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As popular culture changes quickly and drastically, this lesson focuses on the most recent pop culture phenomena in the Spanish speaking countries.

Popular Music
The Spanish music scene at the moment is dominated by Reggaeton, a mix of hip-hop and reggae that developed mostly out of the music scenes of Puerto Rico, New York, and Miami. With that said, there has also been a steady growth of EMO and electronic bands in the Spanish-speaking countries, which has brought forth fashion styles and trends associated with this music genre: skinny jeans, converse shoes, snug shirts, and full-fledged black outfits.

Cinema
The revival of Spanish-speaking independent cinema has also propelled major production companies to produce more mainstream films, reviving a sector previously dedicated to low-quality films catering to a small population. You’ll still find these films running on TV and in some low-budget theaters. The genres include cheaply produced action movies and racy comedies where double entendres were a big part of the dialogues.

Popular Television
Latin America has one major exporter that has been consistent throughout the years: the tele-novella. These mellow dramas are produced across Latin America, but three countries that have transcended international borders are Mexico, Columbia, and Brazil. Unlike their American counterparts, these shows do not go on for twenty years or more. These plot lines generally have a definite end, and the stories last for only a couple of months before ending. Some, however, have been known to run for over a year.

The information about Latin American Pop culture here is simply scratching the surface. There is many more types of Latin American pop culture out there! please fill us in with what kind of Spanish pop-culture you enjoy!

This Spanish All About Lesson you will learn about five of the more famous festivals in Spain and Latin America.

Sanfermines-”The Running of the Bulls”
This ten-day municipal festival in Pamplona, Spain is well known in the English-speaking world as the
“running of the bulls.” The festival commemorates Saint Fermin, a martyr and patron saint of the
participants, who dress in white with red scarves for the event.

Puente Guadalupe-Reyes - “Christmas Season”
Traditionally in the Spanish-speaking world, it is the Three Wise Men who mysteriously bring gifts to children on Epiphany, although some families also observe the Santa Claus tradition of gift giving on Christmas Day.

Semana Santa - “Holy Week”
Holy Week celebrations start on Palm Sunday and go through Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter
Sunday. In addition to having Holy Week off, most of the Spanish-speaking world has the following week off from work as well.

Día de los Muertos - “All Souls Day”
On the Catholic calendar, All Souls Day is celebrated on November second. It’s observed throughout
the Spanish-speaking world as el Día de los muertos. Spanish speakers offer prayers to deceased loved
ones and spend time in the cemeteries visiting, cleaning, and decorating tombs.

Carnaval - “Fat Tuesday”
Ash Wednesday in Catholic countries is the beginning of Lent: the forty-day season of fasting, prayer,
and solemn reflection. Therefore, the days leading up to Ash Wednesday have developed into a
festival of gluttony and excess. Many cities have celebrations involving masks, costumes, dancing, and
parades.

There are many more festivals in the Spanish speaking world, but here are a few just to start you off.

The Focus of This Lesson Is Five Things You Should Know about Spanish-speaking Cultures.

1. The Kiss and the Handshake

• In the Spanish-speaking world, women are always greeted with a kiss, both as a hello and as a good-bye. Sometimes this kiss is a peck on the check, but many times, it’s that kiss where you touch cheeks and kiss the air.

• In general, you reach left for the first kiss; that is, it’s your right cheek that gets kissed first.

• Men usually greet each other with a handshake rather than a kiss, both as a hello and a good-bye.

2. La hora latina

• It is a widely held belief that Spanish-speakers always arrive late to events, even among Spanish speakers themselves. People often refer to this as la hora latina, meaning “Latino time.”

• much of the Spanish-speaking world is developing; transportation and communication are not as reliable as in more developed countries. Delays are often unavoidable.

• because everyone in the society is subject to the same delays, people in Spanish-speaking cultures tend to be forgiving about lateness.

• There are certainly many Spanish speakers who view punctuality as a form of respect and who strive to be punctual in their daily lives.

3. Lunch Time

• In the Spanish-speaking world, the midday meal is often the main meal of the day, every day of the week.

• There is regional variation as to what Spanish speakers call this meal, but more often than not, they refer to it simply as la comida, meaning “the meal.”

• The comida is often followed by la siesta, a customary mid-afternoon nap, which serves to both refresh people after a big meal as well as to keep people out of the sun during what is usually the hottest time of the day.

4. Regional Accents

• Like every major language, Spanish has regional varieties that have arisen over the generations due to patterns of migration and isolation. In Latin America, people often label regional varieties costeño or serrano.

1. The costeño dialects are characterized by the aspiration of syllables that end in -s. For example, someone speaking a costeño variety might say Hola, ¿cómo estás? [ola, komo ehtah].
2. Serrano dialects tend to be found in mountainous regions, and their pronunciation of syllables that end in -s reflects a more conservative dialect of Madrid.

5. Flirting and Sexual Harassment

• Culturally speaking, Spanish speakers tend to touch each other casually more than in North American, Northern European, or Asian cultures.

• Compared to North Americans, Spanish speakers seem to have a more tolerant attitude toward unsolicited flirting, finding it flattering or humorous rather than threatening or disgusting.

The cuisines of the Spanish-speaking world are as varied and diverse as they are delicious. If you haven’t tried these delicious dishes, we recommend you do!

If you are a meat lover, you should try “churrasco”, which in Latin America means “grilled meat”, and Argentinians are known for their love of savory steaks.

If you want to try and exotic and comforting dish, venture into Puerto Rico’s “mofongo,” a delicious dish of fried plantains and pork rinds, vegetables, meat, or seafood.

Also on the exotic side, unique technique of curing seafood with citrus juice rather than heat, ceviche, is also very delicious invented in Peru and elevated to an art form.

And while it’s difficult to pick one dish that represents the diversity and complexity of Spanish cooking, we recommend paella, the short-grain rice dish flavored with saffron. The classic paella of Valencia is made with escargot, meat, and vegetables. other popular versions are made with seafood or with meat and seafood.

Another very typical and accesible dish are tacos, from Mexico. There are different types, but we will feature los tacos al pastor, meaning “shepherd-style tacos,” made from pork that’s been marinated with spices and roasted with a hint of pineapple, making the meat tender and juicy.

Que delicioso! (How delicious!)
Venture into these culture’s rich offering in gastronomy, and tell us which was your favorite! You will surely not be dissappointed!

Have you wondered how much you know about Spanish-speaking cultures?take this quiz!

Quiz:

1.  in which of these countries is Spanish not the official language?
A) Uruguay
B) Guatemala
C) Brazil
D) Perú

2.Out of the following 3 famous people, match “person” to “profession”:
PERSON: <Diego Armando Maradona>, <Alejandro Sanz>, <Hugo Chavez>
PROFESSION: <singer>, <politician>, <sports Star>

3. Which country has the most populated city?
A) México
B) Argentina
C) Spain
D) Colombia

4. TRUE or FALSE: The native populations and cultures of Latin America have left without a trace in the modern culture.

Answers:

1. C, Brazil. The Portuguese colonized Brazil, leaving that country with Portuguese as its official language.
2.  Hugo Chavez - Politician ; Alejandro Sanz - Singer; Diego Armando Maradona - Sports star
3. A, Mexico. Mexico City has a population of approximately 8,841,916!
4. False! The modern populations have many who descended from pre-Columbian ancestors, and to this day some indigenous languages are still spoken in Latin America!

How many did you get correct?

Ascuncion means “Assumption,” in the English Language and refers to the Spanish celebration of Assumption Day of Mary. The Spanish call that day, “Assumption of the Virgin.”

The view of Assumption Day holds true to the fact that Mary, the mother of Jesus died and her body was united with her soul and ascended to heaven instead of experiencing the decay of the physical body through normal death.

The Assumption of Mary became a reputable custom and teaching in the Roman Catholic Church even throughout the seventh century. It continues to be a theological disagreement of historical tendency and the church has not entirely embraced the concept or idea.

There are still some misgivings today if Mary died before her Assumption or if she was assumed before her death. The Roman Catholic consent to these two beliefs and consider it to be one or the other. The Assumption of Mary is thought of as a gift from God to those who believed that Mary was the “Mother of God.”

The Spanish people celebrate it also on August 15th and for the entire month of August it is not uncommon to find most businesses closed down. On that day, transportation is limited and people take the time to spend with family and friends.

If you are a tourist visiting at that time, there is almost nothing to do on that day because all museums and other activities have been put on hold.

Spanish people view their public holiday as rich in culture and festivity. They will go all out to prepare a feast of festivals and entertainment to enjoy and solidify their belief in Assumption Day.

The practicing Roman Catholics in the Spanish speaking countries in the world, but especially Spain, also call this day the “Feast of the Assumption” and do embrace the belief that Mary did indeed ascend to heaven without a physical death.

The Spanish people take pride in their cultural cuisine and spend this time preparing meals to celebrate the day in honor of the Virgin Mary. It is customary to cook full course meals and bring the family together on this day as an indication of solidarity in their beliefs.

To celebrate Assumption Day, Spanish people love to watch their favorite mystery play called “El Misteri d’Elx” on the 14th and 15th of August.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from everyone here at SpanishPod101.com! We’re grateful to have listeners just like you, and we’re eagerly waiting for the upcoming year to learn Spanish together!

And when the New Year comes around, be sure to make a resolution to study Spanish with SpanishPod101.com!

Have a healthy and happy holiday season.

From the SpanishPod101.com Team!