Berkley Center

My knowledge of Spanish culture and society was very limited before I came to Spain. It went no further than paella, siestas, matadors, and the Spanish Civil War. I had various assumptions about Spanish culture and expectations of how certain things would be. I knew that it was a very Catholic country—76 percent of Spaniards identify themselves with Catholicism—and I figured that the population would attend Mass once a week if not more often. I thought people would probably have portions of their time set aside for payer, before meals or before or after bedtime. I assumed this because I am a practicing Catholic, and with my family, weekly Mass attendance and praying before dinner is the norm. I discovered that these things are not as common as I thought, and that there is a distinct level of informality that transcends Spanish society.

This informality has proven to be a reoccurring characteristic in every aspect of Spanish culture that I encounter, especially practicing religion. The informal nature of the people can most easily be observed in everyday situations such as holding the door open for the next person, letting a lady pass first, or waiting for everyone at the table before beginning a meal. In the United States there is a concept of personal space, where it is rude for an unfamiliar person to get too close to you. This personal space does not exist in Spain. Moreover when greeting a woman, whether you are a male or a female, she is always greeted with kisses on both cheeks. It is also very common for a Spaniard to be “in your face” or touch you while they are conversing with you. Furthermore the main meal of the Spanish schedule is a large lunch served between two and three in the afternoon. Since it is a large family affair, I figured that it would be somewhat formal, including everyone waiting to start and maybe a short prayer preceding, and then a family conversation to follow as entertainment. In my host family, which is made up of a husband, wife, and their two sons, this was not the case. We eat in the small cozy kitchen while watching television. Everyone starts eating whenever they choose, and frequently either the husband or either of the sons does not wear their shirts while dining. I could not conceive of a more informal dining situation in my own home.

This informality goes beyond these simple everyday occurrences. I believe that the meal situation is a representation of how the Catholic population practices the religion. My host family is Catholic; however, even though many of the rooms of their home are adorned with crucifixes, they rarely attend Mass. In the Masses that I have attended there is ample seating, and the majority of the attendees are elderly women. The only adolescents that are present are infants and young children. This populace is what I have observed in a number of small parish churches in neighborhoods encompassing my area. The Catholics who infrequently celebrate the sacraments of the church do so as part of their informal way of life, where they do not have a strict “formal” schedule to adhere to, and it is more than normal for each Catholic to practice the religion anyway he or she chooses to.