Application made to declare the Spanish siesta as an item of cultural interest

The Spanish practice of napping in the afternoon should be declared a protected art form, Madrid's conservative government has been told.

An application has been presented to Madrid authorities calling for the 'siesta' to be given a special cultural status to ensure its preservation.

It comes following the announcement earlier this month by Esperanza Aguirre, the President of the conservative regional government in Madrid, that the bullfight was to be included on the list of items of "special cultural value" that were protected by law.



Daniel Dorado, a lawyer who campaigns for the protection of animals, filed an application last week arguing that the siesta fulfills the same criteria for protected cultural patrimony as bullfighting.

"The siesta is a cultural fact of special relevance and significance, an art which deserves protection," he declared in the request presented last week. "It has been part of Mediterranean and Spanish culture for time immemorial," he said echoing the argument used to justify the inclusion of bullfighting on the list.

Mr Dorado argues that the siesta - traditionally a post lunch snooze of up to an hour - was being threatened by the pressures of modern working practices and that its loss could bring about the demise of the country.