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Wednesday 31 December 2014

Happy New Year 2015 :-)



Nos desea Mónica Carretero desde Segovia.

Y yo os felicito efusivamente a todos y cada uno de vosotros con esta selección de canciones, deseos e información sobre esta celebración.




I wish U to have a 
Sweetest Sunday,
Marvelous Monday,
Tasty Tuesday,
Thankful Thursday,
Friendly Friday,
Successful Saturday .
Have a great Year
HAPPY NEW YEAR!





New is the year
New are the hopes
New is the resolution
New are the spirits
And new are my warm
Wishes just for you
Have a promising
And fullfilling New Year!

THE FANTASTIKIDS & Monsieur Nô wish you "HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015"
This English children choir is made up 20 pupils from ERMITAGE, International School of France.



Los componentes del coro « los Fantaschic@s » alumnos del Colegio Pùblico y bilingüe Alhambra de Madrid nos desean feliz año nuevo con esta canción:



Traditions

England

England celebrates the New Year from the evening of December 31st into January 1st. Traditionally it is not as widely celebrated as Christmas, but the year 2000 saw a large change. For instance people did not used to celebrate New Year with fireworks (they were reserved for Bonfire Night), but last year and this all across England people were setting off fireworks on the stroke of midnight.
More traditionally, on the stroke of midnight, people open the back door (to let the old year out) and ask the first dark haired man to be seen to come through the front door carrying salt, coal and bread. This means that the following year everyone in the house will have enough to eat (bread), enough money (salt) and be warm enough (coal).

Scotland

In Scotland they always seem to celebrate New Year better than anywhere else. The celebration of New Year's Eve is called "Hogmanay". The word Hogmanay comes from a kind of oat cake that was traditionally given to children on New Year's Eve.
In Edinburgh the celebrations always include a massive party from Prince's Street to the Royal Mile and Edinburgh Castle. Unfortunately due to overcrowding in the past the event is now ticket only.
On New Year's Day (actually from the stroke of midnight) the tradition of first footing is observed. This is because the first person to set foot in a residence in a New Year is thought to profoundly affect the fortunes of everyone who lives there. Generally strangers are thought to bring good luck.
The version of Auld Lang Syne that was re-written by Robbie Byrnes, Scotland's National poet, is beloved in Scotland where it is sung on New Year's Eve while people cross hands at midnight.

We all sing Auld Lang Syne at midnight on December 31st but most people don't know that it is a Scottish poem written in 1788 by Robert Burns and later set to the music of a folk song. I've put in the English translation.

It's about connection with others. The kind that binds you to someone forever: loyalty, friendship, kindness, love. Even though that person might not be with you anymore. It's about the human spirit's ability to hope for the future while enduring rough times by remembering these precious human attributes. 


Wales

New Year's Eve is called "Nos Galan" in Welsh, and  they also believe in letting out the old year and letting in the new if the first visitor in the New Year is a woman and a man opens the door it's considered bad luck. In addition, if the first man to cross the threshold in the New Year is a red head, that is also bad luck.
People in Wales also believe that you should pay off all debts before the New Year begins. Tradition states that ending a year in debt means a whole new year of debt.
On New Year's Day "Dydd Calan" in Wales the children get up early to visit their neighbors and sing songs. They are given coins, mince pies, apples and other sweets for singing. This stops at midday.
it can also depend on where you live as to when you celebrate New Year in Wales.  Some areas still celebrate Dydd Calan on January 12th.
Learn English

Times Square - New York




Wednesday 24 December 2014

Christmas Eve



Aquí tenéis el último sobre del Calendario de Adviento y podéis ver su contenido. Ya no quedan más por abrir, lo que nos anuncia que ha llegado el día esperado...

Para los que no os quedéis con la curiosidad, los últimos en salir fueron:

Snowman



Angel 



Santa's sleigh





Christmas cards



 Christmas cracker



Carol singers 



The Three Wise Men



Nativity Scene




¿Os acordáis de Ágata? ¡Cuánto le ha cundido un año!
Aquí la tenéis ahora junto a sus papis, dispuesta a no perderse ni un detalle de cuanto le rodea.



Tan atentos como siempre, nos felicitaron las fiestas nada más empezar este mes, gracias familia por compartir vuestra dicha :-)



Mónica Carretero nos envía desde su Cuaderno de Viaje esta felicitación:



Sàlvia desde la biblioteca de Cocentaina también se acuerda de todos y nos manda...



...y todas estas imágenes del Papa Noel en plena faena




Esta otra  nos llega de Melissa, "la studentessa matta", desde USA: 

Dear friends! I wish you much joy this holiday season, as well all year long. As Irene Grandi sings in the song “Or is it Christmas every day”/ O è Natale tutti i giorni… “we should shake hands everyday whether it is Christmas or not”…

TuttiMattiPodcast1_StudentessaMatta

Y la más especial la que nos manda Jose María, este angelito que con tanto mimo preparó Loles las pasadas Navidades con los mejores deseos...







Sunday 21 December 2014

It's Freezing! - Winter arrives...



First Day of Winter 2014 - The Winter Solstice



"Visits should be short, like a winter's day."


"Deep snow in winter; tall grain in summer"—Estonian proverb

"A fair day in winter is the mother of a storm"—English proverb



It's so much fun
At winter time...

















Displaying

Monday 15 December 2014

I'm singing in the rain, today :-)



Buenos y lluviosos días :-)
Después de pasar la noche acunada por el ruido de la lluvia al caer, me despierto con la compañía de esta alegre canción...



¡Qué falta que hace el agua! ¡Sea bienvenida, que caiga, riegue los campos y los alimente!

¿Os habéis dado cuenta del color tan especial que cobran las plantas, los árboles y la naturaleza estos días grises?

Hay que equiparse bien y si nos mojamos cambiarnos de ropa para recuperar el calorcito pero no perder el humor a pesar de que se asocien las tormentas y los nubarrones con un ánimo triste o de capa caída.




Y es que hoy hace un día de película y allá que vamos todos juntos a disfrutar de una buena sesión de cine: Diary of a Wimpy Kid




Abrimos una ventanita a nuestro Advent Calendar para que le vayáis siguiendo la pista. Adrián nos ayuda a recordar lo que hasta ahora ha ido apareciendo, gracias por estar siempre pendiente de que todo vaya bien, eres nuestro duendecillo particular :-)

























Los cuatro primeros días los tenéis aquí

Del quinto al noveno aquí.

10th - Baubles



11th - Roast Turkey



12th - Christmas Pudding



13th - A candle



14th - Holly




15th - Christmas cake




Friday 12 December 2014

Christmas Crafts & More




Crafts by Amanda



Kid tested it, Mother aproved



Food Art: Fruit Tree 

5 Fun Cinco De Mayo Inspired Music Party Crafts for Kids

Music party crafts for kids


Pinzellades al món - Boles de neu

Holiday2015_gliamici_StudentessaMatta2

Studentessa matta: Celebrating the holidays with friends

Ciao friends…elves, reindeer, snowmen and magical nutcrackers! Also a special greeting to the super stars of the season… la Befana and Santa Claus. Welcome one and all to the podcast Tutti Matti per l’Italiano! I am Melissa and I write the Matta Blog in which I explore all aspects of Italian language and culture. Tis the season to be merry and celebrate with friends the Christmas holidays. I love everything about the Christmas holidays – decorating the tree, setting up the presepe, making Christmas cookies and spending special moments with my family and friends. At this magical time of the year we are united by the celebration of the birth of a baby who inspired peace, love and hope. No matter where you live, in America or in Italy, everyone celebrates the holiday in a slightly different way and has their own traditions and favorite holiday memories. Melissa

befana-e-babbo-natale

Presenting the new Sainsbury’s Christmas advert. Made in partnership with The Royal British Legion. Inspired by real events from 100 years ago. 

This year’s Christmas ad from Sainsbury’s – Christmas is for sharing. Made in partnership with The Royal British Legion, it commemorates the extraordinary events of Christmas Day, 1914, when the guns fell silent and two armies met in no-man’s land, sharing gifts – and even playing football together.