MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015!!!
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Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta Special Dates. Mostrar todas las entradas
22.12.14
4.5.14
22.4.14
23 April - International Book & Copyright Day
Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra and English writer William Shakespeare died on the same day. That date, 23rd April, is now International Book Day.
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| Miguel de Cervantes |
He was a novelist, a poet, a playwrighter and a soldier. His notable works were Don Quixote, Entremeses and Novelas ejemplares (Exemplary Novels).
His signature
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| William Shakespeare |
His signature
The following strategies will help you to understand when you read a book. Try them!!
| Source: Wikipedia |
28.3.14
Earth Hour
Earth Hour is an annual global campaign that encourages people and businesses around the world to switch off electricity at the same time for one hour. The aim is to get people thinking about the planet they live on and the energy they use.
Earth Hour is organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). It was started by Andy Ridley, originally from Britain, who is executive director of Earth Hour Global, WWF. He came up with the idea of Earth Hour because he wanted to raise awareness of environmental issues by asking people to do something positive to help the planet. Switching off the lights for an hour can make a small difference to the amount of energy we use but Earth Hour is also a symbolic event to make people think about the problems of climate change.
Earth Hour started in Australia in 2007 when 2.2 million people in the city of Sydney turned off all non-essential lights for an hour. Since then it has grown to a massive global event. In 2013, millions of people in 7,000 cities and towns around the world switched off their lights for 60 minutes at the end of March, when is around the time of the spring and autumn equinoxes in the northern and southern hemispheres respectively, so sunset times in both hemispheres are at similar times. This means that a global ‘lights out’ event has most visual impact at this time of year.
Every year landmarks and well-known buildings around the world such as the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, the Petronas towers in Malaysia, the UK Parliament, Big Ben, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, the Empire State Building and the Eiffel Tower among others, take part and ‘go dark’ for Earth Hour. The campaign even went into space when astronauts reduced power on the International Space Station in 2011.
Earth Hour 2014 will have Spider-Man as the first superhero ambassador and also launches Earth Hour Blue, a digital crowdfunding and crowdsourcing platform for the planet.
Earth Hour 2014 will be held on Saturday 29th March between 8.30 p.m. and 9.30 p.m. in your local time zone. A lot of world events take part every year. Will you take part?
Watch Spider-Man video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZhbIyrx4AQ
See more at: http://www.earthhour.org/
Source: Wikipedia - Earthhour
19.3.14
29.11.13
Black Friday
What is "Black Friday"?
In The United States is known as "Black Friday" a day after the Thanksgiving Day that begins the Christmas shopping season, and the closure of the fall season, with significant reductions in many retail stores and department stores.
The term originated in Philadelphia, where it was used to describe the heavy traffic of people and vehicles that filled the streets by the police officers responsible for traffic control. Later an alternative explanation emerged, referring the term "Black" to the accounts of the trade, moving from the red to black thanks to the surplus . "Black Friday" is not officially a holiday, but many employers see this day as a holiday along with Thanksgiving Day, giving their employees the day off, in fact increasing the total number of potential buyers.
Usually it has been the largest shopping day of year-round movement since 2005. Currently "Black Friday" became popular in many countries.
28.11.13
Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving Day has its origins in a mixture of European and Aboriginal traditions.
The celebration was at the end of a successful harvest season when all the crops were collected from the fields to be eaten or stored for winter. People gathered to celebrate and thank God for a good harvest and an abundance of food. This tradition was later brought to North America by European settlers.
It is a national holiday on the 2º Monday of October in Canada and on the 4º Thursday of November in the United States.
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| 2º Monday of October in Canada |
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| 4º Thursday of November in the United States |
Most people celebrate this festival with family gatherings in their homes where they prepare a feast. In many homes it is common to offer a prayer of thanks.
The traditional main course for dinner is a large roasted or baked turkey, with a stuffing made from cornbread and sage. It is traditionally served with jelly or cranberry sauce.
Besides vegetable dishes are usually served like green beans, sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes with gravy, a sauce made from turkey juice.
It is also served a variety of desserts being the most popular pumpkin pie, the pecan nut pie and apple pie.
5.10.13
5 October - World Teachers' Day
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| © UNESCO |
5 October - World Teachers' Day
"A Call for Teachers" is the slogan for World Teachers' day 2013.
This year's celebrations will focus on UNESCO's work on quality teachers for global citizenship and cultural diversity.
Teachers develop learners' abilities to build a sustainable future with citizens who are able to take action in their own communities and contribute to global challenges.
World Teachers’ Day: why the 5 of October?
In 1994, UNESCO proclaimed 5 October World Teachers’ Day, in celebration of the great step made for teachers in 1966 when a special intergovernmental conference convened by UNESCO in Paris in cooperation with the ILO adopted the ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers. This recommendation sets forth the rights and responsibilities of teachers, and international standards for their initial preparation and further education, recruitment, employment, teaching and learning conditions. It also contains many recommendations for teachers’ participation in educational decisions through consultation and negotiation with educational authorities. Since its adoption, the Recommendation has been considered an important set of guidelines to promote teachers’ status in the interest of quality education.
Why a day for teachers?
World Teachers’ Day held annually on 5 October is a UNESCO initiative, a day devoted to appreciating, assessing, and improving the educators of the world. The real point is to provide a time to look at and address issues pertaining to teachers. Strangely one of the most central, vital professionals to society does not receive the respect it deserves in some parts of the world.
This day is a natural extension of UNESCO's all year round work of promoting teachers, ensuring that this profession, so vital to the healthy functioning of society, is itself "healthy". Teachers are a normative indicator of social health.
Why an international day, doesn’t each country have very specific issues?
Teachers are producing global citizens, so they are global teachers, who need to situate their advances on a global level. WTD is an opportunity to rethink national issues facing teachers from an international perspective, to benchmark progress made by national teachers in a global context. UNESCO provides the best global context to address and exchange ideas across borders. Take the opportunity of the day to discuss, compare, learn, argue, share and improve.
Source: © UNESCO - Education International
8.9.13
8 September - International Literacy Day
Literacy is a fundamental human right and the foundation for lifelong learning. It is fully essential to social and human development in its ability to transform lives. For individuals, families, and societies alike, it is an instrument of empowerment to improve one’s health, one’s income, and one’s relationship with the world.
Illiteracy is an obstacle to a better quality of life, and can even breed exclusion and violence. Educational opportunities depend on literacy.
The central role of literacy is in promoting human rights, gender equality, conflict resolution and cultural diversity. Lasting peace depends on the development of literate citizenship and access to education for all.
Source: UNESCO
30.7.13
30 July - International Day of Friendship
30 July - International Day of Friendship
On May 3, 2011, during the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, in the treatment of the Culture of Peace, recognized "the relevance and importance of friendship as noble and valuable sentiment in the lives of human beings around the world " and decided to designate as International Friendship Day on July 30 of each year, in line with the original proposal promoted by the World Friendship Crusade held in Puerto Pinasco, Paraguay, on July 30, 1958, in which Dr. Artemio Bracho (later founder of the World Friendship Crusade), proposes the establishment of a day to celebrate the friendship between human beings.
The initiative was presented jointly by 43 countries (including Spain and almost every country in South America) and accepted unanimously by the General Assembly.The General Assembly designated this day with the idea that the friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace initiatives and presents an opportunity to build bridges between communities.
The resolution (A/RES/65/275) places special emphasis on the importance of involving young people and future leaders in community activities aimed at promoting the inclusion of different cultures and respect among them, while promoting the international understanding and respect for diversity.
Also, the day is intended to support the goals and objectives of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace and the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence for the Children of the World (2001-2010).
To mark International Friendship Day, UN calls on all Member States, international and regional organizations and civil society, to hold events, activities that contribute to the international community's efforts to promote dialogue among civilizations, solidarity, mutual understanding and reconciliation.
Secretary-General’s Message for 2013:
The International Day of Friendship is an important opportunity to confront the misunderstandings and distrust that underlie so many of the tensions and conflicts in today’s world.
It is a reminder that human solidarity is essential to promoting lasting peace and fostering sustainable development.
On this International Day of Friendship, let us cultivate warm ties that strengthen our common humanity and promote the well-being of the human family.
Ban Ki-moon
Source: United Nations
22.12.12
20.11.12
20 November - Universal Children's Day
Universal Children's Day
20 November
20 November
By resolution 836(IX) of 14 December 1954, the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN), recommended that all countries institute a Universal Children's Day, to be observed as a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children. It recommended that the Day was to be observed also as a day of activity devoted to promoting the ideals and objectives of the Charter and the welfare of the children of the world. The Assembly suggested to governments that the Day be observed on the date and in the way which each considers appropriate. The date 20 November, marks the day on which the Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child*, in 1959, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in 1989.
In 2000 world leaders outlined the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)* – which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015. Though the Goals are for all humankind, they are primarily about children. UNICEF notes that six of the eight goals relate directly to children and meeting the last two will also make critical improvements in their lives.
In 2012, the Secretary-General launched a new initiative Education First. The Initiative aims to raise the political profile of education, strengthen the global movement to achieve quality education and generate additional and sufficient funding through sustained advocacy efforts. Achieving gains in education will have an impact on all the Millennium Development Goals, from lower child and maternal mortality, to better health, higher income and more environmentally-friendly societies.
* Find here:
The Declaration of the Rights of the Child
(The complete official text)
The Declaration of the Rights of the Child (A simplified version)
The Declaration of the Rights of the Child (A simplified version)
UNICEF: The importance of eliminating malnutrition
There has been significant progress, such as reducing infant mortality by 41%. However, 19,000 children still die daily from causes that can be avoided. 6,400 of them die from causes related to malnutrition.180 million children under five suffer from chronic malnutrition, which can cause irreversible damage to them in their development and 20 million children suffer from severe acute malnutrition, which puts them at risk of death if they do not receive attention.
Ending infant malnutrition is vital to meet most of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In addition, investment in nutrition is one of the most profitable that can be done, as it can accelerate economic growth and help millions of people out of poverty.
Source: United Nations -
Unicef - Google Images
31.10.12
31 October - Halloween is here!!!
Halloween, an American celebration..?
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| A Witch flying on her broom at a full moon night... |
Halloween's
History
Origins of Halloween
Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids (Celtic priests) to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.
To
commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the
people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic
deities. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically
consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each
other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their
hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from
the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.
By
43 A.D., the Roman Empire had conquered the majority of Celtic
territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled
the Celtic lands, two festivals
of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic
celebration of Samhain. The first was Feralia, a day in late
October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the
dead. The second was a day to honour Pomona, the Roman goddess
of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the
incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the
tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is practised today
on Halloween.
On
May 13, 609 A.D., Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon in Rome in
honour of all Christian martyrs, and the Catholic feast of All
Martyrs Day was established in the Western church. Pope Gregory III
(731–741) later expanded the festival to include all saints as well
as all martyrs, and moved the observance from May 13 to November 1.
By the 9th century the influence of Christianity had spread into
Celtic lands, where it gradually blended with and supplanted the
older Celtic rites. In 1000 A.D., the church would make November 2
All Souls' Day, a day to honour the dead. It is widely believed today
that the church was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the
dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. All Souls Day was
celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and
dressing up in costumes as saints, angels and devils. The All Saints
Day celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from
Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night
before it, the traditional night of Samhain in the Celtic religion,
began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween.
Read more
about Halloween's History 
Jack O’Lantern : The Legend of "Stingy Jack"
People have been making jack-o'-lanterns at Halloween for centuries. The practice originated from an Irish legend about a man nicknamed "Stingy Jack." According to the story, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn't want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks. Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form. Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and that, should Jack die, he would not claim his soul. The next year, Jack again tricked the Devil into climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree's bark so that the Devil could not come down until the Devil promised Jack not to bother him for ten more years.Soon after, Jack died. As the legend goes, God would not allow such an unsavoury figure into heaven. The Devil, upset by the trick Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as "Jack of the Lantern," and then, simply "Jack O'Lantern."
In Ireland and Scotland, people began to make their own versions of Jack's lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them into windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits. In England, large beets are used. Immigrants from these countries carried the jack o'lantern tradition with them when they went to the United States. They soon found that, pumpkins, a fruit native to America, make perfect jack-o'-lanterns.
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| A Ghost collecting sweets in a pumpkin |
Apple
bobbing Game
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| Apple Bobbing Game |
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| Halloween Costumes |
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| Halloween Masks |
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| Trick or Treat Tradition |
Trick
or Treat?
In North America, trick or treat has been a customary Halloween tradition since at least the early 1950s. Home-owners wishing to participate in it sometimes decorate their private entrances with artificial spider webs, plastic skeletons and jack-o-lanterns. Some rather reluctant home-owners would simply leave the sweets in bowls on the porch, others might be more participative and would even ask an effort from the children in order to provide them with sweets. In the more recent years, however, the practice has spread to almost any house within a neighbourhood being visited by children, including senior residences and condominiums.
The tradition of going from door to door receiving food already existed in Great Britain and Ireland in the form of "souling", where children and poor people would sing and say prayers for the dead in return for cakes. Guising—children disguised in costumes going from door to door for food and coins—also predates trick or treat, and is recorded in Scotland at Halloween in 1895, where masqueraders in disguise carrying lanterns made out of scooped out turnips, visit homes to be rewarded with cakes, fruit and money. While going from door to door in disguise has remained popular among Scots and Irish, the North American custom of saying "trick or treat" has recently become common. The activity is prevalent in the united States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Puerto Rico, and northwest and central Mexico. In the latter, this practice is called calaverita (Spanish for "little skull"), and instead of "trick or treat", the children ask ¿Me da mi calaverita? ("Can you give me my little skull?"); where a calaverita is a small skull made of sugar or chocolate.
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| A Zombie or Evil Spirit |
Do you like reading terrifying tales? If so... why don't you share a spooky story with your friends tonight? You may need to use a dictionary to help you with the vocabulary. Do you manage to scare your friends with your tale? Choose a story and click on the title to read: Spooky Stories
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| A Haunted House |
Halloween around the world
Although Halloween is often seen as a predominantly American celebration, you’ll be surprised to know that many countries around the world also celebrate Halloween. Many have their own unique traditions.
Read more about Halloween around the world
9.3.12
8 March - INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
MARCH 8th
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
On March 8th it is celebrated the International Women's Day. This day commemorates the struggle of women for their participation, on equal terms with men, in society and in their integral development as a person.
International Women’s Day: why the 8 of March?
Established by the United Nations in 1977, “International Women’s Day” owes its origins to the protests of women, particularly in Europe, who demanded, at the beginning of the 20th century, the right to vote, improved working conditions and gender equality. 19 March, the last Sunday of February, 15 April and 23 February are among the key dates for International Women’s Day.
- 1910: in Copenhagen (Denmark), hundreds of participants gather at the Second International Conference of Socialist Women (the first having been held in 1907) and decide to organize an annual day for women to bolster their efforts to achieve voting rights.
- 1911: a day for women is celebrated in a number of European countries and in the United States. But this celebration occurs on 19 March, in commemoration of the revolution of 1848 and of the “Commune de Paris”.
- 1913: Russian women celebrate their first International Women’s Day on the last Sunday of February, by organizing clandestine gatherings.
- 1915: As the First World War rages, a huge gathering of women is held in The Hague (Netherlands) on 15 April. Participants include over 1300 women from over 12 countries.
- 1917: Women labourers take to the streets and declare a general strike announcing the Russian Revolution. The date was 23 February.
- After World War II, 8 March begins to be celebrated in a number of countries, before being recognized by the UN as International Women’s Day in 1977.
Before the Revolution, Russia had not yet adopted the Gregorian calendar, introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 to mitigate the errors of the Julian calendar, which owes its name to the Roman emperor who had chosen it 46 years before the birth of Jesus Christ. The Gregorian calendar is used today in the large majority of countries. In 1917, 23 February in Russia thus corresponded to 8 March in the other European countries.
A little Homage
The following video is a little homage to all of the women who try to improve the world every day of their lives.
The pictures in the video go along with Angela Aki singing the song she co-wrote with her music teacher Janis Ian in a collaborative work in July 2010: “Every Woman's Song' is a song about transcending national boundaries, gender, age, race, a song of friendship, about ties between woman and ties between people.”
You can find the lyrics below the video.
Song: Every Woman's Song
Artist: Angela Aki
Every woman is a story
Might not always have a happy ending
And every story has a history
And the past is always worth remembering
To all the women who have gone before me
To all the women who have yet to come
We all weave our separate stories
But from a distance they are one
We are a rainbow of faces and a tapestry of songs
We all come from different places in this world
Though we are strangers when we meet
We are sisters when we're done
We are beauty, we are mystery, we are one
We are every woman's song
And every woman is a journey
We are always right where we belong
Hearts can guide us, hearts can blind us
Still we carry one
Thank you to the mothers and daughters of my soul
To all the women I will never know
And you have given me a voice that I can call my own
You are beauty, you are mystery, you are one
You are every woman's song
We are a rainbow of faces and a tapestry of songs
We all come from different places in this world
Though we are strangers when we meet
We are sisters when we're done
We are beauty, we are mystery, we are one
We are every woman's song
This is every woman's song
Might not always have a happy ending
And every story has a history
And the past is always worth remembering
To all the women who have gone before me
To all the women who have yet to come
We all weave our separate stories
But from a distance they are one
We are a rainbow of faces and a tapestry of songs
We all come from different places in this world
Though we are strangers when we meet
We are sisters when we're done
We are beauty, we are mystery, we are one
We are every woman's song
And every woman is a journey
We are always right where we belong
Hearts can guide us, hearts can blind us
Still we carry one
Thank you to the mothers and daughters of my soul
To all the women I will never know
And you have given me a voice that I can call my own
You are beauty, you are mystery, you are one
You are every woman's song
We are a rainbow of faces and a tapestry of songs
We all come from different places in this world
Though we are strangers when we meet
We are sisters when we're done
We are beauty, we are mystery, we are one
We are every woman's song
This is every woman's song
Say YES to:
- Gender equality
- Right to vote
- Education
- Improved working conditions
Say NO to:
- Domestic violence
- Sexual violence and assault
- Genital mutilation
- Racism
- Injustice
24.2.12
Carnival
CARNIVAL
What is Carnival?
Carnival is a public celebration before the Christian Lent, with variable date (from late January to early March) depending on the year and lasts several days. Despite the great differences that its celebration presents in the world, the common characteristic is to be a period of permissiveness and a lack of control, where people from all walks of life come together and participate with colorful costumes, parades, floats and parties in the streets full of music and dance. According to legend, during the night of carnival anything can happen and that's why people usually wear masks.
What is the origin of Carnival?
The origin of the celebration seems likely in pagan festivals, such as those performed in honor of: Bacchus, the god of wine; or Saturnalia, honoring Saturn, the god of agriculture; or Dionysian Greek and Roman celebrations; or the bull Apis in Egypt; or Prehispanic Andean festivals and African American cultures.
In the early Middle Ages the Catholic Church proposed a derivation of carnival: from vulgar Latin the carne-levare, meaning 'to leave the flesh' (mandatory requirement for all people every Friday during Lent). This custom spread throughout Europe, being carried to America by the Spanish and Portuguese navigators in the XVth century.
Then came another etymology which is currently handled at the popular area: the Italian word “carnevale”, which meant the time during which you could eat.
In the late XXth century several authors began to suspect the pagan origin of the name: Carna is the Celtic goddess of the beans and bacon and Indo-European festivals dedicated to the god Karna, son of Sun god and Queen Kunti.
Currently, the carnival is a festival of playful character.
Where is the carnival celebrated?
Nowadays, the most famous and international Carnivals all over the world are:
- Rio de Janeiro in Brazil (according to the Guinness Book of Records, the biggest carnival in the world)
- Venice in Italy
- Venice in Italy
- Tenerife and Cadiz in Spain
- Caribbean in Trinidad and Tobago
- Mardi Gras, New Orleans inUSA.
- Caribbean in Trinidad and Tobago
- Mardi Gras, New Orleans inUSA.
Enjoy these costumes from Venice Carnival!
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