OK, here is question for those in the know...what is up with the tarot card shows in Andalucia? As I was flipping through the channels at the hotel, I noted several channels of 24-hour tarot card shows with very creepy looking ladies, long fingernails and wearing what looked to be drapery and heavy gold jewelry, consoling callers over their problems.

I suppose it is a kind of psychological buffer for those in need. It struck me as a peculiarly Andalucian phenomenon.

Womble,
These phenomena are not just in Andalucia, but I noticed it in Galicia as well. There they all wear Azabaches to keep out the evil eye!
And it is not limited to Spain, either, recently, here in the U.S. we have had the same phenomenon occur. There have been a number of Tarot readers advertising on television, the most notorious and engaging was Miss Cleo. The government shut down her operation and from the last news I heard is that she may be going to jail!

Booklady,

Thank you for the response. I assumed it was a fenómeno andalú because of the gypsy heritage. Interesting to hear that it also happens elsewhere.

I was so fascinated by the whole thing that I even took a photograph of the TV. The room is pitch black and there is a specter of a particularly unattractive and creepy woman. Chilling!

Thank you for the addendum about Miss Cleo. I live in Japan so I missed that whole episode, but have seen many jokes about her and never knew what was up. Thanks again.

If all you caught were the tarot card readers, you really missed something. The other day I turned on the TV here in Sevilla at 7am and saw a woman do a strip tease, cover herself in whipped cream, (of course, she rubbed it all in very well) and then did some marvelous things with a banana. If it wasn't my cup of tea, why did I keep watching so long, you ask? I was fascinated to know just how far this could go and also, because I need to know what my kids might see if they turn on some cartoons in the morning. Our building does have a few cable stations, but I had never seen anything like that before!