Behind the clichés, Spain has a recognisable way of life, made of rhythms, daily rituals and great collective traditions. Here is what to know so you don't feel like a stranger.
Times
The first thing that strikes visitors is the timetable: Spaniards lunch between 2 and 4 pm and dine between 9 and 11 pm, even later in summer and in the south. Many restaurants do not open their kitchens before 1:30 pm for lunch and 8:30 pm for dinner. This rhythm is partly explained by the time zone: although geographically level with the United Kingdom, Spain has used Central European Time since 1940. See eating in Spain.
Siesta, sobremesa and paseo
The siesta, the after-lunch rest, is less common than people think among city workers, but in villages and in summer in the south many shops still close between 2 and 5 pm. The sobremesa is the time spent at the table after a meal, chatting over coffee or a liqueur: it can last hours and is an important part of social life. The paseo is the evening stroll through the centre, often followed by a round of tapas bars, the tapeo (see tapas).
Greetings and social life
Spaniards greet each other with two kisses on the cheeks, right then left, between women and between men and women; men shake hands or hug. Tú is used much sooner than in many countries, even with strangers of the same age. Social life happens in the street and in bars, often with the cuadrilla, one's lifelong group of friends.
Festivals of the year
Many customs are tied to the calendar (see Spanish festivals). At New Year people eat twelve grapes on the twelve chimes of midnight, broadcast on television from the clock of Madrid's Puerta del Sol. On 6 January, Three Kings' Day, the Magi bring children their presents, after the big parade (cabalgata) the night before, and people eat roscón de Reyes (see Christmas in Spain). On St John's Eve, 23 June, bonfires are lit on Mediterranean and Galician beaches.
Castells
One of the most spectacular traditions is the castells, the human towers of Catalonia, declared UNESCO intangible heritage in 2010. Born in the eighteenth century in Valls, near Tarragona, they are built by teams (colles) of hundreds of people: a wide, compact base, the pinya, supports successive tiers of castellers standing on each other's shoulders, up to nine or ten levels. A child, the enxaneta, climbs to the top and raises a hand to "crown" the castle before the tower is dismantled. They are accompanied by the gralla, a wind instrument, and drum. The castellers' motto is "strength, balance, courage and good sense". Castells can be seen at patron saint festivals: La Mercè in Barcelona in September, Sant Joan and Santa Úrsula in Valls, Santa Tecla in Tarragona, and above all the Tarragona castells competition, in even years, in early October.
Other regional traditions
Each region has its own customs: cider poured from on high in Asturias, the Galician queimada, a flaming drink accompanied by a spell against witches, gigantes y cabezudos, papier-mâché giants that parade at festivals all over Spain, the romería, a festive pilgrimage to a country shrine, and the Basque sociedades gastronómicas. See also Spanish folklore.