Spain

PAELLA This rice-based Valencian dish is well known internationally, and comes in many variations that equally vie for attention. The traditional version is a mixture of chicken or rabbit (or both), white and green beans and other vegetables, but mixed seafood is also common, where you will find an array of seafood suprises among the flavoursome rice.

Every meal can have an alcoholic accompaniment. Two Spanish specialities are the refreshing tinto de verano (‘summer wine') and rebujito (white sangria), which involve little more than mixing wines with soft drinks but create a surprisingly tasty refresher. Tinto de verano is red wine with lemon soda, while rebujito is a white wine mixed with lemonade and topped off with fresh mint, and popular at the Sevillan Feria de Abril (April Fair).

Gazpacho is a soup made of raw vegetables and served cold, usually with a tomato base, originating in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia. Gazpacho is widely eaten in Spain and neighbouring Portugal, particularly during the hot summers, as it is refreshing and cool.

The Cavalcade of Magi is a traditional parade of kings coaches, practically in all Spanish cities.The Magi (of which tradition holds there were three: Melchior, Gaspar, and Baltasar) ride through the streets, as their page boys throw candies to children.

It is celebrated every January 5 (the day preceding the feast of Epiphany) in the evening. When the night comes the children must go to bed early after cleaning their shoes and the following morning they have the gifts of the Magi that they have requested before in a letter. According to this tradition, the children who have behaved badly during the last year receive coal rather than candy, though this is not a frequent occurrence. They might get coal candy, though.

As the midnight hour nears on the night of December 31st, Spaniards have already had dinner with their families, and unlike Christmas Eve traditions that call on family members to remain together at home, tonight they’re hitting the town dressed up in their most formal attire. They’ll also be carrying a bottle of cava or cider –the most chic may have champagne- and a package that contains one of the ritualistic elements that best characterizes Spanish tradition: the twelve grapes, las doce uvas de la suerte. In the main square of the city or town, anxious crowds huddle together to stay warm as they stare together at the clock on the tower or the church, watching as the clock hands slowly join to make a perfect vertical line. The clock bells first strike what’s known as the fourths, los cuartos, and it’s important not to confuse these with the bell chimes that come shortly afterward which mark the beginning of the New Year. The tension rises as all gazes remain turned up at the clock. As the first bell chime resonates, like an anthropological ballet, hands carry the first grape to lips and then repeat until the twelve are gone. Calls of “¡Feliz Año Nuevo!” are heard as folks hug and kiss one another –it doesn’t matter if you actually know the other person- as they wish each other the best for the New Year

Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain is a sovereign state largely located on the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe, with a small section of its territory located on the African continent. Its mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with Gibraltar; to the north and northeast by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the west and northwest by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean. Along with France and Morocco, it is one of only three countries to have both Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines. Extending to 1,214 km, the Portugal–Spain border is the longest uninterrupted border within the European Union. Spanish territory also includes two archipelagos; the Balearic Islands, in the Mediterranean Sea, and the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean off the African coast; two major exclaves, Ceuta and Melilla, in continental North Africa.

Typical food

Spain is very well known for its delicious food as

Tapas are a wide variety of appetizers, or snacks, in Spanish cuisine. They may be cold or hot . In select bars in Spain, tapas have evolved into an entire, sophisticated cuisine. The serving of tapas is designed to encourage conversation, because people are not so focused upon eating an entire meal that is set before them. Also, in some countries it is customary for diners to stand and move about while eating tapas.