Adios Siesta? Spanish Government To Eliminate Famous Nap During Work Hours

The famous siesta might be over in Spain after Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy proposed the traditional nap time during work hours gets eliminated.

"Basically what Mr. Rajoy is suggesting is stopping the working day at 6 p.m., which would be a great difference to lots of Spaniards, who some of them go on and work til' about 8 or even 9 o'clock at night," explained Graham Feeley, Spain correspondent with The Times newspaper, reports BBC. "The reason is that they long lunch in the middle of the afternoon and that allows them to break up the day, and of course, some people use this as an opportunity to head home, perhaps, and take a nice little nap or siesta," he added.

According to Feeley, the traditional habit of snoozing in the middle of work hours will probably be a great advantage for hardworking locals. "Strangely it would, if you speak to Spaniards they moan about the strange working day that keeps them at their work, at their desk, not doing very much into the early evening," he said to BBC. "It plays havoc on family life...and very more and more people actually have a very quick lunch at their desk," he assured of Rajoy's new proposal of implementing a 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. work schedule in the country.

Unless you've been living under a rock or live in a country where nap time during work hours is not the norm, let us explain to you the wonderful world of the siesta! Known as a short nap, a siesta is often taken in the afternoon after lunch time. This tradition is common in some countries, especially those where the weather is warm. The siesta is considered one of the most famous aspects of Spanish life.

NASA, according to The Guardian, suggests that a 26-minute nap is good for one's health and productivity; however, napping in Spain can extend for about two hours or more.

In fact, there are two siesta periods in Spain. One for shops and businesses and another one for bars and restaurants. GoSpain.com notes that the traditional nap hours for shops and businesses is from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. Bars and restaurants, on the other hand, close their doors from about 4 p.m. until after 8 p.m. This tradition was born due to Spain's hot weather, especially mid-afternoon. It was the perfect opportunity for workers in the fields to shelter from the heat and take a nap!