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 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 Recent Holy Week celebrations and widespread mourning for Pope Francis' death would lead most foreigners in Spain to believe that Spaniards are deeply religious, but has the once devout country now become an example of 'cultural Catholicism'? https://www.thelocal.es/20230105/focus-how-catholic-are-people-in-spain-nowadays Thu, 05 Jan 2023 16:29:16 +0100 focus-how-catholic-are-people-in-spain-nowadays Do you live in the politest city in Spain? Or perhaps in the rudest? Share your own experiences in the comments section. https://www.thelocal.es/20241107/the-city-with-the-politest-people-in-spain-is Thu, 07 Nov 2024 11:54:30 +0100 the-city-with-the-politest-people-in-spain-is If you live in Spain or spend time here, you've probably noticed that the tap water tastes pretty bad in some parts of the country. Why is that? And where in Spain is the best (and worst) tap water? https://www.thelocal.es/20221103/why-does-tap-water-taste-strange-in-some-parts-of-spain Thu, 03 Nov 2022 12:28:11 +0100 why-does-tap-water-taste-strange-in-some-parts-of-spain Why is it that when it comes to their national anthem Spaniards are lost for words? https://www.thelocal.es/20180223/no-word-on-spains-national-anthem Fri, 23 Feb 2018 12:34:24 +0100 no-word-on-spains-national-anthem Valencia has long been associated with the sweet orange fruit and there is even a type of orange that is named after the region. So why does the Spanish city have 12,000 orange trees and what's the history behind it all? https://www.thelocal.es/20230222/why-does-valencia-have-so-many-blooming-oranges Wed, 22 Feb 2023 11:02:24 +0100 why-does-valencia-have-so-many-blooming-oranges If you’ve watched a movie on Spanish TV you may have noticed that once it ends, they abruptly cut to ads or another film without showing the credits. Why does this happen? https://www.thelocal.es/20220113/why-on-earth-do-spains-tv-channels-always-cut-out-film-credits Thu, 13 Jan 2022 13:47:44 +0100 why-on-earth-do-spains-tv-channels-always-cut-out-film-credits CCTV cameras are becoming cheaper, more prevalent, and more technologically advanced. The Local takes a look at how many CCTV cameras there are in Spain, how that stacks up against other countries, and if they actually make us safer. https://www.thelocal.es/20230106/how-many-cctv-cameras-are-there-in-spain Fri, 06 Jan 2023 17:58:37 +0100 how-many-cctv-cameras-are-there-in-spain With 2022 drawing to a close, The Local takes a look back at ten events that shaped the news in Spain this year. https://www.thelocal.es/20221227/review-ten-stories-that-shaped-the-news-in-spain-in-2022 Tue, 27 Dec 2022 11:57:06 +0100 review-ten-stories-that-shaped-the-news-in-spain-in-2022 Wearing a white lab coat, a screwdriver in hand, Antonio Martínez Rivas examines a remote-controlled car at his workshop in Madrid, a "toy hospital" which is about to close its doors after 50 years of repairs. https://www.thelocal.es/20221223/why-a-toy-hospital-in-madrid-is-marking-its-last-christmas Fri, 23 Dec 2022 10:18:16 +0100 why-a-toy-hospital-in-madrid-is-marking-its-last-christmas Rosalía, the former flamenco prodigy who's since cemented her place at the top of the pop world, was arguably the biggest breakout star of 2022. Here are some of the most interesting facts about the evolution of Spain's most global music star. https://www.thelocal.es/20221216/rosalia-five-things-to-know-about-spains-greatest-musical-export Fri, 16 Dec 2022 12:56:03 +0100 rosalia-five-things-to-know-about-spains-greatest-musical-export Spain is the 51st largest country in the world in terms of landmass but Spanish authorities are now stating their case with the United Nations claiming the country is actually 500,000 km2 bigger than what it’s currently registered as. https://www.thelocal.es/20221214/why-spain-is-fighting-the-un-to-double-in-size Wed, 14 Dec 2022 11:51:55 +0100 why-spain-is-fighting-the-un-to-double-in-size Spain's most popular supermarket Mercadona has shocked shoppers by selling pre-cooked fried eggs in plastic packaging, sparking a huge uproar among environmentalists and food lovers. https://www.thelocal.es/20221202/were-going-to-hell-supermarkets-readymade-fried-eggs-offend-spaniards Fri, 02 Dec 2022 12:21:51 +0100 were-going-to-hell-supermarkets-readymade-fried-eggs-offend-spaniards The preferred means of job seeking for unemployed people in Spain is to ask friends and family, official data reveals about a trend which is closely linked to the ingrained Spanish tradition of “enchufe”.  https://www.thelocal.es/20221114/six-out-of-ten-spaniards-rely-on-word-of-mouth-to-find-a-job-study Mon, 14 Nov 2022 17:34:39 +0100 six-out-of-ten-spaniards-rely-on-word-of-mouth-to-find-a-job-study Spaniards are renowned for being passionate, expressive and fun loving, but a new study reveals that they're also heavily influenced by others and not often independent-minded. https://www.thelocal.es/20221109/spaniards-have-herd-mentality-rather-than-being-free-thinkers-study Wed, 09 Nov 2022 11:50:34 +0100 spaniards-have-herd-mentality-rather-than-being-free-thinkers-study As Spain again prepares to put the clocks back on Saturday night, we look at the fascinating reasons why the country has been in the wrong time zone for the last 75 years, the possible effects of this historical blip on Spanish society, and why there's still no sign of it changing. https://www.thelocal.es/20211029/why-spain-is-still-in-the-wrong-time-zone-because-of-hitler Fri, 29 Oct 2021 19:16:52 +0200 why-spain-is-still-in-the-wrong-time-zone-because-of-hitler October 12th is Spain’s National Day - el Día de la Hispanidad. See the best pictures from the parade in Madrid with all its military pomp, controversy and…goats. https://www.thelocal.es/20221012/in-pictures-spains-dia-de-la-hispanidad Wed, 12 Oct 2022 18:17:36 +0200 in-pictures-spains-dia-de-la-hispanidad