The town of Ador, in Spain’s Valencia region, worries about the future…and the present…of the traditional siesta, and has become the first town in Spain to write the right to sleep into law. Everyone in town is expected to be asleep, or at least indoors and quiet, from 2 to 5 pm.
The siesta, long a tradition in places where the afternoon heat can be unbearable, has been under siege in urban areas for years. Opponents equate it with laziness and point out that air-conditioning makes it unnecessary and the need to work with the rest of the world makes it undesirable. But its proponents claim a myriad of health benefits for it and intend to keep it.
And as for children, in Ador at least, the mayor says: “Children should stay indoors between 2pm and 5pm so that they do not go outside and play with balls and disturb older people.” As you might say: “Snooze it or lose it.”
TheLocal.es has MORE Photo: Diego Delso / Wikimedia
