my last post they usually get the children involved and they walk down the aisle with the bride.

There are no speeches: no 'father of the bride' speech, nor 'best man' speech.

Drinks

Probably the biggest difference a Spanish wedding has to a British one is that ALL the drinks are free.  There were two bars set up on the outdoor terrace serving all types of drinks as a welcome - soft drinks, cava, wine, beer, etc.  During the meal, there is usually red wine and white wine served at the table with the specific courses and any beer or soft drinks that you request.  Then when the meal is over the barra libre starts, which is basically a free bar where you can order anything you want right up until the end of the night.  This generally makes the guys happy... and very drunk!

Dancing

The Spanish love dancing, men included, but especially after a couple of drinks.  As you can imagine there is always a DJ but I have been to a few weddings, including this one, where a live band plays Spanish party music and general hit songs.  Being brought up in the UK I obviously have a different taste in music but the dance floor always fills up very quickly.  There is always a 'first dance' which could be a waltz or something funky, which is a trend nowadays.  Then if in Andalusia, a Sevillanas dance is usually done at some point throughout the evening, which is a traditional dance from Seville (I could also dedicate a post to it one day).

Home time

The Spanish like staying up late and a wedding is a good excuse to keep going until you just can't stand up anymore.  However at weddings that start early, like this one, people start to disappear around 1am or 2am.  I have been to weddings that go on until 6am though!

I hope that I have given you some interesting information and an insight into what Spanish weddings are like.  I always enjoy them and just love seeing everyone happy and, of course, eating lots of wonderful food!

If you have any questions or comments just let me know.

Weddings in Spain - part 1

I have just come back from another boda (wedding) but this time it was in Seville.  We have friends dotted all around Spain and any chance we get to go somewhere to visit someone we take it.

It takes about 6 hours to drive from the centre of Alicante to the Centre of Seville.  You would take the autovia (motorway) going south past Murcia, then Lorca, then at Puerto Lumbreras go west towards Granada.  Then from Granada its about 2 to 2.5 hours drive to Seville.  I have always been quite impressed with the state of the autovias in Spain and had no complaints on this journey.  

The evening before

The friends and family who have come from far away usually get together for dinner the evening before the wedding.  For this wedding, the groom's father kindly treated us all to a lovely tapas style meal at a typically Spanish restaurant where we could all catch up before heading to a bar to continue the merriment.

The ceremony

Brides and grooms usually kneel for prayers and sit down on benches throughout the ceremony.

The time that wedding ceremonies start in Spain vary depending on the place and time of the year.  I have been to weddings in Alicante where the ceremony started at 7 or 8pm but they were during the summer time and its quite common to do this to avoid the hottest part of the day.  This wedding in Seville started at 11.30am which is considered to be quite an early one, but it is November and so was not too hot.

The ceremony itself in a catholic church usually takes about 45 minutes to an hour, with various readings, hymns and songs and the priest going on a bit (too much in some cases).  Let's face it, we all just want to hear the vows of 'sí, quiero...' and go and party!

At this wedding, some friends of the bride sang in a group with a guitar and some percussion.  It was a nice change to the choir and hymns at most weddings...

As with all church weddings, the bride and groom go and sign the register.  The bride was particularly proud of the church in her village and so a photo session with family and friends in front of the altar took place.  I hope they don't mind but I wanted to show you a photo of them as I would like to point out the groom's mother's head wear.

Catholic devotees wear a mantilla when their sons get married.  It is a veil usually made of lace which is held up over the head (to give height) by a peineta.  This is the tall comb with an intricate cut-out pattern that fixes the hair in place.  This is also a typically Andalusian (meaning someone from the Andalucía region of Spain in the south) tradition worn by women at events like weddings, Holy Week, bullfights and processions.  It is also a part of some traditional costumes from various parts of Spain.  This veil could have been influenced by Muslim culture in nearby North Africa or when Spain was ruled by Muslims centuries ago.  Whatever its origins it is an elegant touch to an outfit and lots of mothers look forward to being able to wear the mantilla.

Children are also very important to the Spanish and most of the little ones who came to the wedding were dressed in similar styles and colours.  Children are adored here and are encouraged to be a part of all festivities and activities.

When the photos were taken we all went together to the wedding party venue, or salón de bodas.  That will be the next post...