LEARN ABOUT EASTER, BEFORE GOING ON HOLIDAY!

Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. Christians celebrate this resurrection on Easter Day or Easter Sunday (also Resurrection Day or Resurrection Sunday), two days after Good Friday. The chronology of his deat and resurrection is variously interpreted to be between AD 26 and 36, traditionally 33. Easter also refers to the season of the church year called Eastertide or the Easter Season. Traditionally the Easter Season lasted for the forty days from Easter Day until Ascension Day. The first week of the Easter Season is known as Easter Week or the Octave of Easter. The week from Palm Sunday to Easter is known as Holy Week. Easter also marks the end of Lent, a season of fasting, prayer, and penance. Easter is a moveable feast, meaning it is not fixed in relation to the civil calendar. It occurs during the spring, in and around the month of April. Secular customs, such as the Easter Bunny and Easter egg hunts, have become part of the holiday's modern celebrations and are often observed by Christians and non-Christians alike.

Easter eggs or spring eggs are special eggs that are often given to celebrate Easter or springtime. The egg is a pagan symbol of the rebirth of the Earth in celebrations of spring and was adopted by early Christians as a symbol of the resurrection of Jesus.

The oldest tradition is to use dyed or painted chicken eggs, but a modern custom is to substitute chocolate eggs, or plastic eggs filled with confectionery such as jelly beans. These eggs are often hidden, allegedly by the Easter Bunny, for children to find on Easter morning. Otherwise, they are generally put in a basket filled with real or artificial straw to resemble a bird's nest.

The Easter Bunny or Easter Hare (sometimes Spring Bunny in the U.S.) is a character depicted as a rabbit bringing Easter eggs, who sometimes is depicted with clothes. In legend, the creature brings baskets filled with colored eggs, candy and sometimes also toys to the homes of children on the night before Easter. The Easter Bunny will either put the baskets in a designated place or hide them somewhere in the house or garden for the children to find when they wake up in the morning.

HAPPY EASTER HOLIDAY!!

APRIL FOOL'S DAY

April Fools' Day is celebrated in the Western world on April 1st of every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, April 1st is not a legal holiday, but it's widely recognized and celebrated as a day which tolerates practical jokes and general foolishness. The day is marked by people playing good humoured or funny jokes, of varying sophistication on friends, family members, teachers, neighbours, work associates, etc. and newspapers may also include stories that aren't true. It is the equivalent of the Feast of the Holy Saints (El Día de los Santos Inocentes) in Spain, which is celebrated on December 28th. Traditionally, in some countries such as New Zealand, the UK, Australia, and South Africa, the jokes only last until noon. It is for this reason that newspapers in the U.K. that run a front page April fool only do so on the first (morning) edition. Elsewhere, such as in France, Ireland, Italy, South Korea, Japan, Russia, The Netherlands, Germany, Brazil, Canada, and the U.S., the jokes last all day. The earliest recorded association between April 1 and foolishness can be found in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (1392).

Video "APRIL FOOL'S DAY":

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME

This Sunday morning, we'll be changing the time one hour ahead. Daylight saving time (DST)—also summer time in British English and European official terminology —is the practice of temporarily advancing clocks during the summertime so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less. Typically clocks are adjusted forward one hour near the start of spring and are adjusted backward in autumn. Modern DST was first proposed in 1895 by George Vernon Hudson. Many countries have used it since then.
The practice has been both praised and criticized. Adding daylight to afternoons benefits retailing, sports, and other activities that exploit sunlight after working hours, but causes problems for farming, evening entertainment and other occupations tied to the sun. Its effect on health and crime is less clear. Although an early goal of DST was to reduce evening usage of incandescent lighting, formerly a primary use of electricity, modern heating and cooling usage patterns differ greatly, and research about how DST currently affects energy use is limited or contradictory.
DST clock shifts present other challenges. They complicate timekeeping, and can disrupt meetings, travel, billing, recordkeeping, medical devices, heavy equipment, and sleep patterns. Software can often adjust computer clocks automatically, but this can be limited and error-prone, particularly when DST protocols are changed.

Video What's Daylight Savings Time?

17th MARCH: SAINT PATRICK'S DAY

Saint Patrick's Day (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig) is a religious holiday celebrated internationally on 17 March. It is named after Saint Patrick (c. AD 387–461), the most commonly recognised of the patron saint of Ireland.

The day is generally characterised by the attendance of church services,wearing of green attire (especially shamrocks), and the lifting of Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking, which is often proscribed during the rest of the season.
Saint Patrick's Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland,Newfoundlan and Labrador in Canada. It is also widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora, especially in places such as the Great Britain, the United States, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand, among others.

Over the years the colour green and its association with Saint Patrick's day grew.Green ribbons and shamrocks were worn in celebration of St Patrick's Day as early as the 17th century. He is said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish, and the wearing and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs have become a ubiquitous feature of the day. In the 1798 rebellion, in hopes of making a political statement, Irish soldiers wore full green uniforms on 17 March in hopes of catching public attention. The phrase "the wearing of the green", meaning to wear a shamrock on one's clothing, derives from a song of the same name.

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated by the Irish and Irish at Heart in big cities and small towns alike with parades, "wearing of the green," music and songs, Irish food and drink, and activities for kids such as crafts, coloring and games. Its a time for fun. Some communities even go so far as to dye rivers or streams green!

Video lesson on St. Patrick's Day:

Video "How to celebrate St. Patrick's Day":

Video St. Patrick's Day parades in Dublin:

Video St. Patrick's Day song:

Lyrics to the song:

Happy St. Patrick's Day! The story of St Patrick's Day began so long ago

The lyrics in this song will tell you all you need to know

the seventeenth of March is when this joyous holiday

is celebrated happily with colorful parades.

Patrick was only sixteen when the pirates captured him

they sold him to slavery and took him to Ireland

He kept the faith and made his escape when he was twenty-two

and made it back to Britain 'twas the only home he knew

Patrick had a vision to return to Ireland and vowed to teach Christianity

until the bitter end legend says that Patrick used the shamrock to explain

that the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are all and one the same

On this day the Irish dress in many shades of green and some are feeling lucky

with the leprechauns they've seen it's music and fun for everyone

We'll party and we'll play. Come one, come all.

Come join along on this St. Paddy's Day!

CARNIVAL TIME (2): MARDI GRAS OR FAT TUESDAY

The terms "Mardi Gras", "Mardi Gras season", and "Carnival season",in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after Epiphany and ending on the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday" (in ethnic English tradition, Shrove Tuesday), referring to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, which started on Ash Wednesday. Related popular practices were associated with celebrations before the fasting and religious obligations associated with the penitential season of Lent. Popular practices included wearing masks and costumes, overturning social conventions, dancing, sports competitions, parades, etc. Similar expressions to Mardi Gras appear in other European languages sharing the Christian tradition. In English, the day is called Shrove Tuesday, associated with the religious requirement for confession before Lent begins.
Carnival is an important celebration in Catholic European nations. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the week before Ash Wednesday is called "shrovetide", ending on Shrove Tuesday. It has its popular celebratory aspects as well. Pancakes are a traditional food. Pancakes and related fried breads or pastries made with sugar, fat and eggs are also traditionally consumed at this time in many parts of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Today, Mardi Gras is colourful street carnivals, marching bands, dancing and all-night partying in the streets. Many people dress up in spectacular costumes and wear beautiful masks. The biggest Mardis Gras carnivals are in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), and New Orleans (USA). Thousands of people from all over the world visit these cities to join in the fun. Venice (Italy) is home to one of the oldest carnivals in the world, which dates back to 1268. Thousands of mask-wearing people fill the Venetian streets and attend special masked balls. In Sydney, Australia, Mardis Gras is celebrated by the city’s gay and lesbian community with street parades and costumes.

TOMORROW FRIDAY, WE'LL CELEBRATE OUR OWN CARNIVAL AT SCHOOL FROM 12:30h ONWARDS, WHICH WILL START A 5-DAY-OFF HOLIDAY. ENJOY!

More on Carnival:
Look for previous entry in this blog on February, 8th, 2010 or under the labels Carnival & Tradition, called IT'S CARNIVAL TIME.

Links to Carnival sites:

- Notting Hill Carnival (London):
http://www.nottinghill-carnival.co.uk/local_area.html?id=4

- Mardi Gras New Orleans:

http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/

Video Krewes at New Orleans 2006 Mardi Gras:

14th FEBRUARY: VALENTINE'S DAY

Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions.The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Valentine and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 500 AD. It was deleted from the Roman calendar of saints in 1969 by Pope Paul VI, but its religious observance is still permitted. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). The day first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.
Modern Valentine's Day symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.

Video of the history behind Valentine's Day:

IT'S CARNIVAL TIME

Photos from London's Notting Hill Carnival held every August.

Carnival is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnival typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, masque and public street party. People often dress up or masquerade during the celebrations, which mark an overturning of daily life.
Carnival is a festival traditionally held in Roman Catholic and, to a lesser extent, Eastern Orthodox societies. Protestant areas usually do not have carnival celebrations or have modified traditions, such as the Danish Carnival or other Shrove Tuesday events. The Brazilian Carnaval is one of the best-known celebrations today, but many cities and regions worldwide celebrate with large, popular, and days-long events. These include the Carnevale of Venice and the Carnevale of Viareggio, Italy, the German Rhineland carnivals, centering on the Cologne carnival; the carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands; in Andalucia & Galicia (Spain) Carnival of Cádiz and in Ourense ; the carnival of Cape Verde; of Torres Vedras, Portugal; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Rijeka, Croatia; Barranquilla, Colombia; Dominican Republic; Haiti; Jamaica; the Carnaval and the Llamadas in Montevideo, Uruguay and Trinidad and Tobago Carnival. In the United States, the famous Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama, date back to French and Spanish colonial times.

In Britain, the season immediately before Lent was called Shrovetide. It was a time for confessing sins (shriving) with fewer festivities than the Continental Carnivals. Shrove Tuesday is celebrated as Pancake Day, but apart from the serving of pancakes and occasional pancake races and football matches, little else of the Lent-related Shrovetide survived the English Reformation. One of the few, if not the only, Shrovetide carnivals in the UK takes places in Cowes and East Cowes on the Isle of Wight. This is the first carnival of the year on the island, and is the start of a long and busy carnival calendar.
The traditional English carnivals take place later in the year, such as the West Country Carnival in November, associated with Guy Fawkes Night. African-Caribbean communities organise and participate in Caribbean Carnivals (Caribbean style carnivals) throughout the UK. The best known of these is the annual Notting Hill Carnival, attracting up to 1.5 million people from Britain and around the world, making it the largest street festival in Europe. The carnival began in 1964 as a small procession of Trinidadians in memory of festivals in their home country. It is held in August. Leeds West Indian Carnival is Europe's oldest West Indian carnival and now attracts around 130,000 people. Other carnivals include the Leicester Caribbean Carnival and the Birmingham International Carnival. Luton Carnival, begun 1976, is in May. St Pauls carnival, an African Caribbean Carnival usually takes place on the first Saturday of July in Bristol.

Video "CARNIVAL GIRL", TEXAS with Notting Hill after the party:

Video "CARNIVAL GIRL", Texas+Kardinal Offishal live on TV:

"CARNIVAL GIRL"
TEXAS (featuring Kardinal Offishall) 2003
See me in the morning light, a photograph of pure delight.
Yeah, but I left too soon. (I don’t see you girl, ya know)
There were some good times we had, and there were some that weren’t so bad.
Oh, just feel it now, lets feel it now.
RAP (1): Yoh, yo, I remember what we used to do
blink up and dream a living with a notion view
I’ll give you the sun, the stars and the blue sky too.
So come on a leasing want to pleasing you.
Remember when we used to link up with the crew
Suzanne, Suzette and Tanya too.
You’re the one on me side from the out yard view
it’s just a party now, yo, I believe in you, I ain’t leaving you.
CHORUS: OOH, COME ON LET’S GET DOWN TONIGHT,
COME ON LET’S GET DOWN TONIGHT,
JOIN THE CARNIVAL OF LOVE,
OOH, WELL YOU SING IT NOW, TAKE IT NOW,
JOIN THE CARNIVAL OF LOVE. (Come on join in the carnival of love, yeah)
I watch the laughter in your eyes, I see the wrinkles change in size
yeah, time has left you now.
Lovers may have tried to be, everything that’s strange in me
oh, much deeper now, (Much deeper) much deeper now.
RAP (2):, Yo, I used to love it when we used to play,
it used to be like a weekend everyday,
three times a night, right in everyway,
body to body make you scream and say, physically dance.
You’re not easy, take it easy,
only girl, we are love, but man, we got hope,
and you stay on my mind,
so lets go to the carnival, girl. Let me bring you to life.
CHORUS (X 2)
Push it now, push it now. (I believe in you). Stop me now. (X 4)
(I believe in you, I ain’t leaving you)
CHORUS (X 2)
REPEAT RAP 1

FEBRUARY, 2nd: GROUNDHOG DAY

Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated on February 2. It is held in the United States and Canada. According to folklore, if a groundhog emerging from its burrow on this day fails to see its shadow, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter will soon end. If on the other hand, the groundhog sees its shadow, the groundhog will supposedly retreat into its burrow, and winter will continue for six more weeks. The holiday, which began as a Pennsylvania German custom in southeastern and central Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19th centuries, has its origins in ancient European weather lore, wherein a badger or sacred bear is the prognosticator as opposed to a groundhog. The holiday also bears some similarities to the medieval Catholic holiday of Candlemas. It also bears similarities to the Pagan festival of Imbolc, the seasonal turning point of the Celtic calendar, which is celebrated on February 1 and also involves weather prognostication.

Modern customs of the holiday involve celebrations where early morning festivals are held to watch the groundhog emerging from its burrow. In southeastern Pennsylvania, Groundhog Lodges (Grundsow Lodges) celebrate the holiday with fersommlinge, social events in which food is served, speeches are made, and one or more g'spiel (plays or skits) are performed for entertainment. The Pennsylvania German dialect is the only language spoken at the event, and those who speak English pay a penalty, usually in the form of a nickel, dime or quarter, per word spoken, put into a bowl in the center of the table. The largest Groundhog Day celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where crowds as high as 40,000 have gathered to celebrate the holiday since at least 1886.

Historical origins.

In Scotland the tradition may also derive from an English poem:
As the light grows longer

The cold grows stronger

If Candlemas be fair and bright

Winter will have another flight

If Candlemas be cloud and rain

Winter will be gone and not come again

A farmer should on Candlemas day

Have half his corn and half his hay

On Candlemas day if thorns hang a drop

You can be sure of a good pea crop.

This tradition also stems from similar beliefs associated with Candlemas Day and Groundhog Day. Candlemas, also known as the Purification of the Virgin or the Presentation.

In western countries in the Northern Hemisphere the official first day of Spring is almost seven weeks (46–48 days) after Groundhog Day, on March 20 or March 21. About 1,000 years ago, before the adoption of the Gregorian calendar when the date of the equinox drifted in the Julian calendar, the spring equinox fell on March 16 instead. This is exactly six weeks after February 2.

Video: