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It is an anual holiday celebrated all over the world that resulted from the labour union and the economic and social achievements that workers got. Most of the countries celebrate this festivity the 1st of May ( it doesn't really mind which day of the week is) although some other do it on the first Monday of September.
It is known as the Workers' Day and May Day. The celebration has its origins in the eight-hours a day movement, which advocated eight ours for work, eight for recreation and eight for rest.
Also, it is a conmemoration of the Hymarket Massacre in 1886, when Chicago police fired on workers during a general strike for the eight-hours day.
QUESTIONNAIRE:
a) What do you think of this international event?
b) Do you agree with the celebration without working?
Last Saturday (10th of April) the "Blessing of Bikes" was celebrated in New York. New York has a flourising cycling community, and a especial event is the blessing of those vehicles and their pilots! You had to wear your usual cycle clothing and bikes (motorized or not) inside the Cathedral church of Saint John the Divine, in New York. If you usually wore cycling shoes with exposed cleats organizers would ask you to take them off so as not to damage the cathedral floor. The contribution with money was absolutely free; if you wanted to give some money, you could do it. One hundred per cent of the collected money goes directly to the church and the rest of the money is destinated to help homeless people The reverend (priest) called Thomas P. Miller said some kind words and then sprinkled the bikes with Holy water. In the celebration, there was a moment of silence to remember the cyclist lost the previous year in accidents and later all the bike bells rang at the same time. The event is wonderful but brief, so people is on time or they may lose it! If we have a look on the reaction of people we can find people who see this event as a joke, some take it serously, other people feel deeply ofended.
QUESTIONNAIRE:
a) What do you think about it?
b) Have you got a bike? Do you usually use it?
c) What do you prefer, cycling a bike of drive (be given a lift) a car? Why?
Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’99 If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience…I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked….You’re not as fat as you imagine.
Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing everyday that scares you Sing Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours. Floss. Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself. Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements. Stretch. Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.
Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.
Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children,maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…what ever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.
Enjoy your body, use it every way you can…don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.. Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room. Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them. Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future. Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel. Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders. Respect your elders. Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out. Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth. But trust me on the sunscreen…
POCAHONTAS' MARRIAGE... In 1614 the American Indian Princess Pocahontas, daughter of chief Powhatan married the English colonist John Rolfe (they were in Virginia). When she was born, her mother (one of the chief wives) was expelled from the tribe. It was something usual as they preferred having boys (good for figthing and ruling people) rather than girls.
Let's now know a little about history: John Smith was one of the leaders of the colonists. He was captured and made prisoner by Powhatan's hunters. History says that John was lying on a rock to be executed when Pocahontas protected him. Nobody knows if this is true or not, because the only one versions about these facts were written by John to the Queen of England to ask respect for Pocahontas. It is also thought that Pocahontas wasn't protecting John, but it was one Indian ritual symbolizing the death so as the prisoner would become a member of the tribe.
John Smith came back to England, and their men informed the Powhatan people he died in a war against a troop of French pirates. This is the reason why Pocahontas married some years later with John Rolfe (he was widow when he met her). She didn't know the truth until she came to England.
When she married (in a Catholic ceremony), she received baptisme under the name of Rebecca, so she became Lady Rebecca Rolfe. This marriage created a climate of peace between the Jamestown colonists and indians. They have a son.
On Saturday and Sunday of April (3rd and 4th),there are massive pillow fights in cities around the world... Some examples of this celebration can be seen in several cities such as Antigua (Guatemala), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Accra (Ghana) or Ann Arbor (Michigan). The organizers use some posters to make sure everybody (or a lot of people at least! know about the event). Here you are:
Everybody can join this celebration, but there is only one and important requirement: You MUST bring your own pillow (feather pillows better)! Here you can see a simple ad. about the event on the internet. You may have a look on it at Facebook, too. Time: SUNDAY, April 4th, 2010, 12:00PMLocation: State Street & North University Ave. “The Diag”Host: A2 Pillow Fight ClubWebsite: Facebook Group
Yesterday (3rd of April, 2010) it was celebrated in Madrid, from 18.18 to 20.00 h. You might have seen some people enjoying the fight at Plaza España. There were some rules to follow, too. A couple of interesting ones were: a) Enjoy and try to hide your pillow in your clothes (like Sancho Panza, if you hide it in your tummy). It will look like a carnival and you'll surprise the rest of people there. b) Don't allow people or enterprises, try to take advantage of it with commercial intentions. Hit them (with your pillow, of course!)!
It is one of the most important annual religious feasts in the Christian liturgical year. Easter is the springtime holiday marking the rebirth of Jesus and the renewal of the Christian faith. There are different celebrations all around the world, and English speakers countries have some items quite different from Spain and other countries which follow the religious tradition (Christian). It is a blessed time to celebrate life, the coming of Spring and the dyeing of the nature with marvellous colours (the blooming of flowers and the birth of animals). This is a magical time for children to enjoy games, delicious recipes and spend this holidays time with their friends and family. Here you can read some information about symbols in Easter, far from the religious ones: EASTER EGGS: They are a symbol of life, rebirth. The oldest tradition is to use dyed eggs but a modern custom is to substitute with chocolate eggs. These eggs are often hidden (in gardens, houses, parks, etc.) and children look for them on Easter morning. There are some competitions about it, and it can be a very amazing and funny activity. Otherwise, they are generally put in a basket with straw (real or artificial) to resemble a bird's nest. Ortodox Christian Priests blesses those baskets (Ukraine).
EASTER BUNNY or EASTER HARE: It is a character depicted as a rabbit bringing Easter eggs. You can see it depicted as a person, wearing clothes. The legend says that this creature brings baskets filled with coloured eggs, sweets or even toys to the home of children the night before Easter. It is similar to its Christmas counterpart, Santa Claus. But... Why rabbits and hares? They are fertility symbols, as they give birth to large litters in the early spring, these became symbols of the rising fertility of the Earth at the Vernal Equinox.
EASTERRECIPES: "Hot Cross Buns": They usually eat this type of cake on Good Friday for tea.English folklore includes many superstitions. One of them says that buns baked and served on Good Friday will not spoil or become mouldy during the following year. Another encourages keeping one bun for medical purposes; whenever somenone is ill, if you give him / her a piece of it, the sick person recovers. Sharing a hot cross bun with another is supposed to ensure friendship, particularly if "Half for you and half for me, between us two shall goodwill be" is said when sharing.
FAMOUS QUOTES: "Easter is the demonstration of God that life is essentially spiritual and timeless." Charles M. Crowe. "On Easter day the veil between time and eternity thins to gossamer." Douglas Horton. "The story of Easter is the story of God's wonderful window to divine surprise." C. Knudsen.
Father's Day is a day honnoring fathers. (This day is the complement of Mother's Day). It is celebrated the third Sunday of June in 52 of the world's countries (like England) and on other days elsewhere. If you live in Spain you'll celebrate it the 19th of March every year; it doesn't really matter if it is Sunday or Tuesday! In Australia, for example, it is celebrated the first Sunday of September... The celebration involves gift-giving, special dinners to fathers and family oriented activities. Anyway, Father's Day festival has been commercialized in most part of the countries to great extent. Days and weeks before the festivals we are witness of an aggressive advertisement campaigns to cash in the sentimental value of the festivity.
QUOTES: "A man knows when he is growing old because he begins to look like his father." García Márquez. "I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection." Sigmond Freud. "A father is a man who expects his children to be as good as he meant to be." Carol Coats.
QUESTIONNAIRE 1. What do you think of Father's day? 2. What are the most usual gifts you bring your father?
Hello everyone! I would like to start my blog with a great piece of news, and I think talking about an important celebration is a good beginning, right? Two days ago (Wednesday, 17th of March, 2010) Saint Patrick's Day was celebrated all around the world. Here I write you about the history, meaning and symbols that identify thousands of people and that may help you to understand this well-known celebration. Cheers!
Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated mainly in Ireland, but you can find people joining this festivity all around the world. The origin of this day is found in Ireland, this saint introduced Catholic religion in the island using a shamrock (Irish clover) as the symbol of the Holy Trinity. Also, he was supposed to have driven snakes out of Ireland. That is why this day Irish people in Ireland, Irish people around the world or Irish descendants celebrate the event. They commemorate this traditional day when they emigrate (19th c.) because of the great famine. Even though, we can find people who has nothing to do with Ireland, but they join this celebration for celebrating's shake! ;-)
Some important symbols are:
LEPRECHAUN: They are a kind of gnomes who live in the country-side. They are guardians of an ancient treasure (left by the Danes through Ireland). They keep the treasure in crocks or pots at the end of the rainbow. Leprechauns tend to avoid contact with humans (considered selfish, foolish and greedy) , and they have the ability of appearing and disappearing. They are magical creatures! As you can see in the picture they wear green clothes, it is thought they work as shoe-makers. They are very short and they have got red hair and beard.
A shamrock is a kind of clover typical of Ireland. They use this word to define clovers! If you find a shamrock with four leaves, you'll get a good luck! It's not easy, most of shamrocks have got three leaves. Drinking beer is typical of Irish (well, I have to confess not only Irish). If you go to Ireland you'll find important and well-known kind of beers (called pints). Some of the most important ones are Guinness and Murphy (black), Harp (yellow) or Kilkenny (red), an emblem of all the world beers. They have different flavours and colours; those brews are done with toasted coffee (black pint) or semi-toasted (red pint). People who doesn't drink too much can ask half pint. There is a name for the black beer, some Irish call it "stout" or "black stuff". Green colour: Green is the Irish national colour. Irish football teams wear green and people around the world wear green on St. Patrick's Day. Rural Ireland has a green landscape (fields, trees, etc...) and some poets call Ireland the "Emeral Island".
Celtic music is typical of some countries where Celt people lived and tranferred their culture long time ago. They use as instruments bagpipes (Galician and Scottish bagpipes are somehow similar), flutes, tin-whistle... Joy, inspiration and sense of freedom are some characteristics of this music. Some important and representative groups are: Bothy band, Lúnasa and Clannad.
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