The latest ‘aura farming’ trend has taken Spain by storm in recent weeks, with thousands of excited young people filling squares to watch and take part in ‘aura battles’. So what exactly is ‘farmear aura’?
Have you come across the term ‘aura farming’ recently and wondered what it is all about?
Aura farming or farmear aura as it’s called in Spanish is a craze that’s been sweeping across Spain recently, as well as various Latin American countries.
So, what exactly is it?
Aura farming is way of competing against others for aura. The term comes from online video gaming where players collect ‘aura points’, which is also something you can get on social media platform TikTok for your videos. It’s about the energy visibly emanating from you or from different online characters.
Having an aura means to project charisma, coolness, confidence or the certain ability to charm and attract attention without having to speak.
The term ‘farming’ also comes from online games such as Minecraft, where you farm, cultivate and collect resources.
So essentially aura farming means to cultivate aura. In other words, you are taking actions or striking poses that make you appear more charismatic, cool or respected. You’re trying to compete to show off your aura, your style and your personality through various moves and poses, which create a dramatic moment that catches the attention of others.
It’s about being flawless and effortlessly cool or even mysterious.
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While the term and trend began on social media platforms like TikTok, it has now moved onto the streets.
Only last year, young people would sometimes describe aura farming as cringe, like someone was trying too hard, but recently it’s morphed into something cool. Youth are now holding aura farming competitions to try and outdo one another, project their aura and assess each other’s presence.
Think of it as similar to a dance-off or a dance battle with no particular moves or steps to follow; competitors just make it up as they go along. It’s about being witty and humorous on the spot.
The craze is now taking Spain by storm.
On Tuesday September 1st, Seville’s Plaza de España became centre stage for a huge aura farming battle, attracting hundreds of young people to watch and participate.
The event had been promoted on social media as an open gathering for both participants and spectators. The invitation encouraged young people to go the Andalusian capital’s Plaza de España to witness or participate in a competition that measured aura instead of strength, speed, or athletic ability.
Aura battles promoted on social media are attracting huge crowds of both Gen Z and Gen Alpha to cities big and small across the country: Barcelona, Madrid, Oviedo, Gijón, Pamplona, Pontevedra, Almería, Zaragoza and more.
Across the ‘pond’ in Mexico, young people have taken it one step further and are even offering prize money for aura battle winners who can walk away with up to to €330.
Adults in Spain who’ve witnessed these aura battles are generally not impressed, and somewhat confused.
“I came to see it because I had no idea what it was, but I’m not coming back,” one middle-aged woman in Seville told ABC.
“This isn’t for people of my age”.
However, for young Spaniards it’s a way of getting back at the older generations for complaining about them spending too much time indoors looking at screens.
“For me aura battles are a good way to spend my time and have fun,” a teen in a monkey costume told the Spanish daily.
What do you think? Is ‘aura farming’ a silly trend and/or a good way for young people to spend time outdoors with their friends? Let us know in the comments section below.
