Spain is one the most popular destinations for Brits during the height of summer, with millions flocking to a chosen Costa in the sunshine-filled months.
Certain Brits abroad are, well, notorious for getting into trouble with locals for disrespecting rules or cultures that they are unaware of.
However, even the best-behaved would struggle to pre-judge the following 'bizarre' rules that are often implemented in Spanish towns and cities.
From naming your children to hanging your unmentionables out to dry, here are six of the 'weirdest' rules that Spaniards adhere to, as per MurciaToday:
Alcudia has been gorgeous today! 🤣🫣 #Day5of10 #BritsAbroad #StormDay #OffToThePool #HadAWineOrTwo 🍷 pic.twitter.com/Kqpq7GKJQF
— Tracy Gee (@newsgirlTracyG) August 27, 2023
6 strange Spanish rules:
No mops on balconies
Storage can often be a problem in Spanish homes, but those considering leaving one on a balcony in Villanueva de la Torre (central Spain), BEWARE.
No one is allowed to dry their mop on a balcony or a visible spot, the ban also refers to any items of laundry hanging out to air in the sun.
Apparently, this has to do with civil cohabitation between neighbours.
Dogs aren’t allowed to bark at night there either, which has been the case since 2012.
Don’t beg with a dog
In Spain, animal rights are constantly evolving. So much so, that occasionally there are some rules that may baffle you at first glance. For example, the one where beggars are not allowed to be accompanied by dogs.
The reasoning goes that such animals are used as props and often mistreated, for instance, drugged, in order to garner more pity for the begging person. And this goes right into animal abuse territory. In this case, offenders can be subject to fines of up to 3,000 euros.
However, the authorities assure that it doesn’t mean that homeless people can’t own dogs or other pets.
That reminds me, I’m playing dominos down the Legion tonight 😂😂
— Only Fools and Horses Lines (@OnlyFoolsLines) July 25, 2023
pic.twitter.com/aoiL3pelOm
No dominoes
Have you ever been to a social club and seen it kick off over dominoes? Well, Seville certainly has.
Playing dominoes is strictly prohibited on terraces in Seville as it violates noise pollution regulations.
Forbidden names
You'd assume that any parent has the right to name their child whatever they want, however, this is not the case.
In Spain, it is apparently forbidden to call a child Cain, Judas, or Lenin.
To the person who stuck the “so good, so good so good” at the end of Sweet Caroline pic.twitter.com/DRZuV1WpZH
— gary cooney (@garyJPcooney) September 5, 2023
No singing in the street
This is the one where most Brits will probably get the most in trouble. Keep Sweet Caroline indoors only (but if you sing the 'so good! so good! part, you deserve an arrest).
In the city of Zamora, it is counted as vandalism.
The ordinance regulating coexistence in this Castillian municipality states in Article 41 the following: “It is prohibited to disturb the rest and tranquillity of the neighbours through: songs or the practice of acrobatics and skill games with skates, skateboards or bicycles outside the areas designated for that purpose"
No underwear on balconies
Sevillians, or sevillanos, take skimpy outfit policing to the next level. Never mind going out dressed in your undies on the streets, you are not even allowed to hang them out to dry after you’ve washed them.
That kind of thing is seen as offensive and an affront to the morality of the fairly conservative southern city.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel