Aplaudiments
Around March 15, Madrid and Barcelona residents started a ritual of nightly applause in recognition of medical staff and other essential workers. People come out on their terraces and balconies all across the city and clap together for 5-10 minutes - it's quite impressive. From our vantage point we can hear the applause echoing all around us as it bounces off the buildings that step up the hills. People supplement the applause with flashlight shows, playing music (recorded and live), and setting off fireworks. It's amazing to me that even 2 weeks in, some people still seem to have fireworks on hand! One of our next door neighbors has been playing his violin for the past several nights. It hasn't featured in our neighborhood's applause, but the cacerolada -- the banging of pots and pans -- has become part of this ritual in some neighborhoods. I love that there is a special word for this.
After daylight savings time began, applause took on a different character - it was nice to see other people clapping alng with us.
