After THE JOURNEY is finished, we would still like to entertain you with some of the reflections and stories that haven't been mentioned before. We have been thinking about a ranking of things that seemed most "absurdish" to us. Maybe that's just cultural things we just don't understand? See if you find them crazy too!
5. A superword for a superstorm.
The first absurd we want to bring here is not actually a cultural curiosity, but something we all probably came into contact with in the media. The hurricane that was devastating the east coast of United States in autumn this year was being constantly called a "superstorm" or even a "frankenstorm". We believe that the international media have reached the limits of absurd by overusing prefixes...
4. The communion style.
3. A really scary Easter.
For the big celebration of the Holy Week (Christian Easter) in many cities in southern Spain huge processions are being organized. There you can meet many people dressed in special uniforms... And it is very difficult not to mistake them for Ku Klux Klan members... Moreover, the whole celebration might look strange to people from different cultures since the participants are really in a mournful mood...
One of the biggest and most famous events of this type is taking place in Sevilla. A huge statue of Christ on a huge platform is being carried on the shoulders of several men. They are being accompanied by many Nazarenos, a brass orchestra and drums and thousands of onlookers.
We were not able to see it for ourselves and make pictures, but if you are interested to see how it looks, check this video:
We were not able to see it for ourselves and make pictures, but if you are interested to see how it looks, check this video:
2. Choke on grapes.
To celebrate the new year, Spanish people on 31st of December are putting 12 grapes in their mouths while the clock is chiming midnight. Most of them focus on the clock on Puerta del Sol in Madrid (we had no idea at the beginning what was a "grape clock" when Andrea told us to meet her there - apparently for Spanish people it's obvious).
Anyways - you just need to have your mouth full of grapes when you hear the New Year coming. I can imagine what happens when they start to laugh... Wonder how many people actually choked themselves... that sounds like more than an absurd - that is a deadly tradition!
But the best point is that this tradition had been introduced by... grape producers in 1909, who just wanted to make some more money on their grapes.
Anyways - you just need to have your mouth full of grapes when you hear the New Year coming. I can imagine what happens when they start to laugh... Wonder how many people actually choked themselves... that sounds like more than an absurd - that is a deadly tradition!
But the best point is that this tradition had been introduced by... grape producers in 1909, who just wanted to make some more money on their grapes.
1. Instead of Santa Claus.
In Belgium there is somebody else bringing presents to children in December. This is Saint Nicholas, who is visiting people's houses on a white horse and always riding with a companion. His name is Black Pete and he is actually... a white person painted black. Parents are scaring their children with Black Pete by saying: "he will come for you if you are going to be naughty..." But probably the craziest part of the story is the horse. His name is "Bad weather today"...
So which one of them you find the strangest? Or maybe you know some more cultural absurds you came into during your travels? We will be happy to hear them!
J.