Siesta competition aims to put the snooze back into Spain

The traditional Spanish siesta is under threat from the demands of modern life but supporters are not taking it lying down.

The country’s first siesta competition was held in the middle of a busy shopping mall with the aim of promoting the cherished post-luncheon nap.

As the nine-day snooze Olympiad got under way, some competitors snuggled with giant stuffed animals or clutched pillows like babies with dummies.

Others wore aeroplane eye masks to block the light. A young stern-faced judge with a T-shirt bearing the letters “ZZZ” monitored the proceedings perched high on a lifeguard’s chair.

Contestants in groups of five were given 20 minutes lying on couches and timed by a doctor with a pulse-measuring device to determine how long they spent snoozing. Extra points were awarded for snoring or wearing outlandish nightwear in plain view of gawking shoppers.

Their sofas were lined up in parallel numbered lanes like those of a track and field meet, and eight rounds were being held per day.

The winner of the inaugural round was portly builder, 47-year-old Fermin Lominchar, who raised his arms in triumph as he mounted the podium. He was timed as having slept 18 of the allotted 20 minutes, much of it with his generous gut sticking out from an untucked striped shirt.

“I just conked out. No problem whatsoever,” he said.

No snoring was detected among the first five contestants; organisers used a machine to measure the decibels emitted.

The prize for best attire went to Carmen Lopez Valdeon, a 49-year-old housewife, who donned thick pink winter pyjamas with violet daisies and fuzzy green socks. She finished second, with a sleeping time of 10 minutes, and was among those using the pillow-hugging technique.

“I was a little nervous at first,” she said. “You know, it’s like sleeping in a hotel. It takes some getting used to.”

The contest was run by the newly formed National Association of Friends of the Siesta and was sponsored by the Islazul shopping mall in Madrid’s Carabanchel district. The top prize was €1,000.

Angel Rodriguez, a 57-year-old onlooker, said that when he was young the siesta was so ingrained in Spanish culture that parents would force their children to take them.

“Now, people do not know how to savour the siesta anymore,” he said, blaming jam-packed work schedules and trashy television shows.

“They put all the gossipy shows on right after lunch and people get hooked. They would rather watch than rest,” he said.

Lili Chuecas, who was hired to measure the contestants’ sleep times, said fewer Spaniards have long lunch breaks – a crucial ingredient for a decent siesta – and have more hectic lifestyles in general.