A Spanish Christmas
•Christmas Presents - Regalos Típicos
Spanish tradition has it that the Three Kings, los Reyes Magos, are the ones who on the morning of January 6th, el Día de Reyes, bear presents for all the children, repeating the ritual they performed after baby Jesus was born. Influenced by American films and TV shows, some families have decided to switch to Papá Noel on Christmas Day, arguing that this allows the kids more time to play with their toys.
Most Spanish people keep their fingers crossed for a Christmas windfall, courtesy of the world-renowned lottery draw, El Gordo, literally The Fat One. This is a long, drawn-out event that unfolds on the morning of December 22nd. Ticket numbers in a giant drum are matched to balls with millionaire prizes in a smaller drum. The ticketing system allows people to buy fractions and subfractions of different numbers, décimos and participaciones, with increasing chances of a share in the winnings.
As the top prizes come out, TV and radio coverage centres on the search for the many winners and for the particular lottery shop where the winning ticket was bought.
•Food and Drink - Comidas y Bebidas
Christmas sweets are the main seasonal staple. El turrón, nougat, is essential. This almond-based tablet traditionally comes in two versions, duro, hard, with whole almonds in a paste of sugar, honey and egg white, or blando, soft, where the ingredients are ground together.
Las figuras de mazapán, marzipan figurines, are also popular, together with los polvorones, soft crumbly cakes made with lard, flour and cinammon.
The main meal takes place on Christmas Eve, la Nochebuena, and consists of a major dish of meat or seafood, such as cordero, lamb, bacalao, cod, or marisco, shellfish, which varies according to the region or the family's preferences.
The 'lucky grapes', las uvas de la suerte, are the law on New Year's Eve, la Nochevieja - literally 'Old Night'. A tradition introduced in the early 20th century, it's said to bring good luck if at each stroke of the bells at midnight you take one grape and make one wish, un deseo, for the New Year, el Año Nuevo.
•Quirky Customs - Curiosidades
Celebrations stretch from December 22nd, when the big lottery draw takes place, to January 6th, when the presents are unwrapped. Then, between Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, there's still time to fit in another celebration. The equivalent of April's Fools Day takes place in Spain on December 28th, el día de los Santos Inocentes, Holy Innocents' day.
Nativity scenes with figurines are laid out on a table at home, with no limit to their degree of elaboration. Life-size figures are also on display in public squares and there are silent, living representations in public halls.
But in Cataluña there's a surprising addition to the crib: el caganer, which means, for want of a more offensive translation, the defecating shepherd. What's more, this scatological streak extends to a peculiarly-shaped local cake, la tifa, with sugar flies to top it all off!
martes, 1 de diciembre de 2009
PROFILES
NELSON MANDELA
Mandela led the struggle to replace the apartheid regime of South Africa with a multi-racial democracy. He was imprisoned for 27 years and went on to become his country's first black president.
Rolihlahla Mandela was born in Transkei, South Africa on 18 July 1918 and was given the name of Nelson by one of his teachers. His father Henry was a respected advisor to the Thembu royal family.
Mandela was educated at the University of Fort Hare and later at the University of Witwatersrand, qualifying in law in 1942. He became increasingly involved with the African National Congress (ANC), a multi-racial nationalist movement trying to bring about political change in South Africa.
In 1948, the National Party came to power and began to implement a policy of 'apartheid', or forced segregation on the basis of race. The ANC staged a campaign of passive resistance against apartheid laws. In 1952, Mandela became one of the ANC's deputy presidents. By the late 1950s, faced with increasing government discrimination, Mandela, his friend Oliver Tambo, and others began to move the ANC in a more radical direction. Mandela was tried for treason in 1956, but acquitted after a five-year trial.
In March 1960, sixty-nine black anti-apartheid demonstrators were killed by police at Sharpeville. The government declared a state of emergency and banned the ANC. In response, the organisation abandoned its policy of non-violence and Mandela helped establish the ANC's military wing 'Umkhonto we Sizwe' or 'The Spear of the Nation'. He was appointed its commander-in-chief and travelled abroad to receive military training and to find support for the ANC.
On his return he was arrested and sentenced to five years in prison. In 1963, Mandela and other ANC leaders were tried for plotting to overthrow the government by violence. The following year Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was held in Robben Island prison, off the coast of Cape Town, and later in Pollsmoor Prison on the mainland. During his years in prison he became an international symbol of resistance to apartheid.
In 1990, the South African government responded to internal and international pressure and released Mandela, at the same time lifting the ban against the ANC. In 1991 Mandela became the ANC's leader.
He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize together with FW de Klerk, then president of South Africa, in 1993. The following year South Africa held its first multi-racial election and Mandela was elected its first black president. In 1998, he was married for the third time to Graça Machel, the widow of the president of Mozambique. Mandela's second wife, Winnie, whom he married in 1958 and divorced in 1996, remains a controversial anti-apartheid activist. In 1997 he stepped down as ANC leader and in 1999 his presidency of South Africa came to an end.
Mandela continues to support a variety of causes, particularly the fight against HIV-Aids. In 2004, Mandela announced he would be retiring from public life and his public appearances have become less and less frequent. On 29 August 2007, a permanent statue to Nelson Mandela was unveiled in Parliament Square, London.
GRAMMAR POINT
LOOK, SEE, OR WATCH ?
Many students often confuse look, see and watch.
See means to notice people and things with your eyes:
She saw a big spider and screamed.
Mary saw the car drive up the road.
Look is used when you are trying to see something or someone:
I´ve looked everywhere but can´t find my keys.
I looked at the map to find the road.
Watch means to look at something for a period of time, usually something which moves or changes:
He watched TV all evening.
I watched the football match with some friends.
Note : while you are sitting in the cinema you watch a film, but before you go, you say you are going to see a film and afterwards you say you have seen the film.
Many students often confuse look, see and watch.
See means to notice people and things with your eyes:
She saw a big spider and screamed.
Mary saw the car drive up the road.
Look is used when you are trying to see something or someone:
I´ve looked everywhere but can´t find my keys.
I looked at the map to find the road.
Watch means to look at something for a period of time, usually something which moves or changes:
He watched TV all evening.
I watched the football match with some friends.
Note : while you are sitting in the cinema you watch a film, but before you go, you say you are going to see a film and afterwards you say you have seen the film.