FALLAS; BEGOÑA RODRÍGUEZ MANSILLA

FALLAS

First of all, we need to know what is "Fallas". It's the most important and popular festivity in Valencia, Spain. Also, it's a festivity declared of National Turistic interest. It involves the construction of figures which will be burned later, concretly on 19th of March.

This party starts on 15th of March and ends on 19th on March too.

Every single figure is called "falla", and they have their own name depending on the place that they're located. People who live there has a holiday week, during the festivity. Furthermore, people wear the typical clothes: girls wear a very big dress with powerful and brilliant colours with a special hairstyle too. On the other hand, boys wear a vest and a shirt with short jeans. They usually wear a hanky on their head. The typical food are doughnuts and 'paella' which are delicious.

In addition other thing that is very famous are firecrackers and even there's an amazing and noisy explosion of them every day at 2p.m since the festivity has started.

Finally, all the figures mentioned before, are burned the last day, and the following day, the artists start building new ''fallas'' for the next year. 

In my opinion, it's the best festivity in my country. I love it and I go to Valencia every year to see the 'fallas'.

Yi Peng Festival- Blanca Aurora Martin Maldonado

Yi Peng  is a traditional buddhist festival, celebreated in Thailand and Laos. That festival is also associated with the Loy Kratong festival. Yi Peng takes place on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the Thai lunar calendar. People throw lamps to  celebrated the beginning of a new period, to forget about the negative things of the past, and start with the new year's resolutions. 

The festival was originated in the 13th century. According to the legend, Nang Nopphament was a consort of the Sukhothai king and she had been the first to launched a decorate lamp. However, there is no evidence that Nang had ever existed.

Nowadays, the festival is known throughout the world, and people from all over the world visit Thailand and celebrate that day with the locals. The country is decorated with lights and colours. And at 20:00 pm, after the Buddhist ceremony, everyone launch their lamp.

To sump up, this festival it's a perfect way to leave bad things and start with new resolutions, taking part in this illuminated festival.

THE SUPER BOWL

THE SUPER BOWL

 The Super Bowl is a special American football game played every year at the end of the National football game (NFL) season. The best team from each of the two NFL conferences play for the Vince Lombardi Trophy, which was named after the first coach to win a Super Bowl. For most football fans, it is a very special event.

Some people who do not like football still watch it for the commercials and the half-time show. The TV advertisements during Super Bowl are the most expensive in the world in per second value. Because the high cost of advertising companies usually produce unique advertisements. As a result, watching advertisements has been a well publicized event in itself.

 In my opinion this event is amazing, not only because the top two teams play in the final, which is staged as a single match, also because a lot of famous singers and famous brands participate in it. For example, the NFL commissions its merchandising companies to annually produce two sets of championship merchandise, such as T-shirts and hats, for each Super Bowl. Moreover, there are a lot of advertising spots which are very expensive to produce.

In different famous series like ``The Simpsons´´ or ``How I met your mother´´ appears this match because  It´s the biggest sporting event for Americans. The equivalent in Europe is the Champions League.

I want to go someday in the future.

José Miguel Salmerón Serrano

Advantages and disadvantages of ''Eurovision''

Eurovision is an european TV concert of music celebrated every year on May. In this concert, participate different people of each country who represent it. This people was chosen by judges of the own country. It is celebrated in the last winner country of the concert since 1956.

Firstly, there's no doubt that celebrating Eurovision increases the level of Europe because the world audience watches it during the weekend when it's done. Eurovision could help someone's to improve it fame for example, the winner or 2012 (Loreen from Sweden) has earned many millions of euros only with the social impactic made by the song 'Euphoria' and now she's became really famous. Nevertheless, not many poeple get it. It's not used to happen that the winner of one year become famous. The main advantage is the social boom of the country.

On the other hand, many countries decide not to participate because they think the punctuation is not fear. At the end of the interpretations, each country mark the others depending on it representation
but unfortunately, the countries wiches are near used to help to each other. Austria or Serbia obtain always good marks and its songs not are really good. For that reason, if the way to mark not change countries like Italy or Ireland won't participate (not all the years).

In my opinion, I believe Eurovision is not a really concert where we can obtain future artists of music. Is an event very popular and this is why is celebrated each year. The best artists have never been in Eurovision. It's a concert blinded by the quantity of money that it produces.

NBA All-Star Weekend

The NBA All-Star Weekend is a weekend festival held every February during the middle of the NBA regular season that consists of a variety of basketball events, exhibitions, and performances. No regular season games are held during this period.

On Friday rookies have leadership with Rising Stars Challenge. Next day there’re four contest; shooting stars competition, skills challenge, Three-Point Contest and an unbelievable Slam Dunk Contest.

On Sunday there’s The NBA All-Star Game, it’s an exhibition game hosted annually, matching the league's star players from the Eastern Conference against their counterparts from the Western Conference. Each conference consists of 15 teams each, making it 30 in total. Fans decide which players play the game; this is decided by an online vote.

Now, players want to go to NBA All Star Weekend to exhibitionist and to earn more money. This weekend mobilizes many people. It’s a big event that have concerts and other performances in order to entertain people.

Corpus Christi- Lucia Ardid

This week in Granada will be hold the Corpus Christi which is a very popular tradition here. As a result of that, we also celebrate the Granada's fair these days. 

It consists on many parties and parades. To begin with, there is a very famous parade called "La Tarasca" which walks around the city centre on Wednesday. The most important item is a figure of a woman that every year gets her clothes changed. Moreover, there are famous people such us the Catholic Kings or the "cabezudos". 

Then, on Thursday there is a religious procession very famous because of the people who appear in it. They are the children who have done the communion this year.

In addition, you can go to the place where the fair is situated, which is not very near of the city centre but it worths it. There, you can dance typical Andalusian dances and sing flamenco music. Furthermore, there are some attractions like the bumper cars or the roller coaster. 

On balance, I think that Corpus in Granada is very interesting and its celebrations are so impressive so everyone should come and have fun here.

Corpus Christi- Maria Jimenez Infantes

The international day of Corpus Christi in Granada is celebrated sixty days after Easter Sunday. This feast celebrated by Catholic Church, aimscelebrating the Eucharist.


During the feast of Corpus Christi there are different events, one of them is the Tarasca day ,in which we can see giants and big heads through the streets of Granada.The figure presents the fashion maid of the year. It's a girl above a dragon, it is a tradition that goes back to the old Mesopotamia.One of the events that represent Granada in the Corpus Christi is the figure of the bull.Where famous bullfighters fight bulls in the bullring.


I would reccomend this party because you can spend many days dancing drinking and having a great tiime, it is also a beatiful week to walk through the streets of Granada, where you will fing tourists from all around the world coming to visit this unique festival.

E3-Los Angeles

E3 is the world's premier trade show for computer, video and mobile games and related products. At E3, the video game industry's top talent pack the Los Angeles Convention Center, connecting tens of thousands of the best, brightest, and most innovative professionals in the interactive entertainment industry. For three exciting days, leading-edge companies, groundbreaking new technologies and never-before-seen products will be showcased.

                                                    

The first E3 was celebrated in 1995 by Interactive Digital Software Association. It takes place at June on Angeles Convention Center, since 1995 a lot of video games had been showed in E3 like Metal Gear Solid or super Mario bros, but also consoles like Nintendo 64, play, game boy advanced and more consoles and games.

 But why is this convention celebrated? The most important thing of this celebration is the award that E3 give to the game or console that had been selected by all of the people that are there.

In short, this convention is the dream of every gamer because you can see before everybody in the world the new games that are going to be in the shops and test it playing in a simulator of the game.

                                                                             Juan Antonio Garcia Ramos.

Thanksgiving Day.

Thanksgiving is one of America's most treasured holidays and traditions.This is a national holiday celebrated in the United States and Canada as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year. It's celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in USA and on the second Monday of October in Canada.

Thanksgiving Day started in New England. It was for thanksgiving God for the abundant harvest of crops. This is usually somewhere in late fall when the crops have been harvested. People from many parts of the world have been holding some kind of harvest festivals for thousand years.

Today,Thanksgiving dinner almost always includes some of the foods served at the first feast: turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, pumpkin pie. Before the meal begins, families or friends usually pause to give thanks for their blesangs, including the joy of being united for the occasion.

All in all, if you want to know more about differents cultures you can go abroad to USA or Canada by this time. You can learn how the tradition is and if you are religious you will enjoy more. It's a fantastic tradition because all the family is reunited for one night to thanks God.

Groundhog Day

Groundhog day is an American and Canadian tradition, although it has European origins. On February 2, farmers use a groundhog's behavior to foresee if winter is going to end or not.

Pennsylvania Germans started this tradition, which was at first a German costume, where they used a badger instead of a groundhog. There are also similarities with Celtic ancient festivities. 
On Groundhog day, a groundhog wakes up and comes out of its burrow. If it's cloudy, the groundhog will stay out, and that means that winter is about to end. If it's sunny, the groundhog goes back inside, theorically because it sees its shadow, and winter will last another six weeks. Many towns in the USA and Canada celebrate festivals around this event, with food, music and speeches. The largest one is held in Punxutawney, Pennsylvania, with the groundhog called Phil. The film "Groundhog Day" made this festival particularly famous. 

Groundhog Day is an important tradition in a huge part of North America, and even if it's quite unknown here, it's always interesting to check how other cultures have fun superstitions as well. So, if you enjoy beer, German dialects and groundhogs, you should visit one of these towns on February 2.

4th July - by Jesús García Gallego

4th of July

4th of July is one of the most important days for an American person. Every patriot in United States of America take 4th of July as the biggest moment in the year to commermorate the United Stated Declaration of Independence. 

The National day of U.S.A. originated in 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was signed in Filadelfia the 4th of July. Since that year, americans celebrate this day as the birth of their country and the beginning of the nation. There weren`t as much states as today, just 13, but nowadays it is common for all of them.

Today, 4th of July is based on having some free days and families uses it to have picnic`s together. Parades are organizated as well and americans can enjoy them on the streets. At night, in complete darkness, fireworks are the main attracion. Huge institutions have their own fireworks, but the greatest for americans are the ones which are shot at home. They can be even homemade, but the importance is on having a great time with the family and friends.

In short, every 4th of July is probably the date that americans are looking fordward to come and an unforgettable expererience for visitors. 

San Fermín

     Every year in Pamplona, people celebrate San Fermín in honour of Saint Fermín. It takes place from 6 to 14 of July, during nine days.

     The holiday origined in 1950. But before, from the 12th century, Fermín was christened in Pamplona and he became the first bishop from that city. When he died in Pamplona a lot of children were christened there and after many years the tradition began, and then it became too popular.

     This festival is known internationally for the corrida (running with bulls). It is a race where people ran along the streets with a lot of bulls next to them and they should come to the plaza (a place like a rounded square where bull's running take place). Apart of that, it is also celebrated the Txupinazo party which consists in yelling: ''Pamplonenses, viva San Fermín, Gora San Fermin!'', and then, people get crazy and get drunk. During the holiday people usually wear white clothes and a red hangkerchief around their necks.

     To sum up, staying in this festival can be something outstanding, but if you go to San Fermín, you'll enjoy with the people of Pamplona and their parties. 

Brazilian Carnival

   The Carnival of Brazil is an annual festival. It take place 40 days before Easter. 
  
   Spanish and Portuguese people were who brought this festivity to Brazil. This people adapted to the special habits of Brazil. That´s how the Carnival of Brazil arose. But its originin take back to the European Carnival that consist in throwing water from one person to another to purify the body.
   Today, they are more elaborated. There are schools that participate in it. They have a year to prepare the festivity. Each school choose one specific topic and it is exposed in the parade with dancers, carriages and colours.

   In short, the Carnival of Brazil is one of the most joyous festivities. If I visited Brazil, I would go to this Carnival, it must be amazing.

Bastille Day.

France celebrates Bastille Day on July 14th.This day commemorates the end of the French monarchy and the beginning of the French Revolution. This day a big group of people rebelled against France's King and Queen.


The french revolution and more specifically the Storming of the Bastille was due to the fact that their King and Queen were corrupted. People decided to storm the most important prision, the Bastille. This action started the French Revolution, wich took over 10 years. The revolution achieved a lot of changes, the monarchy was over and the 4th of July became the national day 100 years after the storming of the Bastille. 

Today the Bastille Day is a very important day for every single french person, as 4th of July for Americans. They celebrate it with fireworks, music, festive dances and bands. Every city has its own firework display and all the people come and see it, after that it is typical to go to a bar and to be with your family. 

4th July- Andrea Santana

In the United States the Fourth of July is celebrated all around the country. It’s a day  commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, concerts, baseball games and political speeches. But why is the 4^th of July a National Day of the United States?

The origin of this day is that during the American Revolution, the Thirteen Colonies from Great Britain where legally separated on July 2, 1776, when de Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence proposed in June by Richard Henry Lee. Then the Congress turned its Attention to  the Declaration of Independence, with Thomas Jefferson as its principal author. Finally the Congress approved the Declaration on July 4. Now a Days the Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July , is a federal holiday that commemorates the Delaaration of Indepence on July 4 of 1776 .

Today, many politicians use this day to appear at a public event to praise the nation’s heritage, sometimes using this appearing as a business and political event. However, it is a great day for family reunions, picnics or barbecues, some morning parades and evening fireworks where you’ll have a fantastic time.

Brazil Carnival

Brazil carnival is a yearly festivitie that starts 40 days before Pascua marking the Cuaresma's start.


The source cames from spanish and portugese sailors where there was a mixt in afro-brasilian culture
The european origen date back in a kind of carnival called Introito which it was characterized in holy water thrown together which was banned for being too violent.


Now a days carnival is made up of people who dress up as a subject or a specific shape.
This festival is a great enhancer of the samba schools which habren whole year to prepare for the carnival.


In conclusion, although i had never been in brazil, i recommend go there and see the carnival, because it's a beautifull festivitie.


Sergio Heredia Carmona