THE USE OF BLINDS IN SPAIN
I've always liked homes that let the natural light in. Thankfully, we live in a bright apartment with several windows; the curious thing about all this is that, during this adaptation period, we've noticed a common practice – unlike us, many people tend to lower their blinds at specific moments of the day.
So I started to do some research and found an article from "El País" that reads as follows:
"It is as if the Spaniards were afraid of the light." Says Caroline Jurgens, a 42-year-old Dutch woman who has been living in Spain since 2005. Jurgens came to Madrid from Amsterdam and one of the first things that shocked her was discovering that the houses in our country had their blinds down for most of the day.
Perhaps as a sort of rebellion against this national domestic custom, she struggles to keep her window blinds in her house in Madrid always up. "They are closed here all year round, even in winter, even if it is not hot; the Dutch do the opposite: we require light all the time," he states. Jurgens also speaks fully aware as she specializes in what is known as home staging, advisory services to enhance the style of any home and sell it as soon as possible.
"Catholic ethical view implies a concern for what people will say, for demonstrating irreproachable conduct in accordance with what is socially expected of you. And the blinds isolate your house from the outside."
If the use of blinds in much of Europe is something residual or anecdotal, in Spain it is part of popular culture and, coincidentally, we almost always have them down. In addition to the determining factor that our country has more average hours of light per year - between 2,500 and 3,000, compared to 1,600 in countries such as the United Kingdom or the Netherlands -, other reasons make blinds (up or down), for us, they are an essential part of the real estate landscape.
Any Spaniard traveling to a Central European country proves, almost with modesty, what the daily life of the neighbors is like through their windows. This excessive, akin to a showcase, exposure without blinds or curtains drawn in the houses of these countries would be impossible to carry out in our country. "In Spain, there are still deeply rooted customs of the Arab culture, of living inside the house and having them beautiful inside, such as the courtyards, and look through the lattices," explains Jurgens.
This eighth-century Andalusian legacy still contrasts with the Calvinist notion of the Protestant countries of central Europe of opening houses "to demonstrate the honesty of their guests and not be afraid to show whether you are poor or rich." "For us in the Netherlands, the absence of blinds (or open curtains) has the intention of sharing information, of saying that we have nothing to hide," explains Jurgens. "I tell my clients to open the blinds if they want to sell their house soon: it makes the houses appear bigger and prettier," he concludes.
Costa del Sol is the place in Spain with the most hours of natural light per year. Despite their open nature, Spanish people are reserverd regarding private matters. While interactions with neighbors are vibrant, we try to keep them from crossing the threshold of our door. "You are more out on the streets, so you get to know your neighbors better. That communal living develops a great interest in learning about other people's lives and a lesser interest in others knowing yours; therefore, you have to put up barriers", remarks Juan Carlos Barajas (Madrid, 1960), sociologist and author of the popular website Sociología Divertida.
And in these borders, religion once again takes on a leading role. "Catholic ethical view implies a concern for what people will say, for showing irreproachable conduct in line with what is socially expected of you, for airing one's dirty laundry at home." Therefore, you should have switches, blinds, and curtains to shield your home from external view to do what you won't let others see." explains the sociologist. Contrary to popular belief, the majority of Spaniards are not out on the streets: "according to the Velux firm's Healthy Homes barometer, we spend 90% of our time indoors, and much of it in our homes."
By reading this article, I have gained a better understanding of the culture in which we live. Meanwhile, we continue to keep our blinds open during the day, which may last until the coming of Summer days in Madrid.
Thank you for reading,
Mimi Vega