What the Running of the Bulls Festival Says About Spain

What the Running of the Bulls Festival Says About Spain

It’s time once again for those shaky videos of men panicking as they run through the narrow streets of Spain – pursued by bulls no less – to flood the internet. 

Running the Bulls in Pamplona each year comes with so many dangers

If you’d missed the news, the Running of the Bulls festival of Pamplona is ready to go for another summer. Also returning with the festival are the piles of articles condemning the practice, and the news reports keeping track of the injuries and fatalities. 

Things have been pretty good on that front for 2017; which has  seen only some injuries and gorngs. It’s nothing like 2016, in which an astonishing 12 people were severely gored. 

It’s understandable why the world would hold such a fascination for this ancient festival. Something that’s more interesting though is analysing what the festival – and indeed the attention it generates – shows us about Spain. 

Tradition Never Dies…

 Whether it’s flamenco dancing, bull running, bull fighting, the siesta, or the weird human pyramids we see each year, the cultural traditions of Spain never die. If anything, they seem to be getting even more popular thanks to the modern world of social media that records and shares just about anything. 

There will always be controversy over bull fighting, but even the harshest critics of the practice admit that it is a powerful market of Spanish cultural identity; perhaps the most distinctive cultural identity there is in the world. 

Foreigners Love It

Of course there will be some Americans, Brits, and other Europeans that focus heavily on the number of people injured during the Pamplona bull run, but this doesn’t deter Spaniards. 

How much Spain insists on maintaining their traditions – even when faced with “health and safety” concerns – really speaks to those who are tired of living in their Nanny States. A tomato fight would never be sanctioned in the UK, never mind a bull run. This creates a real sense of “anything goes” in Spain that appeals to thousands of tourists. 

The World Shows Respect

Most countries with unique and alien cultural traditions can hope to be ignored or admonished only a little at best. But this isn’t the case with Spain. 

Semana Santa, La Tomatina, and the Pamplona bull run draw in a wealth of press from around the world each year. The reason for this is that they respect Spain and are fascinated by a country that has their own distinct regional identities. It also speaks of the desire to protect and nurture these traditions; something that is almost unique in the modern era.

Time is Running Out to Trade Pesetas for Euros

Time is Running Out to Trade Pesetas for Euros

€1.641 billion worth of pesetas are still out there

It might not feel like it’s been this long, but it was back on January 1^st 2002 – over 15 years ago – when Spain switched from pesetas (which dated back to 1869) to euros. Even though the peseta was no longer considered legal tender just a few short months afterwards, there are still millions of them to be found across Spanish households.  Perhaps they are being saved for a rainy day, or out of a sense of nostalgia.

From 1^st July, 2002, pesetas could only be traded for euros with the Banco de España (Bank of Spain). However, many people weren’t so keen to get rid of the retired currency, affectionately known as “La Rubia” – the blonde. The peseta was held on to by so many people that, some five or six years ago, a rural village in Spain fell on such hard times that the peseta was re-introduced to boost the local economy.

That was then though, and this is now. The clock is now ticking on the peseta. If you still haven’t traded your pesetas for euros then you should get a move on, as the Banco de España will stop exchanging them as of the 31^st of December, 2020.

The Banco de España say that some €1.641 billion worth of pesetas is still flowing through the country – breaking down to €842 million in notes and €799 million in coins – which is over 273 billion pesetas. The bank estimates that 45% is either still in the hands of Spanish residents, or it belongs to those who visited the country before 2002.

40% of Spanish Homes Running Pay TV

40% of Spanish Homes Running Pay TV

Most house holds are now paying for TV services

Spain is definitely feeling the success of streaming platforms like Amazon Fire TV and Netflix. The latest research shows almost 40% of households in Spain have pay-to-view TV in some form or another.

This data does include the more traditional satellite and cable services including Sky and Canal+, but it does show how TV habits are changing in Spain, although going to the Cinema is still very popular.

People would never really suggest that terrestrial Spanish TV was any good, so it’s likely not going to become a surprise that the Spaniards, who were once considered to be the biggest illegal downloaders, have grabbed the opportunity to get their hands on something better than they would through regular Spanish TV.

People are also more willing to pay for it than ever. A survey conducted by Onsti, the Spanish Telecommunications Observatory, Spanish homes are spending an average of €22.30 on Pay TV. This suggests that people are paying for more than one streaming platform given that Netflix costs less than €10. They could also be purchasing the more expensive satellite and cable packages that offer more content.

The data from the survey shows that around a third of Spanish homes take advantage of a comprehensive package including broadband internet, TV, fixed landline and mobile phones. This also suggest that the Spanish are getting in line with their cousins in northern Europe when it comes to going digital.

The homes that are on these comprehensive packages spend an average of €68.20 for them, which is pretty good value for money considering what you get included in these packages.

Netflix opened their doors to Spain last year and they have become quite a success in the country, just as it did in all the other European markets it entered.