The Culture of Spain’s Siesta, by Amanda Barrese

As we know, Spanish culture is quite different from others, making it unique and special. Most foreigners will include the idea of siesta into their image of Spain. The siesta refers to the time usually between 14:00 and 17:00/30, where some workers and students will go home for a large meal and a restful period before returning to work or studies. This means that many stores will close for the three-hour window and reopen after the siesta. Historically, the main reason for the siesta was to give agricultural workers a time to rest during the midday heat. As Spain has urbanized, the siesta culture has changed. Nowadays, the more populated cities such as Madrid and Barcelona are experiencing less siesta time. This is due to long commute times for work or the demand for businesses to stay open from 14:00-17:00/30. Differentially, the siesta is sacred in other parts of the country, such as in Valencia, where the mayor of the city actually implemented a law granting the citizens’ rights to a siesta every day (Jones, 2018). This embodies the Spanish culture in a way that is deeper than just the desire to rest after lunch; siesta represents the more relaxed nature of Spaniards in their daily lives. Consequently, this leaves Spaniards vulnerable to stereotypes that can be negative, such as the culture being less productive or lazy. This is very far from the truth. The siesta is embodying the differences in work schedules and meal times, not devaluing the importance of work in the Spanish culture. From a personal standpoint, siesta is something I never had the luxury of experiencing in the US. Lunch breaks are usually less than 1 hour long and then you are back to work. Moreover, stores in the US do not close for lunch and siesta. Normally, in the US we relax after our work day, sometime after 17:00. In Spain, it is common to work later in the evening because of the midday siesta. One of me favorite things to do during siesta time are to walk around the Parque Maria Luisa, as this is the time when the least amount of people are out. Overall, it is important to recognize a cultural difference without depreciating the people who practice it. Cultural relativism plays an important role in the understanding different cultural practices of American and Spanish practices.

https://theculturetrip.com/europe/spain/articles/a-brief-history-of-the-spanish-siesta/

 https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20170609-its-time-to-put-the-tired-spanish-siesta-stereotype-to-bed