A Little Mercy

Three young Spaniards wait for their train at Madrid's Estacion de Atocha at about noon on New Year's Day, 2009. Madrid's New Year's celebration at Puerta del Sol is a two-night affair, with a practice celebration the night of 30 December that draws tens of thousands of participants, and a New Year's Eve party the following night that is wilder and crazier than anything we've ever seen in the states. Following decades of oppressive, brutal rule by Franco in the 20th Century, the Spanish seem commited (with glee) to making up for lost time. These three kids spent the first day of 2010 praying for a little mercy.

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Photo by Dana Angotti-Novick