After talking about expressions such as no tener un pelo de tonto (being not the least bit foolish) and no tener pelos en la lengua (not mincing your words), today we present you with a new expression where hair is key: venir al pelo. Keep reading in English or click here to switch to the Spanish version of this post and spice up your oral expression!

Some expressions such as pulling your hair out are very international and have a meaning that is easily understandable by everyone. However, other sayings are more symbolic and need a short explanation to be correctly interpreted.

This is the case with venir al pelo. In Spanish, we use this expression to describe something that appears to suit a situation perfectly. For example, in the sentence below:

La pregunta de Carmen me viene al pelo para introducir el siguiente tema de la lección.

(Carmen’s question is ideal for me to introduce the next topic of this lesson).

This means that the question Carmen had is very convenient because it serves as a perfect link to the next lesson.

To better understand the origins of this expression, we have to look at its opposite: a contrapelo (against the grain). Both phrases refer to fur used for clothing, accessories, or decoration. The use of fur was very common in the past.

Fur feels different depending on the direction in which we pass our hand over it. If we follow the direction of the hair, it will feel soft and smooth. However, if we go against the grain, we will get a rougher feel.

Similarly, something that viene al pelo (suits the hair) is something that lets the natural discourse of things run smoothly, like the direction of fur.

Now that you know what venir al pelo means, we invite you to watch the video below and discover other expressions with hair. Remember that your Spanish will be richer if you use more of these expressions in your daily speech!

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!

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.

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!

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!

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!