Symbols
There are several symbols that form part of the traditional culture in Spain. Some are more noticeable and common than others but each has an emotional or historical significance that has kept the attention of audiences all around the world, as well as meaning a lot to the Spanish people to whom they belong. These important symbols must be understood if you are going to get a true grasp on the culture of Spain itself, as they are something that most Spanish people would understand right away. It is also true that this means that you will stand out as an outsider right away if you do not recognise them, even if you have worked hard for many years on developing the perfect Spanish accent to sound as though you are a native speaker rather than an English speaker!
Symbols represent the identity, history, and even the personality of a country or culture. When symbols appear in works of literature and artistic imagery, the artist has usually made use of them for a specific reason. Observers that are not immersed in the artist’s culture will likely miss out on the cultural context of the symbols and not be able to fully appreciate the richness of their meaning. If you are going to read classic Spanish novels or perhaps watch examples of classic Spanish cinema, then you are going to want to understand more about the symbols which lie behind them and why those particular images or themes may have been used in a certain way. And it is not just the arts in which these symbols can appear, either; they can very much be a part of daily life, such as in an idiom or when used to describe something of a political nature in the news.
That is why we have created this special section of our site, which is designed to help familiarize you with some of Spain’s cultural symbols in a detailed and straight forward way that you can understand immediately. By gaining insight into these symbols and what they mean, you will more deeply appreciate this element of cultural heritage, which goes beyond that of a simple image to represent a sign of identity and even pride. Plus, you are sure to earn kudos when speaking with Spanish natives if you bring a few of them up yourself! This is also a great way to show that you understand Spanish culture, and that you have spent time learning about something more than just the basic language skills that most people go for.
Here are a few examples of the kind of symbols that we are talking about to get you thinking about Spanish history and culture! If you want to learn more, make sure that you go for a course which includes history or culture lessons when you are booking with us, or take private lessons so that you can ask your teacher to focus on symbols for a lesson or two.