QUESTIONS 15. Where does the Spanish language come from? 16. What are the 3 most popular books written by Spaniards writers? 17. Who is the best known Spaniard artist? 18. What is the name of a traditional Spaniard dance? 19. What are the languages spoken in Spain?

INTRODUCTION  The Spanish culture is based on a variety of historical influences, primarily that of Ancient Rome, Celtic, and Iberian culture.  Their language comes directly from the Vulgar Latin.

LITERATURE  Cantar de Mio Cid is written in medieval Spanish.  The Celestina was written by Fernando de Rojas in It’s considered to be one of the greatest in Spanish literature and marks the end of the medieval literature.  Don Quixote is the most influential work of literature to emerge from the Spanish Golden Age.

 Spain’s best known artist since the 20 th century has been Pablo Picasso, who is known for his abstract sculptures, drawings, graphics, and ceramics in addition to his paintings. P AINTINGS AND SCULPTURE

Spanish architecture encompasses a wide range of both secular and religious styles from the foundation of Islam to the present day. Islam prohibited the paintings of people or figures, so beautiful designs and floral patterns covered every wall of important buildings. ARCHITECTURE

CINEMA In recent years, Spanish cinema has achieved high marks of recognition as a result of its creative and technical excellence. In the long history of Spanish cinema, the great filmmaker Luis Buñuel was the first to achieve universal recognition, followed by Pedro Almodóvar in the 1980s.

Javier Bardem

MUSIC  The country is often associated with traditional styles such as flamenco and classical guitar, but Spanish music is in fact very diverse, reflecting the large cultural differences between regions.

LANGUAGE Spanish: One of the official languages. Castilian (Castellano): North. It’s one of the official languages. Catalan Basque: it is taught in schools and it is more common to hear Basque in the cities and in the areas where it was lost. Galician (Gallego): It’s spoken in Galicia.

R ELIGION About 79% of Spaniards are Roman Catholics; 2% are of another religious faith, and about 19% as non-religious.

HOLIDAYS  An important Spanish holiday is "Semana Santa" (Holy Week), celebrated the week before Easter with large parades and other religious events. Semana SantaEaster

SPORT  Football is the most popular sport in Spain.

 It’s derived from the Roman, Jewish, and Arab traditions.  The essential ingredient for real Spanish cooking is olive oil, as Spain produces 44% of the world's olives.  One popular custom when going out is to be served tapas with a drink, including sherry, wine and beer. CUISINE

 Another traditional favorite is the churro with a mug of thick hot chocolate to dip churros in.  They use olive oil, sofrito, garlic, onions, wine, bread, salad, and a frui or a dairy produc as dessert (cake and tarts are reserved for special ocassions). CUISINE

LINKS  (San Fermin, Pamplona)  (Alejandro Sanz)  (Gypsy Kings)  (Flamenco)