My Time in Spain

Death, Grief, and Ritual in Iberian Culture

I’m traveling through Spain, noticing how even in a largely secular country, death still arrives with religious weight and reverence. There’s a certain unspoken choreography. While modern life has accelerated many of the customs around grieving, the Spanish view of death retains something communal and deeply rooted in Catholicism.

The creative culture and easy vibe along the Mediterranean Sea feels much different from the more frenetic energy in Madrid. And yet, throughout the country, I noticed a reluctance to discuss end-of-life plans and care.

This sidelines hospice and advance care directives. Certain tools and options are far less utilized than they could be. Even with a national healthcare system, the availability of comfort care varies widely between regions.

Some autonomous communities, like Catalonia and Navarre, have more advanced hospice programs, but rural areas and parts of southern Spain have far fewer resources. Though lovely and welcoming, people in these regions had neve…