Día de los Tres Reyes vs. Christmas

Americans have come to associate Christmas, or the birth of Christ, with images of snow, Santa Claus, ginger bread cookies, presents, eggnog, and warm family gatherings. This is in part because the media sells these images and associates them with what is supposed to be Christmas. It is said that Coca-Cola invented the modern image of Santa Claus, a complete marketing strategy.

In Spain, Christmas is not celebrated this way. Spaniards instead celebrate el Día de los Reyes Magos every January 6th. Children anxiously await presents, as do Americans on Christmas, yet these presents do not come from Santa Claus. Instead from 3 magical kings that were present in the birth of Christ. They're names are "Melchor,""Gaspar," and "Baltasar" and they arrived in camels each bringing Baby Jesus a gift.

• Melchor, an old man with a long white beard, comes from Europe and brings "la mirra" which is a reddish aromatic substance that is common in the Middle East and Somalia. It was very valuable in ancient times and was used for the elaboration of perfumes. This gift symbolizes the man.
• Gaspar is blonde and the youngest of all and he comes from Asia. He brings incense which is the symbol of God (in many religions incense is utilized in religious rituals).
• The last king is Baltasar who is black and of African origin. He brings with him gold, the most precious of all metals. This gold is the symbol of the king.

Since the three kings arrived in camels, it is common for little kids in Spain to leave out grass in shoe boxes outside for the camels to eat, very similar to the tradition of leaving milk and cookies out for Santa Claus.

In the Spanish media, instead of people dressing up as Santa Claus like in the US, three men dress up as the 3 kings. There is a ceremony in Madrid, Sevilla, and other cities in Spain where people gather outside to see the arrival of these "kings."

In Puerto Rico, where I'm from, both Christmas and 3 King's Day are celebrated (we get double the presents ;) ) because of our Spanish and American heritage.

Bullfighting in the Spanish Media

I recently attended my first "corrida de toros," or bullfight in Madrid. Before going to see the bullfight, I was not sure how I felt about the "sport." I did not know if I was against it because it was a cruel act against the animals as 6 bulls are killed in every bullfight and they are outnumbered by numerous bullfighters which, in my opinion, did not make it a fair fight. But I also understood the fact that bullfighting is part of the Spanish culture and in Spain it is seen as an elegant dance and intimate moment between a man and a animal and that bullfighters supposedly have immense respect for the bulls. In class, we discussed how in Spaniards are equally conflicted when it comes to this topic. In general, people from Madrid are for bullfights while people from Catalonia are against it, even banning it recently.

These clashing opinions on bullfighting can be seen in the Spanish media, specifically, in Spanish newspapers. When bullfighting was prohibited in Catalonia, La Vanguardia, a conservative newspaper that supports the monarchy and is Catalan from Barcelona, had the headline "Adiós al Toreo" implying that the prohibition revived the tension between Spaniards and Catalans.

El Mundo, on the other hand, which is a conservative People's Party newspaper from Madrid, had the headline "Triunfaron los Animales" which demonstrated their strong opinions against the prohibition.

 ABC, the official newspaper of the monarchy from Madrid which is very controversial, was less polite in expressing their pro-bullfight opinions with the headline "La Farsa Nacionalista Acaba con los Toros en Cataluña." All of these headlines were accompanied by images that expressed the paper's strong opinions. 

After attending a bullfight and now being able to formulate my own opinion, I am respectfully against them. I do not find entertainment in watching an animal be killed. I understand the culture behind it and therefore I respect Spaniards who are pro-bullfights. They have also grown around bullfights and with the mentality that they are part of their Spanish heritage. We are all entitled to our own opinions.

Violence in the Spanish Media

Something I've noticed in the Spanish media is that it is less restricted than that of the United States. While in the Spanish media it is common to see nudity, violence, and to hear the use of profane language, the United States is much more strict with laws and restrictions that regulate such things. As I read Spanish newspapers, I've noticed that violence, specifically domestic violence, is a common theme that is written about. After doing research I found out that during the times of Franco, domestic violence was something very common among married couples yet it was a private matter not to be spoken about. Once Franco died, came El Destape, where media outlets no longer had to abide by the censure and NODO laws of Franco's regime and now media outlets and movies about sex or violence were more common. The first movie in Spanish history to make domestic violence a public matter was "Te Doy mis Ojos," directed by a woman called Icíar Bollaín. Bollaín went to Toledo and actually interviewed women who had been victims of domestic violence in order to make the script of the movie as realistic as possible. Even though no physical violence is actually shown in the movie, it still created a strong impact with Spanish audiences as it is directed from the psychological point of view of the victim and transgresses from her weakest moments to her overcoming her horrible situation. This movie, although controversial, won many prestigious awards including a Goya award for making this age-long disturbing topic a public matter and urging victims (or people familiar with a victim) to come forward to authorities about their situation. 

Domestic violence is a theme that is unfortunately very much still prevalent in Spain today. Recently, I read an article about an 85 year-old man in Madrid detained in late April for stabbing his wife, 74-years-old, to death. Authorities said this case had been one of domestic violence that had been going on for years but no one had ever reported it, not even the victim. The fact that at that old age domestic violence is still a problem astounds me. The police explained that without someone denouncing a domestic violence case or reporting it to authorities, there is nothing they can do. Sadly, the same thing happens in the United States. When a victim reports a domestic violence occurrence, the aggressor is immediately contacted by authorities and a restraining order is set but this method in and of itself may be extremely flawed as victims are even more scared to denounce their aggressor because who knows what that man could be capable of doing once he finds out she reported him to authorities. This is a topic that is very disturbing to me and something that I wish was made as public in the United States as in Spain.

Eurovision Song Contest

The Eurovision Song Contest is one of the longest running television shows in the world, the first ever contest held on May 24, 1956. After 56 runnings, the contest is one of the most typical European traditions and without a doubt, one of Europe's favorite TV shows. After more than five decades featuring some 1,100 songs, the contest has become a modern classic, strongly embedded into Europe's collective mind. Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television. During the program, after all the songs have been performed, the countries then proceed to cast votes for the other countries' songs (nations are not allowed to vote for their own song). At the end of the program, the winner is declared as the song with the most points. The winner receives, simply, the prestige of having won, a trophy is awarded to the winning songwriters, and the winning country is invited to host the event the following year. This year's competition will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, following Azerbaijan's win in 2011.

In the United States the only program I can think of that is of equal magnitude and popularity is American Idol. Unlike in Eurovision, only Americans participate in the contest and therefore Americans can vote for other Americans. Also unlike Eurovision, anyone can participate in American Idol and not one person from each state. The winner of American Idol actually wins something at the end, a cash prize and a record contract to come out with their own CD. In Eurovision, groups can participate together as the sole representation of the country while in the United States, only solo singers are permitted to participate. In American Idol, there are judges that give their opinion about the singers yet the vote is completely up to the viewers, while in Eurovision there are no judges. Yet American Idol and Eurovision have something in common: they both attract record numbers of audiences and the winners of the competitions go on to become famous singers.

El Corte Inglés Spring Campaign

El Corte Inglés is the largest and most successful department store in Spain. There are hundreds of them around the country and all Spaniards know what it is and generally shop there. Yet ECI is not only known for its quality brands and products, but for its Spring advertising campaign. Every year, ECI comes out with a campaign called "Ya es Primavera" which means it's already spring. This campaign has been running for years and Spaniards have grown up around it. The advertisements are similar every year, they center on models wearing ECI clothes around a city and the final clip says "Ya es primavera... en El Corte Inglés." Everyone knows that when ECI comes out with this commercial, it means it is officially Spring and it is OK to wear Spring clothes. This ad has become so popular that now anytime someone says "ya es primavera," Spaniards automatically respond with "en El Corte Inglés." This is true to the point that when I wrote in Google "ya es primavera," Google suggested to finish it with "en El Corte Inglés," as did YouTube. When I was searching for these commercials something caught my attention. This year's campaign did not say "ya es primavera en El Corte Inglés" at the end. Instead, it had written in the beginning of the commercial "Ya es Primavera" and at the end only said "El Corte Inglés." This was the first time ECI did not say the entire phrase at the end. Maybe it's because people already know what the phrase is and therefore there is no need to say it? Or maybe it was on purpose to create buzz around the campaign and therefore bring more attention to ECI. Who knows... Here are some examples of ECI's past spring campaigns from 2010, 2011, and finally the 2012 commercial without the "ya es primavera."

ECI Spring 2010

  ECI Spring 2011

  ECI Spring 2012

Movie theatres in Spain vs. in the US

A couple of weeks ago, I went to the movie theatres here in Madrid. First, I noticed that most movie theatres offer American and foreign movies, and very few of them show Spanish movies. Then I noticed that these American and foreign movies are all dubbed in Spanish with the exception of a few movie theatres that show them in their original language. The first movie I saw in Spain was J. Edgar. We had no idea that the movie would be in Spanish and without any subtitles. Thankfully we were all fluent in Spanish and could understand the movie. But what caught my attention most was the lack of advertisements before the movie. While in the United States there is usually a 30-45min commercial bracket before the movie starts, in Spain there are zero commercials before the movie. This made me wonder how Spaniards advertise what movies they will be showing in the recent future. I've seen a lot of print advertisements for movies in bus stops and the metro but never in the actual theater. I think having a commercial segment where movie goers can see what movies are coming next is a good idea since it makes it easier for movie producers to reach their target audiences, demonstrate clips from the movie to get them excited about it, and let them know when the movie is coming out. Spanish movie theatres also only offer 2-5 films while American theaters tend to offer 6-10. Another difference I noticed between Spanish and American movie theaters is that the seats in Spanish cinemas are assigned. When I first went to the movies here, my friends and I had no idea the seats would be assigned and so we bought our tickets separately and had to sit separately. There is also an usher in Spanish theaters that takes you to your seat. The fact that seats are assigned in Spanish theaters makes watching a movie an experience, as if you're about to see a theatrical production in person. Yet it can also be a bit annoying because that means you have to buy your tickets earlier in order to get good seats and to be seated with the people you are going with.

Movie theater in Callao, Madrid

Huelga General Madrid

On March 29th there was a general strike held in Madrid. The Metro would be running minimum services that entire day, which implied that trains would run 15-20 minutes late. I had heard stories of violence occurring in these type of protests and was somewhat scared to take the Metro and thought of walking to class. After speaking with my host mom she said that these protests are generally peaceful and that I would be fine taking the Metro to class. When I arrived to the Diego de León metro station, I was surprised to see dozens of people waiting for the trains. I had never seen it so full. I decided to wait for a train for 20 minutes, yet once it got there, it was completely full and I was not able to get on it. I then decided to walk to class. That day, I ended classes late afternoon and so I thought the Metro would be less full this time around. I was greatly mistaken. I again waited 20 minutes for the train to come and when it came, it was again too full and I was not able to get on it. I decided to wait for the next train to come hoping that this time it wouldn't be full, yet again I was not able to get on it. Frustrated, I walked back home to my apartment. This made me think of the people who don't have the luxury of living so closely to their destinations on a day like this. They would have to plan their entire days around the new Metro schedules or have to pay a lot of money to take a taxi. In this sense, I think the general strike is effective, in that it completely paralyzes Madrid for a day. Something that I found interesting was finding out that in order to strike, organizations have to ask for permission and let people know beforehand of when it will take place. In the United States, strikes tend to spur in the moment which makes it even more frustrating because the people affected by it cannot anticipate it and plan accordingly.

Spain's Pink Press

As a newly arrived tourist in Spain with a major in communications, I wanted to learn about the press in Spain. The best way I could imagine was visiting a local estanco, or newstand, to flick through the popular press. There are over 150 newspapers in Spain, some that offer regional news and some that offer local news. But what interested me most were the Spanish gossip magazines, or la prensa rosa as known to Spaniards, the pink press. This term alludes to magazines that are solely concerned with gossip, celebrity, and human interest stories. These magazines are very popular with Spanish women. There's the popular Hola!, Hello, Diez Minutos, Ten Minutes, and others such as !Qué me dices¡, roughly translated into No Way!

 

Examples of Spanish pink press magazines.

These magazines are comparable to US gossip mags, except Spain's pink press focuses also on another breed of celebrities that don't exist in the US--the royalty. The royal families, not just of Spain, but of all countries in Europe, are considered celebrities in Spain and are spoken about as such. They are criticized in the press as any other celebrity and their personal lives are printed in the pages of these magazines. The most recent story of royalty taking Spain by storm is that of the daughter of Spain's own king. Her husband has committed fraud and is to stand trial for his criminal acts. His wife, the princess, has chosen to stick by his side which has proved very controversial. The equivalent of Spanish royalty in the US would be the A-listers of Hollywood (ex. Brangelina, George Clooney, etc.). 

In my opinion, the tone in which the pink press in the US and the pink press in Spain speak in is very similar. The headlines are dramatic, sometimes overly-exaggerated and aim at getting the readers attention so they buy their magazine. However, Spain's gossip magazines tend to focus more on celebrity gossip and fashion than on issues such as weight loss, body image, and human interest stories. On the other hand, I feel like American gossip magazines do focus mainly on celebrity gossip and human interest stories, but not as much on fashion as the Spanish ones. US gossip magazines also highlight more Hollywood's weight loss obsession, a topic that seems to not be as popular in Spain.

 

Some examples of US gossip magazines.

Social Media Usage in Spain

In class, we talked about how media is increasingly becoming a central part of our lives, specifically, social media. In the United States, nearly half of all Americans are now members of at least one social media network. Out of 79% of American adults that use the Internet, an astonishing 47% use at least one social media site. I wanted to find out if in Spain, the statistics of social media usage are just as high. I found out that statistics are even higher in Spain.

Social media is thriving in Spain. In 2010, the 4 most searched words on Google in Spain were Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, and Tuenti. Spaniards spend 22% of their time a day on the Internet on social media networks. Spain is the 7th country in the world in the use of social media. Spain is the 27th largest country in the world, yet it ranks in the Top 10 countries on Twitter. 98% of Spaniards know of Facebook, much higher than the world average of 73%. In the past year, Facebook membership in Spain increased 50% to 12 million users--that's 1/4 of the entire population!

These statistics are proving to be very beneficial to companies in Spain. 84% of users don't mind receiving messages from companies on social media networks and 52% become followers of at least one brand. This means that companies can spend less money on traditional advertisements by advertising on social media networks. Zara has at least 7 million fans on Facebook.

5 out of the top 10 most visited sites in Spain are social media networks. What does this say about contemporary Spanish society?

Here is a video that better explains social media usage in Spain:

Internet Music Laws in Spain

When I first unpacked my luggage when I arrived at Madrid, I realized I had forgotten to bring my iPod. Now that I had a Madrid phone that had cost me just $10, I could no longer listen to music on my smart phone either. How was I going to listen to music for the entire semester I was going to live here? Then I remembered I could always use Pandora.

Pandora is an online music radio that lets you create stations and listen to only music you love. It's like an iTunes only better because you do not have to pay for music (yet it's legal in the US) and it still saves your music stations. The best part is that you can find out about new artists and songs based on your music preferences. But when I typed in "www.pandora.com" this is what I came across:

 

:(

Then I read this, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16391727, and it all made a little more sense. I understand why Spain would want to crack down with Internet anti-piracy laws but I can see how a law such as this one could prevent individuals' freedom of speech by not allowing content to spread freely over the Internet. For now, or until I find the Spanish equivalent of Pandora (if there is such a thing), I will stick to YouTube to listen to music--which thank God has not been blocked.