Saint George's Day

Saint George is the patron saint of England, celebrated annually on 23rd April, the day of his death, in 303.

Although the Saint never visited the British Isles in his lifetime, his legend is well known in England. It is said that he fought on English side during the Crusades and the Hundred Year's War. Nowadays, Saint George's day is considered a celebration of English culture.

A traditional custom to celebrate this day is to fly the Saint George's Cross flag, the flag of England and part of the Union Jack, the flag of the United Kingdom. As well, English people consume traditional English food and drinks.

But 23rd April is not just known as the "national" day of England. This day is celebrated as the commemoration of William Shakespeare's birthday and death. He was baptised the 26th April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon and he became the greatest English writer and the best dramatist of the world. He wrote about 38 plays (including Hamlet, Macbeth, The tempest or Romeo and Juliet), 154 sonnets and two long narrative poems.

Known as the "Bard of Avon", today we can visit the theatre which was built in London by his playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's men, in 1599, recently rebuilt: The Globe.

To know more about Shakespeare and The Globe, follow this link and experience the virtual tour:

http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/about-us/virtual-tour

Saint Patrick's Day

Saint Patrick is the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland. He lived in the 6th century A.D., and came to Ireland to convert its people to Christianity.

Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated on 17 March, which is said to be the date of his death. It is the Irish national day, which is celebrated widely by English speaking people with or without Irish ancestry. This day has come to be associated with everything Irish: anything green and gold, shamrocks and luck. Most importantly, it is a traditional day for spiritual renewal and offering prayers for missionaries worldwide.

Many people wear green clothes, eat Irish food and drink the Irish Guinness, which many bars also try and dye green. Big cities and small towns alike celebrate with parades. Some communities even go so far as to dye rivers or streams green!
 

Everyone can be Irish on Saint Patrick's Day!

Do you want to learn more? 
Visit http://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day 

Valentine's Day

Let me give you my hand;

May it ever be there for you.

Let me give you my shoulder;

May it always comfort you.

Let me give you my arms;

May them only hold you.

Let me give you my heart;

May it only love you.

Day of Non-Violence and Peace

We can. We can heal the world. We can make it a better place.

"Heal the World" is a song from Michael Jackson released in 1991. The music video features children living in countries suffering from unrest. It encourages humanity to try and heal all conflicts and abuse in the world, to make the world "a better place... for the entire human race". This song also inspired the creation of the Heal the World Foundation, a charitable organization which was designed to improve the lives of children in need. 

Ready for Christmas?

Listen to this popular Christmas song by Wham from 1984. Watch the video and write a verb in each gap as you listen.

 

Last Christmas (Wham)

Chorus

Last Christmas, I gave you my heart

But the very next day, you gave it away

This year, to save me from tears

I’ll give it to someone special

(2x)

Once bitten and twice shy

I (1) ____________ my distance but tears still catch my eye

Tell me, baby, do you recognize me?

It’s been a year; it doesn’t (2) _____________ me

Happy Christmas--I wrapped it up and (3) ______________ it

With a note saying, “I love you”; I (4) _______________ it

Now I know what a fool I’ve been

But if you (5) ______________ me now, I know you’d fool me again

Repeat chorus

A crowded room, friends with tired eyes

I’m (6) ______________ from you and your soul of ice

My God, I thought you were someone to (7) ______________ on

Me, I guess I was a shoulder to (8) ______________ on

A face on a lover with a fire in his heart

A man under cover, but you tore me apart

Ooh, now I’ve found a real love

You’ll never fool me again

Repeat chorus

A face on a lover with a fire in his heart

A man under cover, but you tore him apart

Maybe next year I’ll give it to someone

I’ll give it to someone special, special

Someone...someone

I’ll give it to someone

I’ll give it to someone special, special

 

Happy Black Friday!

And tomorrow... Black Friday!

Black Friday takes place the Friday following Thanksgiving Day in the United States. It is one of the busiest shopping days in the USA and it is regarded as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.


Many people have a day off work on Black Friday. Some of them use this to make trips to see family members or friends who live in other areas or to go on vacation. Others use it to start shopping for Christmas presents, since many stores have special offers and lower their prices.

 THINK BEFORE YOU BUY!
DON'T BUY TOO MUCH!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Did you know that today is Thanksgiving in the United States?

Thanksgiving is a national holiday which is celebrated for the most part in the United States and Canada. In Canada, Thanksgiving takes place on the second Monday of October whereas in the United States it is celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November. This holiday is seen as day to give thanks for the harvest from the previous year.

People tend to spend Thanksgiving with their families and it is traditional to roast a turkey with stuffing inside on this day.

Other traditions include:

• making cranberry sauce.
  
• pulling on the wishbone from the turkey (it is said to be good luck to get the biggest part).
• some typical Thanksgiving vegetable dishes include sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes or corn. For desert, many families make pumpkin pie.
• in many cities there are Thanksgiving parades. 
  
  
  

  

  Mashed Potatoes

  

  Turkey

  

  Cranberry Sauce

  

  Parade

  

  Pumpkin Pie