The snow season has already begun! Even though Spain is popular worldwide as a sun and sand destination, the truth is that the geography of the country offers everyone who visits many other possibilities. In winter, there are several spots where you can enjoy the mountains and practice snow sports.

Whether you are a ski enthusiast or just taking your first steps into this world, we recommend three ski resorts in Spain where you can experience the snow this season. Click here to read more about them in Spanish. Now, grab your skis. We are ready to go!

Sierra Nevada

The first stop on our tour is in Andalusia. High above the mountains of the Sierra Nevada rises Mulhacén. This is the second highest peak in Spain and the highest in the peninsula.

Less than 20 miles from the city of Granada, the Sierra Nevada has the biggest vertical drop in the country (3940 feet). The resort has 131 ski runs in total, with several difficulty levels. It also has a snow park and areas for children.

Around the resort, you will find restaurants of all kinds, parking, public transportation, and other services.

Formigal

Let’s continue with our route through the best ski resorts in Spain. It is time to head up north and visit Formigal, in the Pyrenees of Aragón. This resort is split into four big areas and several valleys.

Its 112 skiable miles offer 146 runs sorted by category. In addition to skiing, you will be able to participate in photography courses, sledding, snowshoeing, and children's activities.

Baqueira-Beret

We bring you the last resort on the list: Baqueira-Beret. Located in the Catalan Pyrenees, this is one of the most popular places to ski among the jet set. It is the biggest resort in Spain and the only one on the northern slope of the Pyrenees.

From Baqueira, you can look at peaks higher than 9,800 feet, like Aneto. The resort has 98 ski runs and a slalom course. All around there are plenty of bars, restaurants, and coffee shops. The youngest members of the family can play on four different playgrounds.

Now that you know the top spots for skiing in Spain, go check them out and tell us about your experience. The mountain is waiting for you!

• Read more about enforex_pages_landing_block_6bf137db-2b03-459f-b14d-24df0dfba1aa

Pelo ("hair") is a very special word in Spanish. Just like pan ("bread") and other terms, hair is the protagonist of many expressions and sayings we use on a daily basis. One of them is tirarse de los pelos (pull on your hair). If you want to read this post in Spanish and learn what it means, click here.

In the complex world of expressions, there is a big difference between what we think they mean and what they actually imply. This is one of those cases. If anyone tells you not to pull on your hair in Spanish, you might think he or she is crazy. Obviously, pulling on your hair was not among your top priorities. However, this expression means something quite different.

Pulling on one's hair is an expression of rage or extreme sadness for someone who is overwhelmed by a certain situation. When something turns out bad and the solution is out of our hands, we pull on our hair: nos tiramos de los pelos. But not literally. We just despair.

For example, if you study a lot for an exam and still you fail it, estás que te tiras de los pelos (you feel like pulling on your hair). This means that it annoys you, but you can’t do anything to fix it. Sometimes, when people consider your problem is not that important, they will ask you not to pull on your hair:

¡No te tires de los pelos, que no es para tanto! La próxima vez, tendrás más suerte.

(Don’t pull on your hair, it is not that bad! Next time, you will have more luck).

There are two ancient expressions that are very similar to this one. They are mesarse los cabellos and mesarse las barbas. Both mean literally pulling your own hair out. (English as a similar saying.) But what is the origin of all these expressions?

During the Middle Ages, pulling your hair out was a typical mourning gesture. The loss of a loved person was acted out by grabbing your own hair or beard and pulling strongly. Some people beat themselves up as well. Occasionally, this practice also took place before a friend or family member set off on a dangerous journey.

Now that you know the real meaning of this expression, relax and look at problems in a more optimistic way. ¡No te tires de los pelos!

If you want to know more about the world of Spanish expressions, we invite you to watch this video. Expand your vocabulary and make your Spanish sound more natural by using expressions with hair.

• Read more about enforex_pages_landing_block_40c735f9-f701-4fa3-befc-8fed23b0e3bc

Today, we are bringing you a card game you can play without anyone else. Solitaire is conceived for those moments of boredom or eternal journeys. You only need one Spanish deck and yourself. If you want to learn how to play in Spanish, click here and keep on reading!

The only thing you must consider is that you need every single card of the deck to play. If only one of them is missing, you will go crazy looking for it and won’t be able to finish the round.

The Spanish deck of cards has four suits and contains 40 or 48 cards, depending on the game. They are used in Spain, some areas of Italy and France, Latin America, and some former imperial colonies. The four suits are copas (Cups), oros (Coins), bastos (Clubs), and espadas (Swords). The cards are numbered from 1 to 9. Then, the face cards 10, 11, and 12 are sota (Jack), caballo (Horse), and rey (King).

Once this is clear, let’s get started.

This game begins with a shuffled deck of cards. The objective is go from having all the cards completely disorganized to having all the cards perfectly sorted. 

To begin with, we will hold the deck face down in one hand.

After that, we need to take pairs of cards out of the deck and place them face up on the table. We can only play with the card on top. The lower one is locked.

Now we should decide whether we want to play sorting the cards up from Ace to King or the other way around. As you wish!

If you choose to play from Ace to King, you will need to draw pairs of cards until the Ace of any suit comes out. Once you see it, place it on the other side of the table.

Do the same with all the other Aces as they appear.

As soon as you have an Ace placed on the table, you can search for the number two of the same suit, even if the other Aces are not out yet. After the number 2, will be looking for the 3, 4, etc. The game ends when you complete all the suits, from Ace to King.

Remember that you can only work with the card on top of each pair. However, once you use this card, the lower one will be unlocked, and it can be used as well.

Let’s say we have the Ace of Coins, the Ace of Cups, the Ace of Clubs and the Ace, 2, and 3 of Swords on the table.

You draw two cards, put them on the table, and see that the top one is the 2 of Coins. As you need it, you place it on top of the Ace of Coins. Now, as you have already used the top layer, you see that behind the 2 of Coins there was a 4 of Swords. And you need it too! Because you have already unlocked it, you can use it straight away.

This way, you will slowly draw all cards and form four new piles, one for each suit. If you finish going through the deck, just put all the cards together (without shuffling) and place them upside down in your hand once more.

Now you can begin drawing cards in pairs again. Continue until all the ones you need come out… or until you rearrange the whole deck!

If you get stuck at any point, you will have to shuffle the deck and keep on trying. This could happen if, for example, there is a 5 of Coins on top of a 4 of Coins.

Now that you know how to play Solitaire with a Spanish deck, get your cards ready and let’s play!

• Read more about enforex_pages_landing_block_0cf32325-01c9-4c94-8ed7-4eba41b3ab71

On January 6^th Spain celebrates the Epiphany, a national holiday that is traditionally known as día de Reyes (Three Kings’ Day). Parades, presents and, above all, kids' enthusiasm are the protagonists of this day. Melchor, Gaspar, and Balthasar put an end to the holiday season every year, making the dreams of children all around the world come true.

We invite you to discover one of the most beloved traditions in Spain and many countries in Latin America. Continue reading this post in English or click here to switch to Spanish and learn more about it.

The celebration

The Three Wise Men celebrations actually start some weeks before January 6^th. From the beginning of the holiday season, children think about the presents they would like to receive and write their letters to the Magicians. In them, kids explain how they have behaved throughout the year and list a number of gifts they would gladly accept.

Once the letter is sent, we can only wait eagerly. On January 5^th, the Three Wise Men arrive from the East and take the streets to say hello. In the parade, several carriages with special decorations tour around the cities carrying Melchor, Gaspar, and Balthasar. Each king has his own group of pageboys, and all of them throw candies to the parade attendees.

In the early hours of January 6^th, while the children are asleep, the Three Wise Men visit each house. They leave their presents under the Christmas tree when no one is watching and then continue with their magical journey. If kids have behaved well, they will enjoy their new toys when they wake up. If, on the contrary, their conduct has not been that good, they will find charcoal instead.

Three Wise Men traditions

Besides writing a letter and attending the parade, there are other typical traditions that take place around these days. Let’s discover some of them.

One of the most exciting moments on January 5^th is preparing food and drinks for the Magi and their animals. Before going to sleep, kids leave some sweets and water in the living room so that Melchor, Gaspar, Balthasar, and their camels can have a break after their long journey.

Another thing to get ready before going to bed is placing the shoes under the Christmas tree. Each member of the family leaves a shoe there, so that the Wise Men can tell which present is for each of them.

The most typical food these days is the Kings' cake or roscón de reyes. It is a sweet dough which is decorated with candied fruit, like a royal crown. It can be stuffed with whipped cream and it has two hidden treasures inside: a figurine and a bean. Whoever finds the figurine will earn the crown that comes with the cake. However, if you find the bean in your portion, you have to pay for the cake.

The celebration’s history

This festivity finds its origin in the New Testament of the Bible, where it is written that the Magi from the East traveled all night and took three presents to baby Jesus. Guided by a star, they gave him gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Through history, this tradition has been modified with new details about its protagonists. For example, at some point they were interpreted as representatives of each continent of the Old World: Europe, Asia, and Africa.

We wish you a happy Epiphany Day!

• Read more about enforex_pages_landing_block_c9362dc1-7a89-408c-beb5-fdb41474a4ad

Today is December 31^st. We are just few hours away from closing this year and welcoming the new one with our arms wide open. Fireworks, gala dinners, champagne, and parties will be the protagonists of this evening all around the globe.

Spain and Latin American countries have some deep-rooted traditions for this special evening. In this post, we invite you to discover some of them. If you prefer to continue reading about New Year’s Eve in Spanish, click here. What are you up to tonight?

Spain

In Spain, New Year’s Eve is the most festive moment of all the holiday celebrations. Normally, families gather to have dinner and wait for the bells to ring. Here is when one of the most popular traditions takes place: the grapes time.

Every December 31^st at midnight, Spaniards stay tuned to television. From the Puerta del Sol, in Madrid, they broadcast the clock bells striking twelve times before the new year begins. With every bell sound, they eat one grape, until they have had the twelve of them. After this ritual is over, family members wish each other a Happy New Year and they celebrate together.

This practice finds its origin in a grape production surplus, around 1900. It usually involves playing around with cotillones as well. These are festive bags that contain ornamental pieces, costumes, toys, confetti, and party horns.

To attract good luck, besides the grapes ceremony, it is customary to wear red underwear and, sometimes, soak a ring in a champagne or cava glass to toast for the new year. From midnight, most houses and bars throw special parties. Before finishing the night out, it is very common to have the typical chocolate con churros (hot chocolate and churros).

Latin America

Piñatas are the protagonists of New Year’s Eve in Mexico. Traditionally, they were made of mud. Nowadays, they are usually made of colored paper and small lights that attract good luck for the coming year.

In addition to grapes and red underwear, there are a couple more singular traditions. For economic prosperity, Mexicans wear yellow underwear. If they want a travel-intensive year, they take their suitcases out. Something similar happens in Ecuador. Over there, many people walk around the neighborhood as fast as they can, carrying their luggage with them. This favors future trips.

One of the most distinctive traditions for New Year’s Eve in Colombia is the puppets burning. Before midnight, Colombians prepare figures that represent mostly popular characters. After that, they stuff them with fireworks and set them off right at 12 a.m. This way, puppets burn and the skies spark with the remains of last year’s bad things.

This puppets custom is very popular in Peru as well. In this country, they burn old pieces of fabric, journals, and wood. Very often, the figures they light up represent unpopular characters, such as politicians and other celebrities.

One of the most well-known New Year practices in Venezuela involves throwing a handful of lentils at the end of the countdown. This way, bad luck goes away. In Argentina, good weather makes for colorful summer parties.

We hope you have learned something new about the different New Year’s Eve traditions around the Spanish-speaking countries. Tonight, we encourage you to pick one of them and participate with your friends and family. Happy New Year!

• Read more about enforex_pages_landing_block_3934b36e-7c7a-44da-82f9-1f51f6d995f2

Spanish is a pretty complex language. But if there is one thing that confuses everyone who dives into this language, that is the gender of words.

Click here if you want to read this post in Spanish and make the most of it to learn.

The common thing is to believe that masculine words end with -o and feminine ones end with -a.

Very well.

This may work with words like perro / perra or hermano / hermana. But… what happens with words like bola if there is no way to find their masculine form?

That is what we are talking about today. By using some examples, we hope to make it easier for you to learn a Spanish gender issues.

• You probably already know what a caballo (horse) is. But what is the name of its female version? Yegua! Caballa exists, but it is a very popular kind of fish in Spain.

• The surface you walk on is suelo (floor), but suela is the undersurface of a shoe, the one that touches the floor. Couldn’t have said it better!

• We are attending a wedding in Spain and we find out that the bride’s head is covered by a velo. However, a vela is a piece of wax with a wick that is set aflame. But… be careful! A vela can also be the piece of fabric by means of which the wind propels a ship. Completely different…

• We all know that the body limb that ends with the hand is called brazo. But braza has nothing to do with anatomy. A braza equals two meters (around six feet) and is used to mark distances on the sea.

• Summer is very warm in Spain. For this reason, it is always a good idea to have a granizado. It is a very tasty drink, made of ice pieces. However, if you find yourself in a granizada, you better run! It is a meteorological phenomenon by which ice chunks fall from the sky, mixed with rain.

• A bolso is a receptacle that hangs from the shoulder and serves for carrying money and other small things. But if you carry a bolsa instead, what you have is a small fabric or plastic sack with handles to go shopping.

As you can see, the Spanish vocabulary is very interesting and diverse. It has all kind of surprises and changes you can’t expect.

We have just learned that there is a huge difference in meaning between many masculine and feminine words.

• Read more about enforex_pages_landing_block_f97d748e-7cfd-4e43-81fc-88baafd72e59

Ganarse el pan or earn someone’s daily bread is just one of many Spanish expressions that point at food to convey a secondary meaning. The phrase we are presenting you in this post is often used to talk about hard work. If you want to read this in Spanish and click here, you'll learn more about earning your daily bread.

Here you go with an example of how this expression is used:

Juan trabaja en el campo y se gana el pan con el sudor de su frente.

(Juan works in the fields and earns his daily bread with hard work).

From the beginning of civilization, bread has always been a priceless symbol. It has inspired stories, it has led to wars and forced men to travel. Today, it is still a diet basic in many cultures.

Ancient texts talk about manna, an edible substance God provided his people with in the desert.

Bread has also been used as a social uprisings deterrent. Marie Antoinette gave brioches away to calm the French Revolution crowd down.

In the Soviet Union, baguettes were inflated with air to ease the protests against food rationing.

Among the many religious references pointing at this food, like the breaking of bread in the Eucharist or its absence during Ramadan, the Bible introduces the concept we are talking about in this post: earning someone’s bread.

When God casts Adam and Eve out of Paradise for having disobeyed, he inflicts a punishment on each traitor. The snake is forced to crawl forever and have an everlasting fight with the human race. Eve is condemned to suffer painful childbirth. Lastly, Adam faces the sanction of having to work in order to survive. These are his words:

By the sweat of your face, you shall eat your bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken, for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

There is no evidence that indicates when this expression started to be used to speak of the effort that survival requires. However, all these ancient references seem to suggest that the relationship between bread and life, and work and pain have been in the oral tradition for a long time.

If you want to learn more expressions with bread, we invite you to watch this video with eight ways to enrich your Spanish while talking about bread:

• Read more about enforex_pages_landing_block_8961caca-cbfe-4bf5-9cf8-cac29e2ebce6

December is a period of the year full of celebrations and family events. In many countries around the world, festivities begin on the week around December 25^th. However, Latinos start with some ceremonies way earlier than that.

Most holiday traditions in Latin America have to do with great food and the company of loved ones. Yet, some countries have special habits that make this time of the year a wonderful moment to pay a visit.

In this post, we show you some of their holiday customs. Click here if you want to read it in Spanish.

Candles Day

December 7^th marks the beginning of the holiday season in Colombia. Families, friends, and neighbors light up many ornamental candles on the street.

They do it to honor the Virgin Mary and her Immaculate Conception, which is celebrated the day after.

Posadas or Lodgings

Children in Mexico and Guatemala, among other countries, dress up as Mary and Joseph. They then participate in small parades that go door to door around the neighborhood to find shelter.

Inside, hosts offer them hot beverages, cookies, and some traditional foods such as steamed tamales. To close this ceremony, they hit a big star-shaped piñata.

New Year’s Eve

In many countries around Latin America, people still preserve a very special tradition to bring the year to an end. On New Year’s Eve, they make life-size puppets with cardboard and fabric pieces.

At midnight on December 31^st, they burn the puppets to get rid of all negative things and make a good start to the new year.

Frequently, these figures represent popular characters from the political arena. Every year, this tradition becomes a satirical showcase of today’s society.

Christmas with Warini

Warini is the character who brings Christmas to Honduras. Covered with a mask, he dances at home on Christmas Eve accompanied by a band with drums.

These are just some of the most popular Latin American traditions for the holiday season. You may have spotted some differences with the Spanish holiday habits.

If you want to discover more about Latin customs, take advantage of your Winter Break and sign up to one of our Spanish programs. We are waiting for you!

• Read more about enforex_pages_landing_block_4cbde720-99e1-427d-9ebc-875236dbdb0f

Bread, in all its varieties, is a basic food and a very important component of human diets.

It runs through our lives so much that, sometimes, it leaves the kitchen to enter the universe of language. For this reason, there are many expressions that contain references to bread.  

In our previous posts, we learned the meaning behind some of these expressions, such as ser más bueno que el pan (being a very good person) or estar de toma pan y moja (being very attractive).

Today, we would like to explain what is behind the expression más largo que un día sin pan (longer than a day without bread). If you prefer to read this article in Spanish, please click here.

In Spanish, being longer than a day without bread may stand for two different things. The first one is the most commonly used one. It is employed to describe something that becomes tough due to its long duration.

For example, a bad day at work can last longer than a day without bread.

The second meaning of this expression is applied to people. If someone is longer than a day without bread, then it means he or she is very tall. For example:

Mi amigo Juan es más largo que un día sin pan. Mide casi dos metros.

If you want to learn more about the close relationship between Spaniards and bread, we invite you to discover our learning programs in Spain.

• Read more about enforex_pages_landing_block_0fb7d4da-1dc4-4c14-9b78-0296bd28db5e

For Spaniards, as well as for other people around the globe, the holidays are a time to celebrate with the family. Special dinners with a lot of guests around the table, Chistmas carols, and long soirées become the perfect plan for many.

However, Spain has some traditions that make this time of year something special. In this post, we invite you to explore the 10 most typical Spanish holiday habits.

Read it in Spanish by clicking here.

1 – Lottery draws

Some of the most eagerly expected events these days are the Christmas Extraordinary Lottery Draw and the Child’s Lottery Draw. The first distributes more than 2 billion euros in prizes. Its TV spot is already a classic and it is a tradition to buy different numbers for the raffle and split them among friends and family.

On December 22nd children from San Ildefonso School sing the numbers that come out of the raffle and their corresponding economic compensation. The second event takes place on January 6th, bringing the thrill back to those who were not lucky enough to get the “Gordo” in the previous lottery draw.

2 – Setting up the Nativity Scene

The nativity scene or Belén is a miniature reproduction of the place where Jesus was born, in Bethlehem. In many houses, it is a tradition to work together as a family in the decoration of this element.

Pouring some wood dust to imitate sand, creating a river with aluminum foil, and placing each figurine are part of this age-old practice.

3 – Family dinners

Another must during the holidays in Spain, as in many other countries, are family gatherings. It’s the perfect moment for travelling, going back home, and having a special dinner with our beloved ones. Some of the plates that are always present contain seafood or suckling pig. Cava and champagne are the most typical beverages. And as a dessert… nougat!

4 – Turrón, turrón

Without any doubt, nougat or turrón is an essential winter sweet. There many kinds of it: with nuts, chocolate, cream, fruit-flavored…

However, the most popular ones are made with almonds. Both the soft version (a sweet dough) and the hard one (with bigger pieces of almond and a white wafer) are always on the Christmas table.

5 – The King’s speech

On Christmas Eve, all the Spanish media attention is focused on the King. From the Zarzuela Palace, the monarch reviews the most important happenings of the year and sends his best wishes to all Spanish citizens.

6 – Collecting aguinaldo

Even though this is becoming an obsolete tradition, some villages still preserve it. During these festivities, children practice Christmas carols and sing door to door, asking for some pocket money at the end of each song.

7 – Gifting a flor de Pascua

The flor de Pascua (poinsettia) is a sign that winter time is already here. With low temperatures, this plant blossoms and shows all its splendor. With its shiny red leaves, this is the perfect gift to decorate our houses for the holidays.

8 – The 12 bell chimes, better with grapes

This is probably one of the most popular Spanish holiday traditions. Every New Year’s Eve at midnight, families gather around the TV to watch as the clock from La Puerta del Sol, in Madrid, strikes 12 times.

Each time the bell tolls, Spaniards eat one grape, continuing until they finish all 12 of them. Once this ritual is over, they welcome the new year with all kinds of celebrations.

Even though the origin of this tradition is yet unclear, all the existing versions point at it being a gesture to attract good luck for the incoming year.

9 – Eating Roscón de Reyes

One of the top holiday foods is the roscón de Reyes (Epiphany cake). It is a sweet dough shaped like a ring and filled with candied fruit slices in different colors. Traditionally, the inside is stuffed with whipped cream and there are two surprises in the interior: a figurine and a bean. Whoever finds the bean will have to pay the price of the roscón.

10 – Santa vs Three Wise Men

Some of the most popular characters around this time of the year are Los tres reyes Magos (the Three Wise Men). Riding their camels, Melchor, Gaspar, and Balthasar come from the Far East to visit all children’s houses each January 6th.

If the kids have behaved well through the year, they will receive presents from the Three Wise Kings. However, if they haven’t been good children, they will get coal instead.

Every January 5th, big parades take place on the streets. Escorted by their pages and camels, the Three Wise Men give candies to the children that go to see them. Back at home and before going to sleep, it is the right time to leave some water and food out for the Three Wise Men and their animals to restore some energy before continuing with their long trip.

Early morning on January 6th, all the presents will be under the Christmas tree. Many times, it is helpful to leave a shoe of each member of the family around to help identify for whom is each gift.

Even though Santa is getting more and more popular in Spain, the Three Wise Men are still the most popular gift-givers in the country. However, many households are visited by both of them.

Now that you know how Spaniards celebrate the holidays, come learn Spanish in Spain during our your vacations and join the Spanish festivities!

• Read more about enforex_pages_landing_block_496f8a5d-b8d9-4f30-b4ab-8c1b8256f139