The Country

The Kingdom of Spain is located on the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe. Separated from France in the north by the magnificent Pyrenees, it also shares common borders with Portugal and Andorra on its west and south respectively. The Kingdom is fenced by the Mediterranean on its south and east and the Atlantic on the northwest.

Governed by a Prime Minister, this constitutional monarchy of 46 million is officially ruled by the much-respected King Juan Carlos I. Famous for his strong and charismatic leadership, the King was instrumental in transforming Spain into a democratic nation and for subduing a coup attempt by the military in 1981. Two legislative bodies, the 609 strong Congreso de los Diputados and the Senado, serving four-year renewable terms, further augment the government.

The country has neither a national religion nor language. However, Catholicism is the dominant religion of the land, with three quarters of the population professing their faith to it, while castellano (as the Spanish language is termed, and not to be confused with Espanola) is spoken by almost everyone here.

Relationship With A Spanish Woman

Before you even think about approaching that beautiful young lady flipping through a magazine at the checkout aisle in Supersol, make sure that you understand the single most important feature of the land.

One word - siesta.

While traditionally siesta has been associated with midday naps while staying clear of the afternoon sun, the cultural implications as far more pervasive. For starters, it allows families an extended interaction period every afternoon. It is not uncommon for grown children, extended families and acquaintances to spend a few hours daily with their doting parents, friends and colleagues.

In addition, industries here have adapted the siesta into their daily routine. For instance, offices are generally closed between 2-5pm while eateries and drinking joints will take a break between 4-8pm. Other industries have also adapted their breaks to fit in this period.

What this eventually leads to is of course people staying up later, as the long afternoon rest doesn’t forced them to bed by 9pm. In fact, the Spanish nightlife starts much later than their other European counterparts do. Don’t be surprised to see office workers staying out until after midnight on working days.

Alas, one of the curses of globalization, conformity, is slowly choking the life out of siestas, but while it lasts, it’s best that you adapt and take advantage of it. The evenings of gaiety and delight, the ambience of the night and the soccer babes on the weekends, the rich culture and music and art, the food and flamenco – it will serve as a background for the great romantic adventure of yours and the Supersol girl.

Marriage

Now that you’ve mastered the Spanish culture, and are fortunate enough to have Supersol girl as your girlfriend, you want to take it a step further and make her your lawfully wedded wife. However, you are a trifled concerned that your mastery of the Castilian tradition has yet to cover wedding customs. Fear not, for we are here.

Marrying your Spanish girlfriend is will be one of the most memorable moments of your life. The flair and elegance of the land will captivate you. An important thing to remember is to provide a watch for your future father in law as soon as your proposal has been accepted. This is a traditional offering signifying a timelessness bond between the two of you.

On your wedding eve, the relatives will light lanterns between the groom’s home and the bride’s. In the event they are from different areas, the lanterns will extend all the way to a communal spot where the bride’s party will wait for the groom’s father to deliver a chestful of gifts and offerings.

On the wedding day, you will be dress in a white silk shirt, embroidered personally by your bride to be, while she will be dressed in an elegant flamenco inspired white lacey gown, with a wreath of flowers on her head.

An interesting segment of the ceremony is when the bride and groom exchange a pouch containing 13 gold coins, right before the wedding ring exchange. The coins, representing Christ and His twelve apostles, will be blessed by the officiating priest before it is taken home. It is believe that the 13 coins will bring luck and prosperity to the couple.

As the newlyweds exits the church, earlier laid firecrackers will be lit and the cacophony will accompany the couple to the reception destination, which are normally held in the bride’s home.
The wedding will normally be held in the late evening, as Spaniards are known for their late dinner, and this will ensure the reception begins at an appropriate time, ideally after 8pm. The reception will be a jovial affair, with great food (seafood courses and paella are staple for the occasion) and wines (the sangria makes a compulsory and welcome appearance) and the compulsory dancing. The traditional sweetmeats, almond and spice cookies, are served in abundance during receptions. The wedding cake meanwhile is normally simple icing coated fruitcakes.

At the height of the festivities, the couple will make their way to the centre of the room and dance the seguidillas manchegas, a popular traditional dance. Guests would then take turn to dance with the bride while handing her some honeymoon money, while the husband distributed cigars to the elders present. The evening is concluded with the bouquet throwing ceremony.

Regulation

A marriage application typically takes more than 30 days in Spain, so, it is important to plan ahead. The documents required includes your identification and traveling papers plus a certificate of no impediment to marriage issued by your embassy, The completed, translated and notarized documents are then to be presented to the District Court for processing.