| The peculiarly Spanish tradition of the Siesta is | | | | Heading back to work with a belly full of food and |
| known worldwide without having been adopted | | | | wine is a recipe for a drowsy unproductive |
| extensively elsewhere, apart from Spanish | | | | afternoon at work. So instead the general |
| outposts. | | | | populace partake of a snooze and return to work |
| In the latter part of the afternoon, many shops | | | | later. |
| and businesses close between 2 and 5 p.m. | | | | The evenings continue much later in Spain, with |
| Rather than going home to sleep, many choose | | | | people regularly heading out only at about midnight |
| to pass the time at a cafe, restaurant or bar. | | | | and socialising until the early hours of the morning. |
| Therefore, these stay open during these hours | | | | The siesta also helps people to catch up on their |
| and have a later siesta closing time, from 4 p.m. | | | | lost sleep from late nights. |
| to 8/9 p.m. in the evening. | | | | Changing Times |
| Tradition | | | | Though many are still avid proponents of the |
| Traditionally the siesta allowed labourers in rural | | | | siesta, in some regions or employment it is not |
| Spain the opportunity to have some respite from | | | | possible to maintain. Madrid and Barcelona are |
| the heat. They would sleep for a few hours and | | | | busy cities that tend to keep going throughout |
| return to their work rested and able to work on | | | | the day, and all over Spain, supermarkets and |
| into the cooler evening. | | | | large stores keep their doors open all day and still |
| Modern Day | | | | have the later closing times of other businesses. |
| It is no longer only farm labourers that subscribe | | | | Workers still stay up until the early hours of the |
| to the tradition of the Siesta; office workers in | | | | morning in accordance with the social norms. On |
| air-conditioned city buildings also choose to do so. | | | | an average, changing times mean that Spaniards |
| A reason for this is another great Spanish | | | | sleep one hour less per day than Europeans |
| tradition: the long, filling lunch. Lunch in Spain is a | | | | elsewhere. |
| family affair and may last for a couple of hours. | | | | |