Dec 18, 2018
Illuminated streets, family atmosphere, music, Christmas shopping, and of course, the lottery. The Spanish Christmas Lottery or simply Lotería de Navidad is a national lottery. In the Spanish-speaking media it is sometimes just called El Gordo and is the second longest continuously running lottery in the world. The Christmas Lottery is one of the most deeply rooted traditions in Spain. Share tickets (décimos) with family members, with the group of friends, with coworkers … and dream about everything that can be done if you buy a ticket. The lottery administrations, during these months, are filled with people full of hope. The “décimos” are given or shared, because as the slogan of the Christmas Lottery says, “the best gift is to share it”. On December 22nd, the date on which the lottery of Christmas is held, all the Spaniards follow the live draw on the radio or televisions at work or at home, consulting the internet via mobile … everyone wants to know if they or someone they know have won something. From the first draw, the children of San Ildefonso were in charge of singing the numbers of the Christmas Lottery, which until 1913 were printed on papers. As of this date, the system of drums and wooden balls that is still used today was implemented. Currently, the maximum prize has a value of 4 million euros. Although the statistics prove that the chances of winning are very low, each year the prize of this famous lottery makes someone happy, and this fact feeds the illusion of others who resort to lucky classics like rubbing the “décimo” by the...
Oct 25, 2017
Is Halloween celebrated in Canary Island? The answer is – no. In Canary Islands Spanish celebrate the holiday known as “finaos” that has similarities with Halloween. On the evening of Finaos children go around their neighborhood similar to Halloween trick or treat. However they knock on the doors collecting dried fruits (no candy;-). Spanish families get together and recall their deceased ancestors (“finaos”). Almost all families serve grilled chestnuts with honey rum and sign folklore songs. In Canarian culture this festivity is an opportunity for families and neighbors to get together to honor the memory of the deceased. Remembering the dead is considered the way to show love and respect. At the same time it is a celebration of life that intends to drive away the fear of death. One of the tradition of this festivity is to visit cemeteries and bring flowers to the graves or to attend a mass. Spanish speaking countries have different traditions to commemorate their dead family members. In Mexico, for example, people bring food for the deceased to their graves. Moreover they stay for a bit and have a meal at the graveyard. This way they show respect to their deceased family members. Mexicans also believe that they are still present in the lives of their relatives, at least once a year. Although there are more and more people celebrating Halloween instead, the tradition is still maintained, especially among older people. Unlike Halloween, “finaos” has a deeper religious...
May 5, 2017
When we decide to learn a new language, we always do it with great enthusiasm! But there is a high risk that we drop it soon. Most people who begin to learn a foreign language gradually lose interest or quit right away, but why? Common reasons – lack of time and, above all, not having chosen the most effective method of learning. You must have already researched different options of courses to learn Spanish, we have reviewed each one of the them to outline pros and cons. When choosing a course, the first thing to take into account is the time available, the money you are willing to invest and, the most important, the commitment you are willing to make to learning. The first decision to make is to start studying in your country or take the big step and study abroad. From the economic point of view it is always better to start in your country, but from an educational efficiency point of view, the best way to learn a language is linguistic immersion. Sign up for a language school in your town You decided to start learning Spanish in your country. The cheapest method is to take course in a public language school. You get several classes a week and an official degree. But it has 2 serious disadvantages: Non-native teachers: Most state schools have very good teachers, but most are non-native. It is not bad, but it is always better to hear a native teacher to work on your accent. Students who have a language in common – a temptation to use your own language in...
Apr 22, 2017
The cinema is a window into the culture and reality of society. It reflects on the personalities and the way of understanding the world in a very creative way. Watching movies can help us better understand the culture and idiosyncrasy of another country, and therefore, can help us to better understand the language. Spanish cinema is very particular and different from American movies or the aesthetics of other European cinema. To get you started we have selected 10 best Spanish movies. Here Spanish movies we highly recommend watching We have selected movies, that in our opinion, reflect the personality of the Spaniards the best. So get comfortable and enjoy watching and improving your Spanish! ¡Bienvenido, Mister Marshall!, Luis García Berlanga (1953) Number one on our list – classic of Spanish cinema. “Bienvenido, Mister. Marshall” is a funny satire of the international isolation that Spain was put under because of the Franco dictatorship. It is a sardonic look at the program of economic aid of the American government to Europe after World War II, known as Plan Marshall, contrasting it with the Castilian rural environment and with the international topic of Spain of bulls and flamenco. Despite being a 50’s film, in many ways it is very current. Tesis, Alejandro Amenábar (1996) The second out of 10 best Spanish movies on our list is a psychological thriller that presents a subtle critic to the morbidity that every human being has over the forbidden, evil and the pain of others exemplified in the virulence of snuff movies. Not suitable for apprehensive people. El milagro de P.Tinto, Javier Fesser (1998) Number three is...
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