https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Spain in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed You may have never stopped to think about it, but where does Spain - or España - get its name from? https://www.thelocal.es/20240926/why-is-spain-called-spain Thu, 26 Sep 2024 09:47:09 +0200 why-is-spain-called-spain Did you know that Spain's current king also holds the title of King of Jerusalem? Here's the fascinating story as to why. https://www.thelocal.es/20260320/why-spains-king-felipe-vi-is-also-the-king-of-jerusalem Fri, 20 Mar 2026 12:07:15 +0100 why-spains-king-felipe-vi-is-also-the-king-of-jerusalem Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum on Tuesday welcomed Spanish King Felipe VI's acknowledgement that abuses were committed during Spain's conquest of the Americas. https://www.thelocal.es/20260318/mexican-president-hails-spanish-kings-acknowledgement-of-abuses-during-conquest Wed, 18 Mar 2026 09:07:08 +0100 mexican-president-hails-spanish-kings-acknowledgement-of-abuses-during-conquest Are you proud to be living in your region of Spain? Why not learn about the origins and interesting facts of the regional flag you see hanging from official buildings and balconies in your autonomous community? https://www.thelocal.es/20260309/spains-regional-flags-17-fun-facts-for-geography-lovers Mon, 09 Mar 2026 17:09:22 +0100 spains-regional-flags-17-fun-facts-for-geography-lovers To mark International Women's Day, we celebrate 11 Spanish women who have played pivotal roles in shaping Spain's history, gender rights, science, the arts and more. https://www.thelocal.es/20241011/ten-of-the-most-influential-women-in-spains-history Fri, 11 Oct 2024 21:47:17 +0200 ten-of-the-most-influential-women-in-spains-history Antonio Tejero Molina, the Spanish Civil Guard officer who led a failed 1981 coup that ended up strengthening Spain's fledging democracy, has died aged 93, his family's lawyer said Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.es/20260225/antonio-tejero-leader-of-spains-failed-1981-coup-dies-at-93 Wed, 25 Feb 2026 21:37:36 +0100 antonio-tejero-leader-of-spains-failed-1981-coup-dies-at-93 Spain's leftist government said Monday it will release classified documents related to a failed 1981 coup attempt, calling the move a step toward settling a "historical debt" with citizens. https://www.thelocal.es/20260223/spain-to-declassify-documents-on-failed-1981-coup-attempt Mon, 23 Feb 2026 11:05:51 +0100 spain-to-declassify-documents-on-failed-1981-coup-attempt Every carnival season in Spain, mock funeral parades with weeping widows take place for the ceremonial burial of a fish. https://www.thelocal.es/20200224/explained-why-does-spain-bury-a-sardine-to-mark-the-start-of-lent Mon, 24 Feb 2020 13:00:00 +0100 explained-why-does-spain-bury-a-sardine-to-mark-the-start-of-lent One of Spain's most respected memory associations on Monday accused the leftist government of flouting its own much-vaunted policy to remove public symbols inherited from Francisco Franco's brutal dictatorship. https://www.thelocal.es/20260210/spains-government-accused-of-snubbing-its-own-franco-memory-law Tue, 10 Feb 2026 08:52:55 +0100 spains-government-accused-of-snubbing-its-own-franco-memory-law April 1st has no special meaning in Spain, instead December 28th is the day of practical jokes among Spaniards. But the celebration's macabre origins are far from a laughing matter. https://www.thelocal.es/20201228/why-spain-turned-a-child-massacre-into-its-april-fools-day Mon, 28 Dec 2020 09:12:53 +0100 why-spain-turned-a-child-massacre-into-its-april-fools-day In the Netherlands there's no cheery old man from the North Pole with his flying reindeer, there's Sinterklaas from Spain who rides a white horse called Amerigo. https://www.thelocal.es/20221223/why-santa-claus-lives-in-spain-according-to-the-dutch Fri, 23 Dec 2022 11:41:56 +0100 why-santa-claus-lives-in-spain-according-to-the-dutch You may have noticed that children are tasked with singing the longwinded Christmas lottery numbers on live TV in Spain. How did this tradition come about? https://www.thelocal.es/20221222/why-do-children-sing-spains-christmas-lottery-numbers Thu, 22 Dec 2022 13:48:02 +0100 why-do-children-sing-spains-christmas-lottery-numbers Spain has received a surge of citizenship applications from descendants of emigrants who fled the country's 1930s civil war and Francisco Franco's dictatorship under a scheme aimed at addressing historical injustices. https://www.thelocal.es/20251215/how-spain-has-paved-the-way-to-citizenship-for-descendants-of-franco-era-exiles Mon, 15 Dec 2025 11:38:58 +0100 how-spain-has-paved-the-way-to-citizenship-for-descendants-of-franco-era-exiles British Pathé’s fascinating collection of archive newsreels illustrates how far Spain has come in the last 60 years but also exposes how British reporting on “sun-soaked España” could be comically patronising. https://www.thelocal.es/20180314/spain-in-the-60s-old-footage-video-newsreel-british-pathe Wed, 14 Mar 2018 19:15:41 +0100 spain-in-the-60s-old-footage-video-newsreel-british-pathe Spain has two public holidays in early December which often form a “puente” (bridge), allowing workers in the country to enjoy an extended break before Christmas. Why is December 8th a public holiday? https://www.thelocal.es/20221202/why-are-december-6th-and-8th-public-holidays-in-spain Fri, 02 Dec 2022 15:16:14 +0100 why-are-december-6th-and-8th-public-holidays-in-spain Former King Juan Carlos's memoirs went on sale in Spain on Wednesday, with the publication's warm words for the late dictator Franco stirring debate over the former monarch's legacy. https://www.thelocal.es/20251203/former-kings-memoirs-hits-bookstores-in-spain Wed, 03 Dec 2025 16:32:08 +0100 former-kings-memoirs-hits-bookstores-in-spain President Frank-Walter Steinmeier honoured Nazi war victims in Guernica on Friday, becoming the first German leader to visit the Spanish town where hundreds of civilians were killed in 1937. https://www.thelocal.es/20251128/german-president-to-visit-spanish-town-bombed-by-nazis Fri, 28 Nov 2025 09:50:37 +0100 german-president-to-visit-spanish-town-bombed-by-nazis Hundreds of Spanish fascists marched through Madrid on Friday, a day after the country marked the 50th anniversary of divisive right-wing former dictator Francisco Franco's death. https://www.thelocal.es/20251122/spanish-fascists-march-in-madrid-after-franco-death-anniversary Sat, 22 Nov 2025 09:40:46 +0100 spanish-fascists-march-in-madrid-after-franco-death-anniversary Which Spanish king thought he was a frog? Who was a reputed sex addict? Understanding Spanish history can be tough, so we've broken it down into the most important and quirky trivia you need to know about each Spanish king and queen. https://www.thelocal.es/20230512/the-one-thing-you-need-to-know-about-each-of-spains-kings-and-queens Fri, 12 May 2023 17:55:43 +0200 the-one-thing-you-need-to-know-about-each-of-spains-kings-and-queens Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Thursday called on Spaniards to defend the "miracle" of their democracy as the divided country marked the 50th anniversary of ex-dictator Francisco Franco's death. https://www.thelocal.es/20251120/spanish-pm-urges-defence-of-democracy-50-years-after-franco-death Thu, 20 Nov 2025 18:49:37 +0100 spanish-pm-urges-defence-of-democracy-50-years-after-franco-death