Expatriotism

The World Cup has a special capacity to conjure communities, to fill public spaces with the bonds of shared hopes, joys, traditions, and jerseys. It is distinctly poignant when they are the faces of expats, precipitating out of the anonymous mists of the city to gather in celebration. In a place where one seems almost to dissolve in a massive cauldron of humanity, these occasions are important rituals. For expatriate Spaniards celebrating today's World Cup championship, the heart of the celebration was Plaza Cibeles, a physical replica of a plaza in Madrid and for today an emotional replica as well.