Galicia Local Custom Tips by blint Top 5 Page for this destination

Bag Pipes

If you thought Bag Pipes were a Scottish invention you'd be wrong: it's celtic and as Galicia is celtic too you can hear the delightful sounds of the Gaita here too!

Their folk music in general if very similar to that of Scotland and Ireland too. It made me very homesickf for Scotland as we drove through the Gellego countryside listening to DOA's Arboretum (traditional Gellego folk music).

When,When and How to Go Out in Galicia.

On a Friday or Saturday night in Spain you usually go out for dinner at 10 O'clock and then hit the bars or Botellon (street party) at 12 o' Clock (yes that late! The bars are empty before then unless they serve tapas too!). Then the people usually head to a nightclub at around 3am and stay there until they are thrown out (usually around 7 in the morning). Spain (especially Andalucia in the south) is a party country.

Remember portions of the drinks here are not measured so drinks are really strong. This usually causes problems for us Brits as we are not used to being able to drink all night so usually cram alcohol down our necks at a rate you wouldn't believe! We can't do that in Spain or we'll be in bed before the party's begun! Pacing takes time to learn, but can be done!

IMPORTANT: If you hear a bell toll in a bar don't worry this means someone has tipped the barman/woman and not that it is last orders. So you can relax!

The favourite drink in Spain is Whisky/Whiskey. You will see more types of it here than in Ireland and Scotland put together! Watch out for the brand called DYC too. you could never call a drink that in an English speaking country. If you don't get why try reading it as a word and not an Acronym. Hehe.

Another thing to remember in Galicia is because it rains all the time the Botellon (A street party where everyone drinks on the street) that I mentioned above is not as common here in the North and ONLY in the summer!

Shop Opening Times and Holidays

Shops usually open fom about 9 in the morning and close at 2pm (in Spain the morning (mañana) is considered to be up to 2pm not 12pm). They then open again in the afternoon at about 5:30-6 until 9-9:30.In Spain there is no evening time they call it afternoon (tarde) right up to nightime (noche).

Many shops may close Saturay afternoons and all day Sunday. Especially in smaller towns or villages.

Watch out for the many holidays and Puentes (extended holidays) when shops can be closed 3 or 4 days in a row!!!!!!

I think the North is a little better than the South for shop opening though!

Galego/ Gallego

If you speak Spanish and go to Galicia and don't understand a thing, don't worry maybe it's because they are speaking Galego which is their own language. It was suppressed under Franco (the Spanish dictator) which is quite ironic because he was in fact from Gallicia! The language is called galago by the people from Galicia and Gallego by the Spanish. It is almost a mix between Spanish and Portugese although it also has similarities to Celtic and Germanic Languages too.

You'll often see place names or road signs in the two languages such as Tui or Tuy which can get a liitle confusing at times, but as the names are always similar it doean't really matter!

The main differences are the which in Spanish is La(f) or El (m). In Galego they are A (f)and O (m). So La Coruña in Spanish is A Coruña in Galego. And the J which is often replaced by an X. For example Junta is Xunta in Galego! Though they pronounce it no as the throaty Spanish J but more like the Ju sound in Pleasure or Television.

Some important words that are different to Spanish:

(Spanish/Galego)

Playa-Praia
Plaza-Praza
Salida-saida
La cuenta- A Caixa (like Catalan)
Cerrado-Pechado
Iglesia-igrexa
Puente- ponte (like Italian)
Calle-Rua (like Portugese)
de-da/do