CHRISTMAS IS HERE

Merry Christmas around the world

Afrikaner (Afrikaans) ~ "Een Plesierige Kerfees"

Argentine ~ "Felices Pascuas"

Bohemian ~ "Vesele Vanoce"Brazilian ~ "Boas Festas"

Chinese (Cantonese) ~ "Saint Dan Fai Lok"

Danish ~ "Glædelig Jul"

Dutch ~ "Vrolijk Kerstfeest" - Gezellige kerst

English ~ "Merry Christmas"

Filipino ~ "Maligayang Pasko"

Finnish ~ "Hyvaa Joulua"

French ~ "Joyeux Noël"

German ~ "Froehliche Weihnachten"

Greek ~ "Kala Christouyenna"

Hawaiian ~ "Mele Kalikimaka"

Hebrew ~ "Mo'adim Lesimkha"

Icelandic ~ "Gledileg Jol"

Indonesian ~ "Selamat Hari Natal"

Irish ~ "Nollaig Shona Dhuit"

Italian ~ "Buone Feste Natalizie" - Natale italiano

Japanese ~ "Kurisumasu Omedeto"

Korean ~ "Sung Tan Chuk Ha"

Lithuanian ~ "Linksmu Kaledu"

Malay ~ "Selamat Hari Natal"

Maori ~ "Meri Kirihimete"

Norwegian ~ "God Jul" - Norsk Jul

Romanian ~ "Craciun Fericit"

Peruvian ~ "Felices Fiestas"

Portugese ~ "Boas Festas"

Slovakian ~ "Vesele Vianoce"

Spanish ~ "Feliz Navidad"

Swedish ~ "God Jul" - Jul i Sverige

Welsh ~ "Nadolig Llawen"



























Christmas Facts

Every year more than 400 million people celebrate Xmas around the world -- that makes Xmas one of the world’s biggest religious and commercial festivities. In approximately year 300 A.D., the birthday of Jesus was determined to be on December 25, the day that has been celebrated from then till this very day. The celebration on the 25th of December starts with Christmas Eve, the evening of December 24.

The religious festival is originally a blend of pagan customs. The Romans held a festival on December 25 called Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, i.e. "the birthday of the unconquered sun.". Pagan Scandinavia celebrated a winter festival called Yule, held in late December to early January. However, it is uncertain exactly why December 25 became associated with the birth of Jesus since the Old Testament doesn’t mention a specific date of the event.

Christmas around the world:

In Italy, children receive gifts from the good witch La Befana, old, bent and dressed in black. La Befana was a widowed, childless woman when the Three Kings passed on their way to see the Christ child. When they asked her the way to Bethlehem she was busy cleaning and sent them away. Realizing her mistake, she left to search for the Baby Jesus. To this day she is still searching going from house to house on Epiphany, January 6, leaving a gift for good children.

Russian children await gifts from Babouska, a farmer's wife who offered food and shelter to the Three Wise men on their journey to Bethlehem, Baboushka declined their offer of travelling with them to visit the Christ child. Realizing her error on the eve of Epiphany, she tried unsuccessfully to find them, but handed the presents she had intended for the infant Jesus to children she passed along the way.



In Spain, Mexico, Puerto Rico and South America, the Three Kings or Wise Men bring Christmas gifts to children, while in France children eagerly await the coming of Father Christmas or Pere Noel who brings their gifts.



In some cultures, Saint Nicholas travels with an assistant. The old bishop Sinterklass arrives in Holland on December 6 in his red bishop's costume astride a white horse. In many port towns, he is said to have sailed in on a ship from Spain. Beside him walks Black Peter with a black sack and a book recording each Dutch child's behavior through the year. Good children receive a gift from the bishop while bad children may be carried away in Black Peter's sack.

In Germany Saint Nicholas also travels with a helper, known as Knecht Ruprecht, Krampus, or Pelzebock, and comes with a sack on his back and a rod or switches in his hand. Saint Nicholas gives gifts to good children, while those who have been bad are punished by the assistant with a few hits of a switch.

Swedish children wait for the gnome Jultomten, also called Julemanden or Julenisse, who dresses in red and carries a sack of gifts on his back. He flies in his sleigh pulled by the Julbocker, the goats of Thor, the god of thunder. Elves, called the Juul Nisse, hide in the attics of families throughout the year, eagerly waiting to help him. Children leave bowls of milk or rice pudding in the attic for the elves, hoping they will be empty in the morning.

In Austria and Switzerland it is Christkindl or the Christ Child who arrives bearing gifts. In some towns children await the Holy Child and in others Christkindl is a beautiful girl-angel who comes down from heaven bearing gifts.

And in England a thinner version of Santa Claus known as Father Christmas, wearing long red robes with sprigs of holly in his hair, delivers gifts to children.

THANKSGIVING DAY

The History of Thanksgiving and its Celebrations

Throughout history mankind has celebrated the bountiful harvest with thanksgiving ceremonies.

Before the establishment of formal religions many ancient farmers believed that their crops contained spirits which caused the crops to grow and die. Many believed that these spirits would be released when the crops were harvested and they had to be destroyed or they would take revenge on the farmers who harvested them. Some of the harvest festivals celebrated the defeat of these spirits.

Harvest festivals and thanksgiving celebrations were held by the ancient Greeks, the Romans, the Hebrews, the Chinese, and the Egyptians.

The Greeks
The ancient Greeks worshipped many gods and goddesses. Their goddess of corn (actually all grains) was Demeter who was honored at the festival of Thesmosphoria held each autumn.
On the first day of the festival married women (possibility connecting childbearing and the raising of crops) would build leafy shelters and furnish them with couches made with plants. On the second day they fasted. On the third day a feast was held and offerings to the goddess Demeter were made - gifts of seed corn, cakes, fruit, and pigs. It was hoped that Demeter's gratitude would grant them a good harvest.

The Romans
The Romans also celebrated a harvest festival called Cerelia, which honored Ceres their goddess of corn (from which the word cereal comes). The festival was held each year on October 4th and offerings of the first fruits of the harvest and pigs were offered to Ceres. Their celebration included music, parades, games and sports and a thanksgiving feast.

The Chinese
The ancient Chinese celebrated their harvest festival, Chung Ch'ui, with the full moon that fell on the 15th day of the 8th month. This day was considered the birthday of the moon and special "moon cakes", round and yellow like the moon, would be baked. Each cake was stamped with the picture of a rabbit - as it was a rabbit, not a man, which the Chinese saw on the face of the moon.

The families ate a thanksgiving meal and feasted on roasted pig, harvested fruits and the "moon cakes". It was believed that during the 3 day festival flowers would fall from the moon and those who saw them would be rewarded with good fortune.

According to legend Chung Ch'ui also gave thanks for another special occasion. China had been conquered by enemy armies who took control of the Chinese homes and food. The Chinese found themselves homeless and with no food. Many staved. In order to free themselves they decided to attack the invaders.

The women baked special moon cakes which were distributed to every family. In each cake was a secret message which contained the time for the attack. When the time came the invaders were surprised and easily defeated. Every year moon cakes are eaten in memory of this victory.

The Hebrews
Jewish families also celebrate a harvest festival called Sukkoth. Taking place each autumn, Sukkoth has been celebrated for over 3000 years.

Sukkoth is know by 2 names - Hag ha Succot - the Feast of the Tabernacles and Hag ha Asif - the Feast of Ingathering. Sukkoth begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Tishri, 5 days after Yom Kippur the most solemn day of the Jewish year.



Sukkoth is named for the huts (succots) that Moses and the Israelites lived in as they wandered the desert for 40 years before they reached the Promised Land. These huts were made of branches and were easy to assemble, take apart, and carry as the Israelites wandered through the desert.



When celebrating Sukkoth, which lasts for 8 days, the Jewish people build small huts of branches which recall the tabernacles of their ancestors. These huts are constructed as temporary shelters, as the branches are not driven into the ground and the roof is covered with foliage which is spaced to let the light in. Inside the huts are hung fruits and vegetables, including apples, grapes, corn, and pomegranates. On the first 2 nights of Sukkoth the families eat their meals in the huts under the evening sky.

The Egyptians
The ancient Egyptians celebrated their harvest festival in honor of Min, their god of vegetation and fertility. The festival was held in the springtime, the Egyptian's harvest season.
The festival of Min featured a parade in which the Pharaoh took part. After the parade a great feast was held. Music, dancing, and sports were also part of the celebration.
When the Egyptian farmers harvested their corn, they wept and pretended to be grief-stricken. This was to deceive the spirit which they believed lived in the corn. They feared the spirit would become angry when the farmers cut down the corn where it lived.

The United States
In 1621, after a hard and devastating first year in the New World the Pilgrim's fall harvest was very successful and plentiful. There was corn, fruits, vegetables, along with fish which was packed in salt, and meat that was smoke cured over fires. They found they had enough food to put away for the winter.

The Pilgrims had beaten the odds. They built homes in the wilderness, they raised enough crops to keep them alive during the long coming winter, and they were at peace with their Indian neighbors. Their Governor, William Bradford, proclaimed a day of thanksgiving that was to be shared by all the colonists and the neighboring Native American Indians.
The custom of an annually celebrated thanksgiving, held after the harvest, continued through the years. During the American Revolution (late 1770's) a day of national thanksgiving was suggested by the Continental Congress.




In 1817 New York State adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom. By the middle of the 19th century many other states also celebrated a Thanksgiving Day. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln appointed a national day of thanksgiving. Since then each president has issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation, usually designating the fourth Thursday of each November as the holiday.




Canada
Thanksgiving in Canada is celebrated on the second Monday in October. Observance of the day began in 1879.

The Thanksgiving Turkey

Of all the Thanksgiving symbols the Turkey has become the most well known. The wild turkey is native to northern Mexico and the eastern United States

The turkey has brown features with buff-colored feathers on the tips of the wing and on the tail. The male turkey is called a Tom and, as with most birds, is bigger and has brighter and more colorful plumage. The female is called a Hen and is generally smaller and drab in color. The Tom turkey has a long wattle (a fleshy, wrinkled, brightly colored fold of skin hanging from the neck or throat)at the base of its bill and additional wattles on the neck, as well as a prominent tuft of bristles resembling a beard projecting downward from its chest.

The turkey was originally domesticated in Mexico, and was brought into Europe early in the 16th century. Since that time, turkeys have been extensively raised because of the excellent quality of their meat and eggs. Some of the common breeds of turkey in the United States are the Bronze, Narragansett, White Holland, and Bourbon Red.

Though there is no real evidence that turkey was served at the Pilgrim's first thanksgiving, in a book written by the Pilgrim's Governor Bradford he does make mention of wild turkeys. In a letter sent to England, another Pilgrim describes how the governor sent "four men out fowling" returning with turkeys, ducks and geese.


Benjamin Franklin
"I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country: he is a Bird of bad moral character: like those among Men who live by Sharping and Robbing, he is generally poor and very often lousy.
The Turkey is a much more respectable Bird and withal a true original Native of North America"

THE STORY

DISCONTENT WITH THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND:

In the early 1600's the government of England would only allow its citizens to belong to one church known as The Church of England. Because the government in England had little tolerance for religious freedom, some people who wanted to make religion "pure" again left for Holland in 1609. The "Puritans" lived and prospered in Holland, however, they became concerned when their children began speaking Dutch and became attached to the Dutch way of life.

THE VOYAGE:

So, on September 6, 1620 the Pilgrims, and an unknown number of crew members, boarded the Mayflower to travel to the New World. The passenger list included Pilgrims, also know as the "saints" and others, whom the Pilgrims called the "strangers". The trip to the new world took several weeks. Because the ship was made of wood, the passengers could not build a fire, so the food had to be eaten cold. Many of the passengers became sick and some even died. This long trip led to many disagreements between the Saints and the Strangers.

THE MAYFLOWER COMPACT:

After land was sighted a meeting was held and an agreement, called the Mayflower Compact, was written. The Mayflower Compact guaranteed each group equality and joined the two groups together, all to be known as the Pilgrims.

THE FIRST WINTER:

Due to the long voyage, the Mayflower landed at Plymouth, north of Cape Cod, Massachusetts in November. This was very bad timing as the Pilgrims did not have time to plant food for the winter. The first winter was very harsh for the new settlers. The cold temperatures and snow interfered as the Pilgrims tried to construct their settlement. Out of the original group of Pilgrims, only about half survived the first winter.

THE INDIANS:

On March 16, 1621 an Indian named Samoset arrived at the settlement and frightened the Pilgrims until he called out "Welcome" in English. Although the Pilgrims and Samoset had a difficult time communicating, he did stay for awhile and even spent the night. Samoset left the next day and returned a few days later with an English speaking Indian named Squanto. Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to hunt, fish and grow corn.

THE FIRST THANKSGIVING:

Because of Squanto's help, the Pilgrims had a very successful harvest in October and had plenty of food for the upcoming winter. The Pilgrim's Governor William Bradford proclaimed a day of celebration and thanksgiving sometime in the middle of October. The Pilgrims invited Squanto and many other Indains to join in the celebration. The Thanksgiving feast lasted for three days.

CONTINUATION OF THE CELEBRATION OF THANKSGIVING:

The custom of celebrating after harvest time became an annual event. However, it was not until 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln officially proclaimed the last Thursday in November a national day of Thanksgiving. On November 26, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared the fourth Thursday in November as a national Thanksgiving holiday.

Jokes

A lady was picking through the frozen turkeys at the grocery store, but couldn't find one fresh enough for her family. She asked the stock boy, "Don't you have fresh turkeys?" The stock boy answered, "But they are all dead. Now how can I make them take a bath?"

What did the mama turkey say to her naughty son?
If your papa could see you now, he'd turn over in his gravy!

Asked to write a composition entitled, "What I'm thankful for on Thanksgiving,"
little Timothy wrote, "I am thankful that I'm not a turkey."

Day of Dead

Day of The Dead
Mexico celebrates a yearly tradition called Day of the Dead during the last days of October and the first days of November. Due to the duration of this festivity and the way people get involved it has been called “The Cult of Death.”

As in many Latin American countries, Mexico commemorates the Day of the Dead or All Souls’ Day on November 2nd. The legacy of past civilizations is graphically manifested on this occasion through people’s beliefs that death is a transition from one life to another in different levels where communication exists between the living and the dead. This communication takes place once a year throughout the country.

Differing from the Roman Catholic imposed ritual to commemorate All Souls’ Day, which is observed in many countries, the custom established by pre-colonial Mexican civilizations become a ceremony where indigenous beliefs blended with Catholic beliefs. Therefore, the Day of the Dead in Mexico is not a mournful commemoration but a happy and colorful celebration where death takes a lively, friendly expression.

Indigenous people believed that souls did not die, that they continued living in Mictlan, a special place to rest. In this place, the spirits rest until the day they could return to their homes to visit their relatives. Before the Spaniards arrived, they celebrated the return of the souls between the months of July and August. Once arrived, the Spaniards changed the festivities to November 2nd to coincide with All Souls’ Day of the Catholic Church.

Presently, two celebrations honoring the memory of loved ones who have died take place: On November 1st, the souls of the children are honored with special designs in the altars, using color white on flowers and candles. On November 2nd the souls of the adults are remembered with a variety of rituals, according to the different states of the Mexican republic.

The celebrations of Day of the Dead or All Souls Day are referred to differently in some of the states. For example in Yucatan it is known as Hanal Pixan which means “The path of the soul through the essence of food;” in the highlands of Michoacan it is known as Jimbanqua or the party honoring with flowers the people who died that year; in San Luis Potosi, Hidalgo and in the southern part of Oaxaca it is known as Xantolo and Day of the Dead in the majority of Mexico. Whatever name is given, this is an ancestral tradition that blended with Catholicism to create a special time and space to remember and honor the loved ones by offering them an ofrenda, the fragrance of the flowers, the light of the candles, the aroma of special foods and the solemnity of prayers.
It is also a time to joke and make fun of death through “calaveras”, poetry allusive to a particular person, generally politicians; sugar, chocolate and amaranth skulls which are given to one another with their friend’s name so “they can eat their own death” and special crafts allusive to different aspects of the living, with skeletons representing daily activities.

People start getting ready for the celebration on the third week of October with the harvesting of the cempasuchitl flower, also known as the flower of the twenty petals or the flower of the dead which is sold in the market place or Tianguis, where the family goes to buy everything that they will need to put on the altar. On the altar they will place the ofrendas of fruits, vegetables and the special dishes prepared for the soul to enjoy the essence of the aroma of the food. This altar will also have items that once belonged to the deceased.

On November 1st in many towns the ritual of the Vigil of the Little Angels takes place in the cemeteries, particularly in the islands of Janitzio and La Pacanda in Lake Patzcuaro, Michoacan. Little girls dressed in satin blouses and colored skirts, white stockings and shiny shoes are the center of this ceremony. Wearing the white pinafore, an important piece of the Tarascan feminine attire, the girls calmly comply with the tradition while they are observed from a certain distance by their parents. This is the way the tradition is passed down from generation to generation.

On November 2nd, the souls of the adults are honored in their homes with beautifully decorated altars. Each state has different styles but all of them represent a place where the ofrenda becomes a spiritual communion between life and death. Again, in each state the making of the altar and the rituals are different.

The celebration concludes in many towns with the vigil in the cemetery. In some places the vigil is done during the whole night of November 1st to November 2nd. In other towns the vigil is done during the day. Mysticism is the rule in the cemeteries, but in many of them music is also part of the ritual that combines religious prayers with the sounds of the trumpet playing a tune by a Mariachi band. In others it is a trio that sings a song by the tomb or in some cases even a band plays danzones at the entrance of the cemetery. Ritualistic dances are also part of the celebrations in many places honoring the deceased.

Whichever way is celebrated, Day of the Dead is a time of reflection about the meaning of life and the mission that one needs to fulfill. Death in many situations imparts a feeling of pain and loss, particularly for those who do not know the purpose of their path on this earthly plane. For others, death is transcendence, transformation and resurrection. During the celebration of Day of the Dead all those feelings and beliefs come together in a season that brings to life the memory of the loved ones.

Taken from Day of Dead Blog at:

http://www.dayofthedeadblog.com/

By Mary J. Andrade.

Pan de Muerto, "Bread of the Dead"

In celebration of Mexico's Day of the Dead, this bread is often shaped into skulls or round loaves with strips of dough rolled out and attached to resemble bones.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
5 to 5-1/2 cups flour
2 packages dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon whole anise seed
1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs
In a saucepan over medium flame, heat the butter, milk and water until very warm but not boiling.
Meanwhile, measure out 1-1/2 cups flour and set the rest aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the 1-1/2 cups flour, yeast, salt, anise seed and sugar. Beat in the warm liquid until well combined. Add the eggs and beat in another 1 cup of flour. Continue adding more flour until dough is soft but not sticky. Knead on lightly floured board for ten minutes until smooth and elastic.
Lightly grease a bowl and place dough in it, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1-1/2 hours. Punch the dough down and shape into loaves resembling skulls, skeletons or round loaves with "bones" placed ornamentally around the top. Let these loaves rise for 1 hour.
Bake in a preheated 350 F degree oven for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and paint on glaze.
Glaze
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons grated orange zest
Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, then apply to bread with a pastry brush.
If desired, sprinkle on colored sugar while glaze is still damp.
Days of the Dead
About the Day of the Dead
T'ant'a Wawas, Andean All Saints' Day Bread
Halloween and Days of the Dead
Also visit the Global Gourmet's Mexico and main Halloween pages.
This page originally published as part of the electronic Gourmet Guide between 1994 and 1998.

HALLOWEEN

Halloween

Halloween, or Hallowe'en, is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31. Traditional activities include trick-or-treating, bonfires, costume parties, visiting "haunted houses" and carving jack-o-lanterns. The term Halloween (and its alternative rendering Hallowe'en) is shortened from All-hallow-even, as it is the eve of "All Hallows' Day", also which is now known as All Saints' Day. Some modern Halloween traditions developed out of older pagan traditions, especially surrounding the Irish holiday Samhain, a day associated both with the harvest and otherworldly spirits. Irish and Scottish immigrants carried versions of the tradition to North America in the nineteenth century. Other western countries embraced the holiday in the late twentieth century. Halloween is now celebrated in several parts of the Western world, most commonly in Ireland, the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom and occasionally in parts of Australia and New Zealand.

Many European cultural traditions, in particular Celtic cultures, hold that Halloween is one of the liminal times of the year when spirits can make contact with the physical world, and when magic is most potent (according to, for example, Catalan mythology about witches and Scottish and Irish tales of the Sídhe).

History
The modern holiday of Halloween has its origins in the ancient Gaelic festival known as Samhain (pronounced /ˈsˠaunʲ/ from the Old Irish samain). The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture, and is sometimes erroneously regarded as the "Celtic New Year". Traditionally, the festival was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped and the deceased would come back to life and cause havoc such as sickness or damaged crops. The festivals would frequently involve bonfires, where the bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown. Costumes and masks were also worn at the festivals in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or placate them. When the Romans occupied Celtic territory, several Roman traditions were also incorporated into the festivals. Feralia, a day celebrated in late October by the Romans for the passing of the dead as well as a festival which celebrated the Roman Goddess Pomona, the goddess of fruit were incorporated into the celebrations. The symbol of Pomona was an apple, which is a proposed origin for the tradition of bobbing for apples on Halloween.

History of name
The term Halloween (and its alternative rendering Hallowe'en) is shortened from All-hallow-even, as it is the eve of "All Hallows' Day", also which is now known as All Saints' Day. It was a day of religious festivities in various northern European Pagan traditions, until Popes Gregory III and Gregory IV moved the old Christian feast of All Saints' Day from May 13 to November 1. In the ninth century, the Church measured the day as starting at sunset, in accordance with the Florentine calendar. Although All Saints' Day is now considered to occur one day after Halloween, the two holidays were, at that time, celebrated on the same day. Liturgically, the Church traditionally celebrated that day as the Vigil of All Saints, and, until 1970, a day of fasting as well. Like other vigils, it was celebrated on the previous day if it fell on a Sunday, although secular celebrations of the holiday remained on the 31st. The Vigil was suppressed in 1955, but was later restored in the post-Vatican II calendar.


Symbols

Jack-o'-lanterns are often carved into silly or scary faces.The carved pumpkin, lit by a candle inside, is one of Halloween's most prominent symbols. This is a Scottish and Irish tradition of carving a lantern which goes back centuries. These lanterns are usually carved from a turnip or swede (or more uncommonly a mangelwurzel). The carving of pumpkins was first associated with Halloween in North America, where the pumpkin was available, and much larger and easier to carve. Many families that celebrate Halloween carve a pumpkin into a frightening or comical face and place it on their home's doorstep after dark.

The jack-o'-lantern can be traced back to the Irish legend of Stingy Jack, a greedy, gambling, hard drinking old farmer who tricked the devil into climbing a tree, and trapped him by carving a cross into the trunk of the tree. In revenge, the devil placed a curse on Jack which dooms him to forever wander the earth at night. For centuries, the bedtime parable was told by Irish parents to their children. But in America the tradition of carving pumpkins is known to have preceded the Great Famine period of Irish immigration, and the tradition of carving vegetable lanterns may also have been brought over by the Scottish or English; documentation is unavailable to establish when or by whom. The carved pumpkin was associated generally with harvest time in America, and did not become specifically associated with Halloween until the mid to late 19th century.

The imagery surrounding Halloween is largely an amalgamation of the Halloween season itself, nearly a century of work from American filmmakers and graphic artists, and a rather commercialized take on the dark and mysterious. Halloween imagery tends to involve death, magic, or mythical monsters. Common Halloween characters include ghosts, ghouls, witches, vampires, bats, owls, crows, vultures, haunted houses, pumpkinmen, black cats, aliens, spiders, goblins, zombies, mummies, skeletons, and demons. Particularly in America, symbolism is inspired by classic horror films, which contain fictional figures like Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, and The Mummy. More modern horror antagonists like Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, Leatherface, Jason Voorhees, and the Jigsaw Killer have also become associated with the holiday. Homes are often decorated with these symbols around Halloween.

Black and orange are the traditional colors of Halloween.

Taken from Wikipidia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween

KERMESSE

OCTOBER 2007

Instituto de Inglés “América”

27th. ANNIVERSARY

GET IN TOUCH WITH US TO CELEBRATE OUR MOST IMPORTANT DATE!!!

Take a look at the Kermesse!

Look! Are you there? Contests

WORKS FOR THE COMPOSITION CONTEST

CHECK THEM AND GIVE YOUR OPINIONS.

CELEBRACIÓN DEL 27 ANIVERSARIO

DEL INSTITUTO DE INGLÉS
“AMÉRICA”

OCTUBRE DE 2007

26 de Octubre - Concurso de Artículo “¿Por qué estudio Inglés?” (Why do I study English?) En este concurso podrán participar todos los estudiantes de Institutos de Inglés “América” que envíen sus artículos antes del día 31 (se amplía el plazo para enviar sus trabajos) de Octubre a nuestro e-mail iameryk@yahoo.com . El artículo deberá ser escrito en Inglés y no mayor a una pagina tamaño carta. El artículo será publicado en nuestra revista Why? Y en el blog de la misma.

Para: iameryk@yahoo.com
Asunto: Homework
De: martin_perez@reacsa.com.mx Fecha: Fri, 26 Oct 2007 02:33:54 +0000

Why do I study English?

In my early years i stopped my studies because in my house we didn't have money to pay the studies for tow people. So I decided that my brother continued his studies and I work.

In the personal, all the people have a goal but when you have your children and you have to take them a head there isn’t another form only working and I teach them a good way and what is the best way than to be prepared with a language such important as the English

It is when you realize that money can not stop you and you do the impossible to learn.

Martin Perez is student of the 1st. Level Advanced Course 8 to 9 p.m. Plantel La La Paz Centro


Fecha: Thu, 25 Oct 2007 23:02:26 -0500
Asunto: WHY DO I STUDY ENGLISH?
De: "LOYA FLORES JUAN"
Para: "iameryk"


WHY DO I STUDY ENGLISH?

Because to know this language for my is important; since to master the English is fundamental and it will support the attention to my customers, a professional performance, and in the same way in the job.

Because it is a challenge for the personal and professional development.

Because it is equal to depend on the skill of the English Language that of an elementary knowledge or profession.

Because Nobody will soon be able to live, in these difficult and competitive times, with only the preparation of the school.

Because in the developed countries, it is already a reality the learning of English in all the levels of education, it is obligatory.

Because each time, the exigencies of the employers are bigger and the competition has been increased between those who struggle to find a job.

Because also at home, and even in the daily tasks, knowing English aids, having the solution in the directions for the user, we could not take advantage of them because it was written in English.

In order to conclude, I say that I study English to increase my communicational abilities, that combined with our other capacities, could have better qualities of life.

For those reasons I study English.

Ing. Juan Loya Flores

Juan Loya is student of the 1st. Level Advanced Course 8 to 9 p.m. Plantel La La Paz Centro



Fecha: Fri, 26 Oct 2007 08:12:26 -0700 (PDT)
De: "Luis Antonio Lopez Santos"
Asunto: carta de ingles de LuisAntonio Lopez Santos
Para: iameryk@yahoo.com

SOME OF MY CHALLENGES

I am studing English because it is a challenge for my life, the language is important for the people in all the world , we have a potential neighbor, it is United Estate and we have to take advantage of this condition, because today we are global economy, it is necessary to be prepared to compete.

I am Civil Engineer and I working with Americans people almost always, today I am speaking a little English , but before I had to get a translator, I watched all people who speak English have a good work, so is needed to study and get prepared.

I want to be an example for my family, to show them we can learn a language, and my children going to study in the future, because your future will to compete.

I recommended all people, to try studying some language, the language is culture and it opens our minds to other cultures, the world is big an everybody has the opportunity to know there are many countries around the world and some have different languages.

I think we have to life the present, but to think on the future, only the best prepared will arrive at the top.
Luis Antonio Lopez Santos.

Luis Lopez is student of the 1st. Level Advanced Course 8 to 9 p.m. Plantel La La Paz Centro



De: "Carolina Lucero Aviles"
Para: iameryk@yahoo.com
Asunto: homework
Fecha: Fri, 26 Oct 2007 15:49:15 +0000

WHY DO STUDY ENGLISH?
I study English, because it is a language that I like and I think that the English is one of the most important languages in the world.When I decided to study English I did it thinking in my personal overcoming, too.For me it is very important that I can finish the English course, it is my goal.I know that when I speak English very well, I’ll have more opportunities to work, and i will be able to communicate with people from other countries.I'm married woman and sometimes it is complicated, to combine work, family and to study, and at the end of the day, we only think in resting.But I finish the day studying and for me every day is like the first day of classes, when I arrive at the classroom, I always do it with enthusiasm to learn a new word each day.When I was younger, I didn't have the opportunity to study English, but I think that it is never late, when you want to overcome and go ahead.I'm proud of my family, because they have always support me.So, I study English, because in the future, I’ll have more benefits for me and my family.And.........above all I want that my daughters feel proud of me. Carol Lucero

Carolina Lucero is student of the 1st. Level Advanced Course 8 to 9 p.m. Plantel La La Paz Centro



De: "francisco romero"
Para: iameryk@yahoo.com
Asunto:
Fecha: Fri, 26 Oct 2007 12:34:22 -0500

Why do I study English

I first wanted to study English not to be late in the secondary one. and because I want to study medicine. Also because my aunt and cousins who live in the United States have wanted me to take with them but nowise I to speak English and for that reason she did not accept and now who or a little but that goes but times my favorite programs sometimes I wan

But also because now in English it is necessary so that in any work one takes care English because wanted a pastime but sometimes invited to me to go to the cinema because went every week but by the English no longer I go and for that reason the desire take off to attend the English to attend or sometimes no.

Also the works in equipment of my school sometimes I cannot do them so that my breast does not leave me lacks to the English so that she says that if I lack she is like wasting money


Francisco Romero is student of the 1st. Level Intermediate Course 6 to 7 p.m. Plantel La La Paz Centro



De: "paul antonio preciado gonzalez"
Para: iameryk@yahoo.com
Asunto: tarea?
Fecha: Sat, 27 Oct 2007 00:08:22 +0000


Why do I study English?

I am studying English because one day at 4:50 p.m. my father said me “Paul..!! You are going to English class the next week” what?? I said. I don’t want to go to the English class!! And my father said me “sorry you are inscribed in a English school, no! I shouted. But my father say that “the English is very important” because one day when I want to work in some place I will need it, or when I go out to other country I will need the English. Now I know that the English is very important.

Paul Preciado is student of the 2nd. Level Advanced Course 8 to 9 p.m. Plantel La La Paz Centro


De: neemnrood manfred hamburgo fragoso (lokitodelakobija@hotmail.com)
Enviado: viernes, 26 de octubre de 2007 12:05:01 p.m.
Para: iamericapc@hotmail.com

Why do I study English?

I study English because my sisters studied English here and my sister works, she uses the English and the English helps her. My mother wanted me to study English, because I want to work in the future. The English helps you to accomplish all you want. I want to be prepared to have the best job. I think that knowing other language is very important because it helps you. I want to know this language because in this place is visited many tourists and we can to help the tourists.

Neemnrood Manfred Hamburgo Fragoso is student of the 2nd. Level Intermediate course 4 to 5, Plantel La Paz Centro.


De: Brianna Marielle Hamburgo Fragoso (princess_briannita95@hotmail.com)
Enviado: viernes, 26 de octubre de 2007 12:15:00 p.m.
Para: iamericapc@hotmail.com

Why do I study English?

I have always dreamed that I’m a big worker and I have a great occupation without a problem. All the people want to obtain a good job but unfortunately the people don’t always counts with all the resources to do it. In order to get a good job the English is the principal thing to obtain it. That’s why I wanted to learn English the way I’m learning, to obtain a good job and be a good person with a fabulous job in the future. The English is something very fun too, because you learn other things that you don’t know. I wish that all the people wanted to learn English because that is the key of all the doors, and have a good future.

Brianna Hamburgo Fragoso is student of the 2nd. Level Intermediate Course 4 to 5, Plantel La Paz Centro.


De:Rôsà Lopez Rivera"
Para: iameryk@yahoo.com
Asunto: WHY DO I STUDY ENGLISH?
Fecha: Sat, 27 Oct 2007 16:56:30 -0700

I have been studying English for two years; to be honest I don’t like this language so much. Before I denied to learn it, because I thought it was really difficult and I was so angry that always I said to my mom "why should I have to learn English, shouldn’t it be better if the foreigners learn Spanish? I also said that it will be better if the entire world learned some new and easy language.But to be realistic I know it could never happened anyway today I’m more conscientious of the importance about speaking English, I can say a lot of reasons about why study English , the first for me is the necessity , for my future on my carrier, if I travel , to meet foreign people or just to learn new things.
I can say that now I want to speak English and I hope that I can do it soon.

Rosa Jarumy López Rivera is student of the 2nd. Level Intermediate Course 4 to 5 p.m. Plantel La Paz Centro.


De:"el chory"
Para: iameryk@yahoo.com
Asunto: aystah!
Fecha: Mon, 29 Oct 2007 19:30:12 -0700

Why do I study English?

I think that I study English because I like this language; in fact, I like it more than Spanish language. I like reading skate, surf and motocross magazines so much, and I Would like talking to the foreigners and get a job related to the sea where I can grow my English. Over all, I would like to know a pretty chick to take a ride by the World. When I was younger I saw many words on the shop-windows and stickers on the cars and I said,
“ah?”.
So, that’s why I decided to study English.

Eduardo Beltran is student of the 3rd. Level Basic Course 9 to 10 a.m. Plantel La Paz Centro.


De:"amanda vidales lopez"
Para: iameryk@yahoo.com
Asunto: Homework
Fecha: Tue, 30 Oct 2007 08:59:02 -0700

Why do I study English?

I study English because it is very important for my profession, my carrier and my economy it’s the universal language in the world. Any where that you go you can speak English. If I learn English I can communicate with my friends that live in United States of America with no problem of translation. The English helps me to do it better in my school. There are many foreign people in my city so I have more customers and more work and this increases my income.

Amanda Vidales is student of the 3rd. Level Basic Course 9 to 10 a.m. Plantel La Paz Centro.



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