17/11/2008

Last week Esmadrid hosted an event at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The theme of the evening was to experience Madrid´s Christmas celebrations. I was the MC for a night which featured the Head of the Municipal Department of Economy and Employment, Miguel Ángel Villanueva, and representatives of the Association of Spanish Fashion Creators (ACME), and the Association of Entrepreneurship in Textile and Accesories Commerce. The Victoria and Albert Museum was decorated by examples of Madrid´s Christmas lights, which are designed by important Spanish creators, and some pieces from this year´s Madrid Fashion Week. The creators of these pieces, some of the most important names and brands in Spanish ready to wear, were there. Modesto Lomba, David Delfín, Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, Alma Aguilar, Juan Duyos, Francis Montesinos, Aitor Muñoz, Iñaki Muñoz, Ángel Schlesser and Juanjo Oliva, among others. To speak about the level of creativity incorporated into Madrid's cuisine, famous for its tapas, one of the most important chefs in the world, Sergi Arola, was there. Mr. Arola surprised the audience by offering a food tasting in the Raphael Gallery, one of the highlights of night. The tapas were created in reference to different neighborhoods in Madrid, from Barajas airport, to the Latin quarter. At midnight in Madrid, the evening's final surprise, a simulation of the New Year's grape ritual. If you are not familiar with New Year in Spain here is an explanation. The ritual begins as the clock in the Puerta del Sol is being lowered one minute before midnight on the 31st of every December. Once the clock begins the twelve strikes that announce the New Year, Spaniards eat a grape per strike, making a wish with each grape. According to tradition, those that achieve this task, will have a prosperous year in which all their wishes will come true. And so all of us present participated in the ritual that completed Madrid's Christmas event, in the Victoria and Albert Museum.