Redheads in Spain?

Now here is my SILLY question......
Are there many redheads in Spain?

I have no excuse for asking such a frivolous question......
it's just that my curiousity has gotten the best of me. My imagination is going wild in the last days before my trip to Madrid, and all sorts of questions are buzzing around in my head.
Wondering just how much I will be standing out as a tourist!!!

I don't think I have ever seen a true redheaded Spaniard, nope. Anyone else?

Long, long ago I was escorting a 'peliroja' of the Irish persuasion (very fair skin and green eyes) around Madrid for a few days. She was quite tall (about 5'9") and I she drew many curious glances from Spanish ladies and the men. That's the sort of reaction you may expect. They don't see many pelirojas in Spain - mostly visitors from northern Europe.

For native Spaniards, it is rare, but not non-existant.

i have a very good friend in valencia who has reddish hair. not red red. but still red enough. but it is quite a rarity. :o
i like these moving gremlins.

Say Kim, when will you be in Spain? I will be arriving on May 20th in Madrid and wouldn't mind seeing a redhead in Spain whether she is espanola or not. Hehe.

I've actaully seen quite a few redheads in Spain, although it's always a sandy red rather than full-on copper. Strangely enough I think red hair is a sign of gypsy ancestry in Spain - in any case, you certainly see more red heads in Andalucia than elsewhere.

Well, I definitely know a spaniard who is a redhead - my father! As James has said, it's not a copper red, more of a sandy red. But my father is from Galicia, a long ways away from Andalucia. In fact, I would think that there would be more redheads in northern Spain. When the King of Spain came to visit Canada, he asked my father if he was from Asturias... maybe because he was a redhead?

SusiLaGallega

Oh how I love this forum!
Thanks for all of your replies, now I know that I will be I will be one of the few 'pelirojos' in Madrid this weekend.
So, if anyone one else is in Madrid, and you see an American (won't be able to mistake that part!) with long, red, curly hair, PLEASE introduce yourself!
Eddie- thanks for teaching me "pelirojo", never occured to me to look up that translation!
Azboarder- I'll be in Madrid from the 16th to the 23rd, where are we going? I'll be checking this site periodically while we are there, so when are you going to be in Madrid?

Here I go, less than 24 hours until my departure!!!

So tall people stand out too? If the girl that was 5'9 stood out, then I'm in trouble. I'm 5'll and I have a tendency to wear platform shoes putting me over 6 ft. Oh well, I don't look Spanish anyway!

Kim:
I think the adjective (and noun) change with the gender (i.e. Kim would be una peliroja - but for a male it would be pelirojo). It's the way I have always used it anyway.

Theory says that redheads are genetically more common in the northwestern (Galicia, Asturias) areas due to the strong celtic inmmigration in the Iron Age. There are still celtic stone momuments in those areas.

Kim- I will be in Madrid May 20-23. Then I plan on spending the 23 in Toledo and plan on going to Sevilla after that. Email me if you'd really like to meet up at some point, as I will be travelling alone and would love to meet new people! Que te vaya bien!

Aaron goeglein@hotmail.com

Hi Expressdance:

I have the same problem. I am 5'10.5 and I love to wear platform shoes... and yes, whenever I go overseas (especially europe) they all stare. I think I tower over the majority of the people. but that's okay...i love the attention roses.

Are there redheds in Spain? There is everything in Spain. One of my first impressions on my first visit long ago was that so many Spaniards did not resemble the movie version stereotypes. Physically, they are a very diverse people.

Still, there do seem to be some people who remain characteristically Spanish. After you examine the Goya frescos on the interior of the dome of The Church of San Antonio de la Florida, look about you in the blue collar bars. You will see some of the same faces.
Cantabene

[ 05-17-2001: Message edited by: cantabene ]

Pelirrojos (check your dictionary...) are definitely in more abundant "supply in Galicia and Asturias. Of course, they're outnumbered by pelirrubios, but as correctly commented prior, the Celtic influence in this area is strongest, and still remains so.

Spain and the U.S. seem to have that in common: The further south you travel, the more "moreno" people tend to be (with exceptions of course). The rubios only like to vacation to the south (see Arizona, California and the Costa del Sol :cool . I grew up in Minnesota and wondered why the Swedes and Danes would settle there...until I went to Sweden and Denmark...spitting image as far as countryside.

I'm certain that's why the Celts stayed so long in Spain, and why their influence still remains: They settled a region not unlike their own.

I also love redheads.

I´ve seen a good number of natural redheads in certain parts of Castilla y Leon. In the neighbourhood where I have seen 7 or 8 natural redheads that don´t differenciate at all with any Irish redheads (orange hair, even in the eyebrows, and most of them with green eyes, and 1 or 2 with blue eyes or brown eyes).
I know they are Spaniards because some of them study with me at college.

Here there are some Spaniard redheads if you like them:

http://www.antena3tv.com/companeros/camerinos/index.htm?14 Amanda García
http://www.antena3tv.com/companeros/camerinos/index.htm?4 Julián González
http://www.antena3tv.com/companeros/camerinos/index.htm?11 Alejandro Siguenza

Speaking of "pelirrojos y pelirrojas", wasn't Isabella La Católica a redhead?

PS: My great-grandmother was a redhead.

Nobody's mentioned the "chemically-enhanced" shades of red you often see in Spain...my husband and saw SO MANY older ladies with deep (and unnatural) red hair while in Spain last year. Mulberry, black cherry, oxblood, those sorts of "reds"!

I've seen very few people in Spain with natural red hair...but lots of people with brown hair, green eyes, and freckles, like me!

hey everybody

el cid

yes isabella la muy catolica is a redhead.but she wasnt really a spaniard... well she was...but her close linage was purely visigothic.the redheads and blonds in spain means that they have pure or semi pure visgothic or celtic origin and of course no moorish or even sometimes no roman blood.notice how many redhead and lightskinned people are in the margateria region in leon around astorga and palazuelo del orbigo.they dont have no roman admixture just like the basques but alot of celtic blood.ive seen blonds in galicia asturias ,leon and even a few in alcala de henares.i am not blond though but am a light skinned cuban galician young man.

I'm glad someone finally brought up the 'chemically enhanced' redheads that are quite abundant there. They are easily distinguished from 'true' redheads. The older women, especially, like to die their hair a very deep, dark red, which may even be considered 'marroon'. I went to see a play that a friend of mine who is a middle school Spanish teacher helped put on. Rumor had it the Basque grandparents of one of the students would be there. As soon as they set foot in the door, I nudged the person next to me and exclaimed "THERE THEY ARE!". They were so cute, he in his Spanish old man-type outfit (you all know what I mean) and she with her dark red hair!!

I have my own theory....having redish coloring myself, although I'm not a redhead, rather a "chestnut-haired", but having several cousins that are true redheads (Shawn you know my cousin Marta from Zaragoza), I blame it on my grandma, on my father's side, ever since as an early teenager I visited the town where she came from, Tudela, for 'Las Fiestas' in the summer, and met all of her redheaded cousins AND saw an incredible amount of redheads around (to match their red bandanas, maybe)....

I just rode through the Maragatería and corroborate the fact that there are a few redheads in that area. The purely Celtic Gallegos (is that possible?) are more prone to be redheads too. And there are some in both Galicia and Asturias.

The old-lady redheads are hilarious, since their color de botella is horrific at best. Then there are deadheads...which is I'm sure what GranadaGirl was referring to as to those who "DIE" their hair, right? :p

OOPS, CaliBasco, you caught me!!!

I'm you-shoe-allee sew goode with phinding meye typ-os!!

asta luh viestuh,
non-read-hed'd GranadaGirl

I still don´t realize why most Americans still think that Spaniards look like some kind of Mexicans and many still believe that Spaniards are Hispanics. It´s something that I can´t understand.

ERT: Spaniards are the original "Hispanics" if history means anything. The name España is from the Latin/Roman "Hispania", which is where the word hispanic comes from.

I think I understand your intent though, as I don't like it when people say "oh, so-and-so is Spanish" when what they mean is that so-and-so speaks Spanish, but perhaps they're from Nicaragua or something...that IS annoying! (Of course if you're from a country other than Spain, speak Spanish, and someone says "oh you're Spanish" that's annoying too...like if someone called me English since I speak English.

Am I rambling? Of course I am!

Yeah, Cali and ERT, so many people assume that Spanish="speaks Spanish." I've heard people distinguish between "Spanish" (meaning, probably, Latin American) and "Spanish-from-Spain," as if that distinction meant anything!!

And we already know that many people assume that Spanish food is burritos and chimichangas...ugh!!!

Oh no! The whole, Hispanic debate! This could get ugly! Actually, Hispanic really refers to people from Hispanola, which was named such by the Spanish settlers... so although it goes back to europe, if you really want to get into the correctness of it all, Hispanic is not correct for Spaniard.

This is a hot topic.. and a lot can be said about it... but I'm not going to get into it. As far as people, mainly from the US thinking that all Spanish people look like Mexicans... well, since with all this Politically correct nonsense started for a long time everyone used the term Spanish to mean anyone from a Spanish speaking country. Since the USA is neighbor to Mexico and it is a culture very mixed into the fabric of the US, well, its no surprise that there is a confusion!

When someone asks me what I am, and I say Spanish, its usually followed by, so, where are you from?! I love that!(sarcasm here) So I usually have to give a bit of a geography lesson and explain why I'm not 'Latina', or really hispanic for that matter, but I usually don't THAT technical.. especially since in modern times, it seams that "Hispanic" is most widely used for Spanish-speaking.

I've found though, that most people are just lacking information, or are confused... but are pretty interested in finding out the answers

Oh, and redheads in spain.. there aren't many, but yes, mostly in the north.. but it doesn't have to do with having gypsy heritage, but the fact that they come from a region not as affected by the roman, morrish and other invasions. Truth be told, waaaaaaaaaaaaay back when, the norm in Spain was blonde or red hair! Those of us with dark hair are a result from a whole lot of mixing and intermingling that went on!

Redheads.... I am studying at Universidad de Deusto right now in Bilbao, northern spain. I am yet to see a "natural" redhead. However, "fake" redheads seems to be VERY in right now, especially with older women!! I was very surprised by this

hey everybody

kelar

that is because although the basques are in the north and everything they are not celtic or visigothic(a germanic tribe)but iberian who ar dark lot.so th blond redhead area is only in the north of spain excluding navarra and pais vasco

Well, I'm a 5'10" redhead living in Madrid. But I'm a New Yorker . So there are some here, but I would say that many of us are from other countries.

Just saw this thread and had to post something. I lived in Andalucia for five years during the sixties and in Madrid almost 8 during the mid-80s til 91. My hair is a true, natural Titian red. Let me tell you, it caused a sensation. I wore it quite long and usually just pulled back with a head band.
I was standing outside the Carmelite school in Puerto de Santa Maria waiting for my oldest child to leave classes for lunch when an older Spanish lady came up and grabbing a piece of my hair held it up so the sunlight could shine through it. She kept asking me "que numero es". I finally figured out she thought I dyed my hair and was asking the Pantene color number.
We were fortunate enough while living in Andalucia to make the acquaintence of many wonderful Spaniards. Everyone from bullfighters to flamenco stars. One of our friends owned a bar/restaurant in Cadiz where flamenco stars hung out. (He had been a dancer with Carmen Amaya). Many a night there would be mano a mano singing and dancing. Many times the improvised lyrics would sing about my hair. Talk about an ego trip!Just another note: less than 4% of the total world population has natural red hair.