16 May 2007
10 May 2007
9 May 2007
What’s your next party?
What’s your next party? No idea? Let’s have a look at your diary… it’s done! Your next unforgettable meeting is the Lantern Festival in Hong Kong. Are you ready?
Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of Southeast China where almost 7 million people live in no more than 1000 km2. Hong Kong was under British administration from 1842 till 1997 so its official languages are Chinese and English. Nowadays Hong Kong is a democratic country with religious freedom although 90% people practice a folk version of Buddhism.
Lantern Festival, also called Mid-Autumn Festival, is one of the most important events in Asian Southeast which dates back to 2000 bC when Asians celebrated abundance.
For Westerners the date of the Festival is not exact because it falls on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese calendar, that is, mid or late September. In 2007 it will be celebrated on September 25th.
The origins go back to Xia dynasty when it was celebrated the day of the Chang’e goddess, the only deity in Oriental culture who lives on the moon and represents immortality.
During this festivity families and friends gather to admire the bright autumn moon and eat the traditional food of these dates: the mooncake. This confection is a round or rectangular pastry where a thick pasty is surrounded by a relatively thin crust. They also eat pomeloes and have barbecues outside under the moon while putting rinds on their heads.
Children run in the streets carrying brightly lit lanterns and all the buildings and towers are lighted up with bright colours. Moreover, music and dragon dances and costumes appear everywhere.
Don’t doubt! You have never seen something similar. If you haven’t been to Moon Festival in Hong Kong you lack something in your life: it will be an unforgettable memory. They are waiting for you… are you going to disappoint them?
What’s your next party? No idea? Let’s have a look at your diary… it’s done! Your next unforgettable meeting is the Lantern Festival in Hong Kong. Are you ready?
Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of Southeast China where almost 7 million people live in no more than 1000 km2. Hong Kong was under British administration from 1842 till 1997 so its official languages are Chinese and English. Nowadays Hong Kong is a democratic country with religious freedom although 90% people practice a folk version of Buddhism.
Lantern Festival, also called Mid-Autumn Festival, is one of the most important events in Asian Southeast which dates back to 2000 bC when Asians celebrated abundance.
For Westerners the date of the Festival is not exact because it falls on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese calendar, that is, mid or late September. In 2007 it will be celebrated on September 25th.
The origins go back to Xia dynasty when it was celebrated the day of the Chang’e goddess, the only deity in Oriental culture who lives on the moon and represents immortality.
During this festivity families and friends gather to admire the bright autumn moon and eat the traditional food of these dates: the mooncake. This confection is a round or rectangular pastry where a thick pasty is surrounded by a relatively thin crust. They also eat pomeloes and have barbecues outside under the moon while putting rinds on their heads.
Children run in the streets carrying brightly lit lanterns and all the buildings and towers are lighted up with bright colours. Moreover, music and dragon dances and costumes appear everywhere.
Don’t doubt! You have never seen something similar. If you haven’t been to Moon Festival in Hong Kong you lack something in your life: it will be an unforgettable memory. They are waiting for you… are you going to disappoint them?
Fran Martín
Ride your dragon
Something´s moving in South-East Asia! And I´m not talking about -glups- tsunamis... Let´s put tragedies aside and think about funnier things, because this corner of the World is full of celebrations you shouldn´t miss. One of these funny and colourful events is called Singapore´s Dragon Boat Festival. It´s a spectacular show where you can enjoy lots of beautifully decorated boats. It takes place from 30 June to 1 July every year.
Singapore is a city-state. It was colonized by the British Empire in 1819, occupied by Japan during World War II and ruled again by the British in 1945. In 1963 it became a Malaysian state but two years later acquired independence. Since then, it´s a parliamentary republic and its population´s about 4,483,900. Mandarin, Malay, Tamil and English (or “Singlish”, their local colloquial English dialect) are spoken due to the mixture of communities.
Dragon boat racing is popular all over the area. The legend goes back more than two millennia in Chinese history, when a poet jumped in the river because he was upset by government corruption. Local fishermen tried to save him but they failed. The racing was introduced in 1978 when Singapore was invited to participate in the Hong Kong Races. Soon afterwards, Singapore started their own race and next year, international teams were invited. You are in time, chase your dragon and come along!
Carlos Alegría
5 May 2007
Let's do a cloze exercise with a song by Smashing Pumpkins (Ihope you like the song). Watch the video and fill in the gaps. (***NOTE: To watch the video and do the exercise at the same time, you should open the blog twice - in two different windows. It's my first blog, have mercy!)
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