Halloween (I)

Halloween is one of the better known holidays in the world and it's celebrated on the 31st of October. It is related to the Celtic feast of Samhain, and it also revolves around the world of the Death, Terror and Fantasy.

On this day people usually wears costumes and prepares parties. There are many varieties of costumes, but the majority of them are related to scary things, like witches, zombies, vampires, werewolves, skeletons, etc.

Children, some teenagers and even some adults, wear costumes and go to different houses asking for candy, and if they don't receive it, the house-owner could finish the night with some prank done to him or the house.

It is said that on this night the veil between our world and the other one is thinner than it is normally, so spirits could walk freely in our world. Because of that, people wears costumes, to avoid being attacked by the spirits or scare them away.

Some people also get together to see terror films at home or at the cinema.

Sources:
http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/uk/halloween
http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/gallery/2011/10/20111006130334enaj0.600857.html

PD: The information about this holiday hasn't finished yet. Wait for the next one!!

Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, Columbus' Day and Eid-al-Adha

In the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, on the 4th of October, some churches do special services in which they bless pets. This feast is celebrated to honor the founder of the Catholic Church’s Franciscan order. St. Francis is the Catholic Church’s patron saint of animals and nature.

There are many symbols associated with St. Francis, like animals in general, stigmata (that are wounds on hands- llagas/heridas), a fiery chariot (una cuadriga en llamas), fire, a skull (calavera), a crown of thorns (una corona de espinas), etc.

Columbus' Day conmemorates the day in which Christopher Columbus arrived to the 'New World'. It is celebrated on the second Monday of October and it is a federal holiday in the US.

Eid-al-Adha, celebrated around the 10th to the 13th days of the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah (the Islamic calendar is lunar, so it's celebrated each year on different days in October), honors the willingness of Abraham to kill his son following God's command.

In official slaughterhouses they allow some Muslims sacrifice a cow, goat or sheep, and the meat is shared with family and friends. Others give money to charities and eat any meat based on meal. Other groups arrange a meeting to have communal meals.

Sources:

http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/uk/st-francis-assisi-feast

http://answers.usa.gov/system/templates/selfservice/USAGov/#!portal/1012/article/5019/Columbus%20Day

http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/uk/eid-al-adha

 

October's Holidays

In October we have two different Holidays in the US and three different holidays in the UK.

The holiday that both have in common is Halloween, on the 31st.

The second holiday in the US is Columbus' Day, usually celebrated on the second Monday of the month.

The two holidays that we have left in the UK are the Feast of St.Francis of Assisi
 and the Eid-al-Adha, both of them are religious holidays. The first one is celebrated by Christians on the 4th. The second one is celebrated by Muslims on the 15th.

INTRODUCTION

Hi, there!

 This blog has been created because it's part of a little work I have to do, but I'll try to continue with it as long as I am able to.
 In this blog you'll learn about the different feast and holidays in the UK and the US. I'll try to teach you some of the things they do in these holidays and typical vocabulary of some of them. Sometimes I'll be translating the vocabulary words into Spanish, or explaining them in Spanish, and show you some exercises, games, videos or pictures to understand them better.

Hope you like it!!