Meet Joaquín Pérez, an award-winning Andalusian Nativity Scene sculptor.

Open Europe covers such diverse stories as the Mediterranean Corridor, the death of Gaddafi and European poverty.

Taking organic meat to all the school dining rooms:
That is the main objective of the Campos company in Andalusia.

Vela, a word often used for “candle,” or “sail,” can also mean “wakefulness,” as in “vigilance.” It’s related to the verb velar, “to stand watch.” The name of the port city of La Vela de Coro refers not to the “sails” of merchant ships (as many assume) but rather to this town’s role as a “lookout” point for marauding pirates. One-eyed peg-legs are now less common, but the carnivalesque annual festival of Los Locos continues on.

Most English speakers have at some time in their lives heard Donovan sing “The Hurdy Gurdy Man,” but how many knew what such a man did? The woman in this video talks about a musical family that used to play the sinfonía, and indeed this is the Spanish name for the hand-crank organ known as a “hurdy gurdy.”

It’s quite possible that El Día de Los Locos, as celebrated in La Vela de Coro, has its roots as far back as the Roman Empire, which celebrated Saturnalia at the same time of year. Both festivals, historically, involve turning the social order on its head, with slaves dressing like their masters.

La Vela is a small town in the state of Falcón, on the northwest coast of Venezuela, where every December 28th Los Locos [“The Crazy Ones”] arrive wearing colorful and elaborated costumes. The whole town becomes a party, with businesses closing and people dancing in the streets. It’s a tradition that could be in any magical realism novel and that desperately struggles to not fall into oblivion.

The history of bullfighting dates back to at least Roman times. For some people it is a form of art while others regard it as a barbarian tradition. This video takes us to the very heart of Las Ventas in Madrid, the most renowned bullfighting arena in the world. Torero o toro? Just pick a side, take a seat and enjoy the show.

Ibiza is a wonderful holiday destination any day, but the summer solstice presents an opportunity to partake in an ancient tradition and celebrate all night long. Let’s join Tatiana for a cruise on a beautiful velero to visit some secret swimming spots and then we’ll head into town for la noche de San Juan.

Take a guided tour of a lively boulevard in Adícora, Venezuela, during a vacation period, where the party is just getting started.

We all have good friends, each one of them with distinctive qualities. Some of them are loud, some of them quiet. Ester, one of our friends, and a teacher at El Aula Azul, explains to us who her amigos are and how well they get along.

Join Eduardo and Luicana on their boat again as they tell you about the zona paqueta they are rowing by in the Río de la Plata. This posh area is where some of the children they teach live. Is it the right side of the tracks, or the right bank of the river?

It’s not easy for most kids growing up in the Chaco region: before the morning bell rings, they have already been picking cotton in the fields. Hop on a boat with Eduardo and Luciana and learn about the community service they do for needy rural schools in Argentina.

Street food is a great way to sample something unique to a country or culture. That’s why we don’t miss a chance to chat with street vendors and taste their treats. Strolling the streets of Mexico, we ran into this delicious soup—perfect for meat lovers!

While stirring a pot, Doña Coco sings us a couple of Christian songs, which she learned at her evangelical church.