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New Year's Reveler, Puerta del Sol, Madrid, Spain

Back in the early Naughties (2000's), we spent Christmas and New Year's in Spain.  It was fun to be in a new place experiencing old traditions in different ways.  New Year's Eve was definitely different than what we had known or expected.

We heard about the fun to be had at Puerta del Sol, in the heart of Madrid.  We figured it was going to be like Times Square, but in Spanish.

First of all, there was no countdown, at least not formally.  When midnight passed, no one seemed to notice.  We felt let down.

Basically, the Spaniards had been celebrating for so long that when the clock struck midnight they were too drunk to notice.  At around 12:15 am, they realized they were in the new year and the crowd went wild.  Madrid kept partying well into New Year's Day.  What the Spaniards lacked in punctuality they made up for with enthusiasm.

We feel that the young man in this photo captured the entire spirit of that night.