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5 Things I Learnt About Spain
Without talking about football
I recently returned from a trip to Andalusía in the south of Spain. While I was only there for three days — and only for the purpose of attending a wedding — I found the experience really interesting. Here are five things that caught my attention.
Rice rice baby
At the wedding, guests were given a small bouquet of flowers and rice. When the bride and groom walked down the aisle, having just given their vows and been announced as husband and wife, guests would throw the contents of their bouquets at the couple.
I followed suit — just a little too well. As I aimed my rice at the bride, it hit her in the side of her face. She was perfectly fine, having already survived multiple rice assaults, but I still felt pretty bad about my contribution to her ceremony.
Another wedding tradition that took palace was to mix two drinks together to celebrate the marriage. It’s common for people to order a gin and tonic or a Coke and vodka to symbolize the couple’s holy matrimony. The only thing I discovered, though, is that if your mix doesn’t contain alcohol, you’re going to cop flak from others. Given the Spanish propensity for alcohol and jamón, I don’t think the country would be easy to live in for those who abstain from either, let alone both.
