Nina Schmidt ~ Vancouver German and Spanish Lessons

Category: Cultural Corner

  • “El Gordo” Spanish Christmas Lottery

    “El Gordo” Spanish Christmas Lottery

    The Spanish Christmas Lottery has been an annual event since 1812. It is the second oldest lottery in the world and always takes place on December 22 of each year. It is known for being the largest lottery in the world, with a prize pool of around three billion euros! The same lottery number can be sold multiple times so that many people benefit from winning.

    Families and friends participate in this holiday tradition by purchasing tickets individually or pooling their money to purchase parts of a ticket. The average Spaniard spends 70 euros on tickets, known as “décimos,” and tickets can be sold months in advance. Since tickets can be quite expensive, it’s common for coworkers to join forces in hopes of sharing the wealth.

    The draw is an elaborate event that lasts several hours. It is broadcast live on television and radio. The event takes place at the Teatro Real in Madrid, and schoolchildren are in charge of singing the winning numbers. It starts with smaller prizes until they reach the largest prize known as “El Gordo,” or the fat one.

    Beyond the economic aspect, the Spanish Christmas Lottery serves as the start of the Christmas season. In short, the cultural importance and enduring popularity of this holiday tradition make it a uniquely Spanish experience that resonates far beyond the boundaries of the lottery itself.

  • Cascarones

    Cascarones

    Cascarones are hollowed out chicken eggs that are filled  with confetti. Sometimes they may even contain small coins or toys. The name cascarones is the plural form of “cáscara,” which means shell in Spanish. They are a popular tradition found throughout Mexico during carnival, a celebration that occurs 47 days before Easter.  

    In addition, Cascarones are popular in Mexican-American border towns during Easter. They may also be included in birthday celebrations as well as weddings during which the eggs are filled with rice instead of confetti. In San Antonio, Texas there is even a “Festival de Cascarones” held every April in which families gather and celebrate Hispanic Culture. 

    Cascarones can be hidden and found, similar to other Easter eggs. Once found, they are smashed onto the head of someone. You can crush the egg in your hands and then rub it into your friend’s hair or gently break it over their head. They can also be used as a light flirtation between young single people! A Spanish legend says there was once a tradition of fathers cracking eggs over the head of any child who was misbehaving to show disappointment in them!

    It is said that cascarones were first brought to Europe by Marco Polo from China. At this time, the eggs were filled with perfume and given as gifts. They eventually made their way to the Americas as there are accounts of cascarones at weddings and other celebrations in California in the early 19thcentury. 

  • Cultural Corner: Reggaeton

    Reggaeton is a popular style of Latin urban music that had its origins in Puerto Rico during the early 1990s. It was influenced by dancehall music and American hip-hop as well as Caribbean music. This type of music features both rapping and singing mainly in Spanish. Reggaeton features a special dembow rhythm beat first produced in Jamaica in the 1980s and the name itself is a combination of the word reggae (a type of music from Jamaica) and the suffix –tón which is used in Spanish to show something is bigger or greater. 

    Reggaeton began in the poorer neighborhoods of San Juan, Puerto Rico and originally featured lyrics about the challenges facing young people in that area in the 1990s. It was an underground music that was often recorded in carports known as marquesinas and then distributed informally in the streets by way of cassette tapes. Many of these carports were located in social housing complexes but the cassettes were still of a good enough quality that within a short time youth of all social classes became fans.

    Reggaeton and its associated hip-hop style of baggy clothing was banned in schools in the mid to late 1990s and was often suppressed by the police. However, this new music style began to become more popular as it was used in election campaigns by politicians to appeal to younger voters in the early 2000s. One of the earliest Reggaeton acts named Daddy Yankee even appeared in a 2006 Pepsi commercial. In the same year, Don Omar’s tune King of Kings was the highest ranked Reggaeton album on the US charts.

    Reggaeton finally made a huge name for itself in 2017 when Luis Fonsi debuted Despacito featuring Daddy Yankee. The music video for this song reached over 1 billion views in under three months and became one of the best-selling Latin singles in US history. Today many young artists such as J Balvin and Maluma both from Colombia, as well as Ozuna, Farruko and Bad Baddy all from Puerto Rico are continuing to have great success in this genre consistently topping the Latin charts. 

  • Cultural Corner: The Taíno

    The Taíno were a group of indigenous people that lived in the Caribbean before contact with the Europeans. The name Taíno translates as ‘men of the good.’

    They were the largest group of inhabitants on the islands of Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. The Taíno were the first group to make contact with Christopher Columbus when he landed in the ‘New World’ on his famous voyage in 1492.  

    At the time of the arrival of Columbus, there were five separate Taíno chiefdoms in Hispaniola each led by their own chief called a cacique. The Taíno name for Hispaniola was Ayiti, which translates as ‘land of high mountains.’ The Taíno language belongs to the Arawakan language family. Speakers of these languages are also found in Central and South America and indeed the ancestors of the Taíno are believed to have moved to the Caribbean from South America.

    There were an estimated 2 to 3 million Taínos living in the Caribbean at the time of contact in 1492. Unfortunately, the Spaniards enslaved these indigenous populations and forced them to work on plantations and in mines. The harsh working conditions in combination with various European diseases such as smallpox to which they had no natural immunity, let to the deaths within 30 years of approximately 80% of the indigenous population of the islands. Those that survived often intermarried with first the Spanish colonists and the later the imported African slaves. This unique history has resulted in Caribbean people having a very mixed ancestry with recent DNA tests showing that most in habitants of Puerto Rico and Cuba feature 10% to 20% indigenous blood. 

  • Cultural Corner: Mexican Independence Day

    The Mexican movement for independence from Spain was inspired by the American and French revolutions of the late 18th century. Spain had been governing the territory now known as Mexico for over 300 years, but by the early 1800s many of the educated elite that were born in Mexico no longer felt the same loyalty to the Spanish crown, resulting in a call for independence.

    The war officially began on September 16, 1810 when Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Catholic priest, sent out a battle cry known as the Grito de Dolores. This occurred in the small town of Dolores in central Mexico when the priest rang the bell of his church and gave out a call to arms.
    The war against Spain lasted 11 years and Mexico finally gained its independence in 1821 with the signing of the Treaty of Córdoba allowing Mexico to become an independent constitutional monarchy. Today, Mexicans celebrate September 16 as Mexican Independence Day. It is a very patriotic holiday marked by parades, concerts, marching band and songs.


  • Cultural Corner: Llamas

    Cultural Corner: Llamas

    The llama is a domesticated animal that has played an important role in South American culture for thousands of years.

    Pre-Columbian indigenous cultures used their soft wool to make clothing especially in Peru. The clothing worn by the indigenous populations features geometric patterns and beautiful vibrant colors. The clothing also often shows the village people come from. Ponchos, blankets and skirts are very popular as are traditional hats. In addition, the wool from the llama may also be used to create rugs, ropes, and special blankets used to transport young children and goods.

    In the ancient Incan empire of Peru, the llama was revered and figurines of these animals were often buried with the dead. There was even a deity called Urcuchillary that was in the form of a multicolored llama. During the early colonial period, llamas were used to bring gold and silver from the mines in the mountains to the coast. After some time though, the Europeans imported their own animals such as horses and donkeys to take over the work. That said, llamas remain important to this day, particularly in the Andean region of South America.

  • Cultural Corner: Alebrijes

    Cultural Corner: Alebrijes

    Alebrije Parade in Mexico City

    Alebrijes are a popular type of Mexican folk art that made out of papier-mâché, wood and harder carton materials that feature mythical creatures. They are very popular in Oaxaca, a region on the West Coast, that has long been known for it’s amazing art scene. This area produces a special type of alebrije made out of the local copal tree, which is said to have magical powers. Animal figures have long been carved in the valley areas near Oaxaca by the indigenous Zapotec people. These carved animals were used by the Zapotecs as religious symbols, good luck charms as well as toys.



  • Cultural Corner: Salar de Uyuni Salt Flats of Bolivia

    Cultural Corner: Salar de Uyuni Salt Flats of Bolivia

    The Salar de Uyuni is the world’s largest salt flat. It is approximately 10,000 km² or 4000 mi.² in size. It is found in the southwest of Bolivia at 12,000 feet above sea level. Bolivia is a landlocked country located in south America. Bolivia has approximately 11,000,000 people and is a pluralistic society. There are people of Spanish, African and Asian descent as well as the local indigenous and mestizo population. The Salar de Uyuni is one of Bolivia’s most popular tourist destinations.

    The salt flat was formed as a result of the transformations of several prehistoric lakes. The area has an incredible flatness only broken up by a few small islands. Its unique salt crust covers a pool of brine that is extremely rich in lithium giving it an incredible while color. Approximately 60%-70% of the world’s lithium is found there. The salt was trapped in this area in prehistory as there were no drainage outlets. Just after a rainfall, the thin layer of water on top transforms into the largest mirror in the world. This is a popular time for people to go and take pictures of themselves on the salt flats due to its unique beauty. Tourists can even stay overnight in a hotel built from salt bricks!

    In addition to being a popular tourist destination, the salt flat serves as a major transport route across the Bolivian altiplano. The altiplano is a high plateau that was formed during the uplift of the Andes Mountains. It is a harsh environment and there are not many animals or plants that make it their home however one can find several species of flamingos, Andean geese, vicunas, giant cacti and quinoa plants. Lesser known species found there include the Andean fox called a culpeo and rabbit like animals called viscachas.

    The name of Salar de Uyuni comes from a combination of the Spanish and Aymara languages. Salar means Salt flat in Spanish and Uyuni means an enclosure. There is a local indigenous legend that the mountains surrounding the area were once giant people named Tunupa, Kuska and Kusina. Tunupa and Kuska were married but Kuska left his wife for Kusina, causing her to cry and her tears turned in the salt flat.  As Tunupa is considered an important deity for the local Aymara people, the area is also sometimes called Salar de Tunupa.

  • Cultural Corner: La Catrina

    Cultural Corner: La Catrina

    The image of La Catrina can be seen all over Mexico in particular during the festivities of Day of the dead. She takes the form of an elegantly dressed Lady from the turn of the 20thCentury. She wears one of the enormous hats that were in fashion at the time including a large feather but her face is that of a grinning skeleton. A Mexican artist and printmaker by the name of José Guadalupe Posada first produced an image of La Catrina in the early 1900s along with many other images of skulls or calaveritas.  The idea was to bring political satire and the news of the day to the majority of Mexicans who were still illiterate at the time. He chose to depict La Catrina in fine European clothing to show how unfair life was for the poor majority under then president Porfirio Diaz. It first appeared in 1910, a pivotal year in Mexican history as the Mexican Revolution was about to begin the result of which would be the removal of Porfirio Diaz from government after a near 35-year dictatorship.

    Posada took the idea for La Calavera Catrina from Aztec mythology. There was a goddess of death known as Mictecacihuatl, who was the keeper of the bones in the underworld. She was responsible for a month-long Aztec festival held to honor the dead every year. Many aspects of modern Day of the dead celebrations still retain these Aztec roots, mixed with Christian beliefs. This is a common theme throughout Mexico where many modern-day celebrations of the Christian calendar still retain indigenous symbols.

    The original image of La Catrina by Posada was just of her head with an ornate hat but in 1947 the famous Mexican artist Diego Rivera painted a full length figure of her in an elegant dress into the center of his 50-foot mural titiled Sueño de una tarde dominical en la Alameda Central. Rivera appears as a child holding the hand of La Catrina while his wife and fellow artsist Frida Kahlo, as an adult, stands behind them in traditional Mexican clothing. On the other side Posada himself appears dressed in an elegant suit!

  • Cultural Corner: Mexican Flag

    Cultural Corner: Mexican Flag

    The flag of Mexico was developed in 1821, the year in which Mexico became independent from Spain. The flag has changed several times since 1821, with the most recent design adopted in 1968. From the beginning it has had three vertical stripes in green, white and red, as these were the colors of the National Liberation Army of Mexico. In addition, there is the symbol of an eagle that appears in the middle of the white stripe.

    The emblem of the eagle is based on the Aztec legend of the discovery of Tenochtitlan, the ancient Aztec capital now known as Mexico City. It is said that the Aztecs saw an eagle sitting on a cactus, known as a nopal, while eating a snake and took it as a sign of where to found their city. The Aztecs arrived in this area in 1325, and in 1519, when the Spaniards arrived, there were some 400,000 people living there. The lake of Texcoco, near the city of Tenochtitlan, is also represented below the cactus in the emblem.

    The Aztecs spoke an indigenous language known as Nahuatl. This language is still alive in many words in Spanish, some of which have been borrowed into English. The following are some examples: coyote, guacamole, chocolate, chia and tomato. Nahuatl is still spoken today by an estimated 1.5 million people in Mexico.