Eurovision Song Contest 2015

You all know who represented Spain yesterday, but let us tell you about two groups from two English speaking countries: the UK and Australia. Australia? Yes, we know. Australia isn't part of Europe, but it was invited to take part in the 60th anniversay of this song contest.

A pop duo called Electro Velvet  represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015.

Bianca Nicholas was a contestant on The Voice in 2014 but none of the judges turned around for her. Alex Larke usually performs as a tribute act to rock legend Mick Jagger.

Their song is called Still in Love With You and is described as an up-tempo electric swing track. Unfortunately, they finished 24th. Do you like their song?

Guy Sebastian, who is one of Australia’s most popular performers, represented Australia for the first time in the Eurovision Song Contest. The title of his song is Tonight Again. He finished 5th. What do you think of the song?

Victoria Day

While we are back to lessons after a long weekend, Canadians celebrate Victoria Day today. 

Why do they celebrate it? Well, they do it to mark the birth of Queen Victoria.

Victoria, who was queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and empress of India, was born in 1819. She was only 18 when she took over the throne in 1837 after her uncle George IV died. A few years later, she married her cousin, Prince Albert. They had nine children together. When Prince Albert died, Queen Victoria became very sad and she wore black for the rest of her life. She ruled until her death in 1901, when her son Edward the VII became the King of England.

But, what is Victoria Day?

Canadians celebrate Victoria Day on the Monday before May 24. This year Victoria Day is May 18th.  Victoria Day became a popular holiday in Ontario in 1845 and a national holiday in 1901. During the 1900s, it used to be called Empire Day and then it changed to Commonwealth Day. Now Canadians call it Victoria Day. Victoria Day, or May Long Weekend as it's often called, marks the unofficial start of summer. 

To find out more about this celebration, you can listen to the podcast below recorded by Raquel and Noelia (1ºBac). You will need to know what a Penny Black is. The Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It was issued in Britain on 1 May 1840, for official use from 6 May of that year and features a profile of Queen Victoria.

Galician Literature Day

Today, we are celebrating Galician Literature Day. It's a public holiday in Galicia aldo known as the Day of Galician Literature Day or the Day of Galician Letters. It marks the anniversary of the publication of the literary work Cantares Gallegos by Rosalía de Castro on May 17, 1863.

The first Galician Literature Day was held on May 17, 1963. The Royal Galician Academy annually honours a Galician language writer. This year's honoured writer is Xosé Filgueira Valverde.

Now that you've learnt or rememebered something about the bank holiday in Galicia, we'd like to invite you to listen to Alex (2º ESO) reading two poems written by Rosalía de Castro and translated itno English by John howard Reid. the poems are Why do you despise me? and Daydreaming.

HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT MOTHER'S DAY?

While we are celebrating Mother's Day today, people in the UK celebrated it on March 15th and in the USA they will celebrate next Sunday!

Where does this celebration come from?

During the Middle Ages the custom developed of allowing people who had moved away from where they grew up to come back and visit their home churches, and their mothers, on the fourth Sunday of the Christian festival of Lent. This became Mothering Sunday in Britain. As the dates of Lent vary each year, so does the date of Mothering Sunday.

Although it's often called Mother's Day in the UK, it has no connection with the American Mother's Day.

Mother's Day in the US

In the United States, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May each year.

The idea started in America when a woman called Anna Jarvis held a small memorial service for her own mother on May 12, 1907. Soon most places in America were observing the day and in 1914 the US president made it a national holiday, celebrated on the second Sunday of May.

What's the traditional food on Mother's Day?

The food item traditionally associated with Mothering Sunday is Simnel cake - a type of fruit cake. Although, nowadays it's also associated with Easter.

HAPPY MAY DAY!

Yes, May's just come!

This weekend is a bank holiday weekend in the UK too. May Day celebrations have their origins in the Roman festival of Flora, goddess of fruit and flowers, which marked the beginning of summer. It was held annually from April 28th to May 3rd.

A traditional May day dance is known as Maypole Dancing. On May day, people used to cut down young trees and stick them in the ground in the village to mark the arrival of summer. People danced around them in celebration of the end of winter and the start of the fine weather that would allow planting to begin.

If you want to learn more about this special celebration, here you a have link to slideshow entitled 10 Fun Facts About May Day.

We hope you like it!

10 FUN FACTS ABOUT MAY DAY