Halloween History vs. Halloween Stories

This weekend, the 31st of October, is Halloween.
But what is REALLY the Halloween festival?

We all know about dreadful and horrible Halloween stories like this:

Spooky pumpkins , killer clowns, monsters, witches, vampires, zombies, ghosts and ghouls...

And there are also some  funny stories or parodies about these spooky characters, such as this:

 

Count Duckula is a vegetarian vampire and he is also very polite and good!
Look at the intro of this TV Series. What words and expressions do you understand?

And now with the subtitles. It's really funny! :)

All these stories are horrible and spooky, funny and entertaining but...
do we know the real history of Halloween?
Let's have a look at it!

 

Una versión simplificada de lo que ocurre en  Halloween en español aquí:

Well, I think we all know more about the REAL Halloween festival now.
I hope you enjoyed this special Halloween post, my friends!

Happy Halloween to everybody! Be spooky and scary!
Good night out there, whatever you are!  3:)

P.S: We're going to a Halloween costume party! (Look below)
Have you already prepared your spooky toffee spider cakes? Terrifyingly Yummy! :-P

Hello everybody!
A new academic course begins and here I am again with this blog!
Did you have a nice summer?

What are your plans for September? A new job? Any new studies?
And also going on learning English, of course! ;)
Here you have a calendar of September 2013 to help you organise your ideas and plans.

 

As you can see , British calendars usually start on Sunday and finish on Saturday.
How are the calendars organised in your country?
Tell us about it, please!

Well, my friends. I will post again soon.
As always, I welcome your suggestions -in English or Spanish - for publishing new posts in this blog.
See you soon! Roll on September!
:)

Christmas around the world

Merry Christmas to everybody!

1- CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD

Let's watch a video about "Christmas around the world" first:

1.1- WRITING

- What Christmas customs can you see in this video? ..............................................

- What Christmas decorations are used in your town? ..............................................

- How do you decorate your own home at Christmas? ..............................................


2- CHRISTMAS CAROLS

A Christmas carol (also called a nöel) is a song or hymn whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.

2.1- LISTENING & READING:

Now we are going to listen to a typical Christmas carol:

2.2 - READING

The author and composer is unknown. However, this song may date back to the 16th century.
Now read the lyrics of this traditional carol:

WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS

We wish you a Merry Christmas.
We wish you a Merry Christmas.
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year.

Glad tidings we bring
To you and your kin.
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year.

Now bring us a figgy pudding.
Now bring us a figgy pudding.
Now bring us a figgy pudding
And a cup of good cheer.

We won't go until we get some.
We won't go until we get some.
We won't go until we get some,
So bring some out here. 

Glad tidings we bring
To you and your kin.
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year.

2.3- VOCABULARY

What's the meaning of the following words? You can look them up in a dictionary!
1) tidings
2) kin
3) a fig
4) a figgy pudding
5) a cheer
 
2.4- SPEAKING - KARAOKE TIME

Watch the video again once or twice and then sing the song aloud!

That's all my friends!
I wish you a Merry Christmas to you and your kin!
:-)

Easter in Spain, the UK and the USA - Semana Santa (Pascua) en España, Reino Unido y USA

We are going to watch some short videos about Easter in Spain and the UK.
Vamos a ver algunos vídeos cortos sobre la Semana Santa / Pascua en España y en el Reino Unido.

Easter Week in Spain / Semana Santa en España:

 

Easter in the UK / Pascua en el Reino Unido:

And to end with, a Happy Easter children's song with the US Walt Disney characters.

Y para terminar, una canción infantil de Feliz Pascua con los personajes americanos de Walt Disney.

Enjoy it! Happy Easter to everyone! :) 
¡Que la disfrutéis! ¡Feliz Pascua / Semana Santa a todos! :)