Tag: Carnaval

  • Bryony Heaviside: Le Carnaval de Québec- Février

    Le mois du février est un mois tellement chargé au Québec, c’est le mois du Carnaval de Québec, l’un des plus grands et des plus célèbres festivals d’hiver au monde. Le carnaval attire chaque année des millions de visiteurs. Une des attractions du Carnaval est le Bonhomme Carnaval, la mascotte emblématique de l’événement. Il participe aux défilés, où des chars, des artistes et des musiciens animent les rues de la vieille ville de Québec.

    Le Bonhomme de Neige

     

    Un caribou de glace

    Le Carnaval reflet de l’identité francophone de la province, par exemple, cette année chaque sculpture de glace représente les aspects de la culture québécoise. Dans le château de glace il reste des éléments de la nature du Canada, ex. Des ours, des loups, et les caribous.

    Un défilé avec des loups

    Tandis que, les sculptures de glace individuelles représentent des festivals, des dictons ou des croyances au Québec. Cette sculpture représente le Jour de la marmotte « Groundhog Day », qui est célébré au Canada le 2 février. Selon la légende, une marmotte part de son terrier peut déterminer la météo pour les semaines prochaines. Ainsi, si le temps fait ensoleillé et que la marmotte voit son ombre, elle se rendort pour six semaines supplémentaires d’hiver.

    Le Jour de la marmotte sculpture de glace
    Il fait frette (il fait froid, mais la phrase Québécoise)
    -25 degrés- il fait tellement frette

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Récemment aux nouvelles Québécoises, il y a plus de tension entre la relation du Canada et les États-Unis. Le Québec demeure un partenaire commercial important pour les États-Unis, en particulier dans des secteurs comme l’énergie, l’agriculture et les technologies. Actuellement, il y a plusieurs tensions commerciales, en particulier concernant l’ALENA (l’accord de libre-échange).

    Fabriqué au Canada

    Étant donné cette situation, le pays s’est uni pour soutenir les entreprises locales et les produits fabriqués au Canada afin de contrebalancer les effets de l’accord commercial. Cela signifie qu’il y a une pression importante pour acheter des produits locaux ou fabriqués au Canada. Les supermarchés et les entreprises travaillent dur pour augmenter les publicités et les affichages dans les supermarchés et sur les panneaux d’affichage, montrant quels produits sont fabriqués au Canada. Je vais continuer à soutenir le Canada en achetant local et en soutenant les marques canadiennes dans l’économie et le climat politique actuel.

     

    February is such a busy month in Quebec. It is the month of The Quebec Winter Carnival, which is one of the largest and most famous winter festivals in the world. The carnival attracts millions of visitors each year. One of the attractions of the Carnival is « Bonhomme Carnaval », the event’s emblematic mascot. He participates in parades where floats, artists, and musicians bring the streets of Old Quebec to life.

    The ice castle
    Le château Frontenac

    The Carnival reflects the francophone identity of the province; for example, this year, each ice sculpture represents aspects of Quebec culture. Inside the ice castle, there are elements of nature from Canada, such as bears, wolves, and dears. Meanwhile, the individual ice sculptures represent festivals, sayings, or beliefs in Quebec. For example, this sculpture represents Groundhog Day, which is celebrated in Canada on February 2nd. According to legend, a groundhog emerging from its burrow can determine the weather for the coming weeks. Therefore, if it is sunny and the groundhog sees its shadow, it goes back to sleep for six more weeks of winter.

     

    The ice castle

    Recently in the news in Quebec, there has been increasing tension between Canada and the United States. Quebec remains an important trade partner for the United States, particularly in sectors such as energy, agriculture, and technology. Currently, there are several trade tensions, especially in relation to the NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement).

    Given this situation, the country has came together to support local businesses and Canadian made products in order to counteract the effects of the trade agreement. This means there is significant pressure to buy local or Canadian-made products. Supermarkets and companies are working hard to increase advertisements and displays in supermarkets and billboards, showing which products are made in Canada. I will continue to support Canada by buying local and supporting Canadian brands in the current economy/political climate.

  • Carnaval! Peter Horton: Spain – February 2016

    Carnaval!

    This month I have experienced something like no other, Cádiz Carnaval is the most authentic celebration in Spain and I am so happy that I got to witness it first hand. It was a whole week worth of shows, fancy dress, music, dancing, and all things Spanish; they really went all out! People from all over Spain flooded the city to take part in this amazing tradition, I can highly recommend it to anybody looking to immerse themselves in Spanish culture for a short period of time. According to my boss, this is just the start of the celebrations, as each of the small villages in Andalusia has their own unique festival.

    Work is starting to get busier now and I am becoming even more involved with the social media marketing that we do here, one of the many ways we promote our school. I find this area of marketing particularly interesting because it is something relatively new and has a lot of potential, especially for our younger clients! I am also very pleased with this because I can use both the language and marketing skills that I have been developing over my time here and put them to use without the need to run everything by my supervisor

    I am currently planning a short trip to Seville as a lot of my friends have been and they have recommended it to me. They say it is full of interesting landmarks and as it is only a short train journey away I would like to make the most of it. I am very curious to see how different it is to Cádiz and the rest of Andalusia, because it is a big city but it is still set in the relaxed south of Spain.

    Carnaval!

    Este mes he experimentado algo muy diferente a todo lo que ya conozco, Carnaval de Cádiz es la más auténtica experiencia en España y estoy tan contento que pude verla de primera mano. Era una semana entera de espectáculos, disfraz, música, bailar, y todo lo que sea español; la gente había hecho todo. Gente alrededor de España llenó la ciudad para pasarlo bomba en esta tradición increíble, puedo recomendarla a todos los que quieren disfrutar la cultura española durante poco tiempo. Según mi jefa, eso es sólo el inicio de las celebraciones, porque cada pueblo pequeño en Andalucia tiene su propio feria.

    El trabajo está creciendo ahora, y estoy cada vez más ocupado con el marketing en las redes sociales, una de las maneras en las que podemos anunciar nuestra escuela. A mí me parece muy interesante porque es algo relativamente nuevo y tiene mucha potencial, sobre todo para nuestros clientes más jóvenes! Estoy contento a hacer eso porque puedo utilizar mis habilidades no sólo lenguajes sino también de marketing que ya he desarrollado hace mucho tiempo y puedo hacer cosas sin la necesidad a hablar con mi jefa.

    Ahora estoy pensando en viajar a Sevilla porque muchos de mis amigos me han dicho que es una ciudad muy aconsejable. Me dicen que tiene un montón de puntos importantes y por estar sólo un viaje corto por tren me gustaría visitarla. Estoy muy curioso a ver la diferencia entre Sevilla y lo demás de Andalucia, porque es una ciudad grande pero está en el sur de España donde todo sea tranquilo.

    In February, Cadiz becomes one big party. It’s carnival time.

    You can hear carnival music in any corner of the city, and the last touches are put to the fancy-dress costumes (in Cadiz they are known as tipos), some of them real works of art. The locals put their hearts and souls into what is one of the most eagerly awaited events in the city, and perhaps the most fun-filled and entertaining of all the Spanish carnivals.

    Compared with the spectacular nature of other carnival celebrations, the light-hearted fun and entertainment of the Carnival of Cadiz makes it a unique fiesta which is well worth getting to know.

    And there is no lack of other events during this time to ensure that the days of Carnival in Cadiz are complete.

    The whole city is involved. This is a perfect time to get to know it and to enjoy the inventiveness and sense of fun of the people of Cadiz.

  • Happy New Year: Peter Horton, January 2016

     

    Feliz Año!

    Pues, todas las fiestas ya han pasado y estoy contento en mi horario otra vez! Aunque tengo que decir, navidad y el año nuevo en Cádiz era algo completamente diferente. Por tener amigos locales aquí no tenía que pasar navidad sólo y podía disfrutar una cena de navidad muy diferente, no hubo ningún pavo! Cómo es un país católico, hemos celebrado para los doce días de navidad; hemos comido nuestras doce uvas a medio noche del año nuevo y terminamos con un rincón de los reyes al 6 de enero (el día de los reyes)

    No todo estaba tan tranquilo, un poco antes de navidad estuve la elección española y el ambiente en la calle estaba eléctrico. Con todo el mundo tenía su propia opinión sobre algo, entre: corrupción política, la tase de desempleo, es estado de la economía. A mi me parecía cómo cada persona estuviera muy informada sobre los temas de actualidad y tengo que confesarme que a menudo me parecía muy difícil seguir la conversación. Lo que entiendo después de unas conversaciones con mi compañero, es que hay una división entre el norte y el sur en España; hay más conservadores en el norte así votan al Partido Popular y Mariano Rajoy, mientras en el sur hay más de la izquierda y por eso votan al Partido Socialista Obrero Español. Lo que sorpresó a mi compañero fue el éxito de Pablo Iglesias y su partido nuevo “Podemos”, fundada en 2014 ya ha ganado el tercero lugar después de Mariano Rajoy (1st) y Pedro Sánchez (2nd).

    Hasta ahora, Cádiz está más tranquilo, algunos dirían que es la calma precede a la tormenta porque la ciudad en entera y muchas otras personas alrededor de España van a celebrar Carnaval el mes que viene. Lo que entiendo después de conversaciones con mis amigos y mi jefa, es que eso es una de las fiestas más grandes en España y sera imposible trasladarse por las calles durante la semana. Estoy muy emocionante a estar un parte de Carnaval y espero a compartir mi historia con vosotros en mi próxima actualización!

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

    Happy New Year!

    Well, all the festivities have passed now and I am settling back into my routine again! Though I must say, Christmas and New Year in Cadiz was something completely different. Having local friends here meant that I didn’t have to spend Christmas alone and I was able to enjoy a very different Christmas dinner to the one I am used to, no turkey in sight! With it being a predominantly Catholic country as well, we celebrated right through the twelve days of Christmas; taking our 12 grapes at midnight on New Year’s Eve and finishing of with a traditional cake on the 6th January (or the day of the Kings).

    It wasn’t all relaxing and eating though, just before Christmas was the Spanish general election and the atmosphere in the streets was electric. Everyone I spoke to had their own opinion about something whether it be: political corruption, the rate of unemployment, the state of the economy. To me it seemed as though everyone was fully informed with the current issues and I must admit that I often found it difficult to follow all the points they were raising. From what I understand after talking with one of my flat mates, there is very much a North-South divide in Spain, the north of Spain tend to be very conservative and so lean towards Mariano Rajoy’s Partido Popular (PP), whereas the south tend to be a lot more left wing and vote for Pedro Sánchez’s Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE). What surprised my flat mate the most was the success of Pablo Iglesias and the new party Podemos, it was only founded in 2014 but managed to come in third place just behind Mariano Rajoy (1st) and Pedro Sánchez (2nd).

    For now, Cadiz has calmed down a lot, some would say we are in the calm before the storm as the whole city and many from around Spain get ready to celebrate Carnaval next month. From what my friends and boss has been telling me this is one of Spain’s largest celebrations and the streets are completely packed for the whole week. I am very excited to be a part of Carnaval and I look forward to telling you all about it in my next post.

  • Carnaval in Madrid!! Ashton Lily Woolley, February 2015

    Ashton Lily Woolley – Madrid Carnaval 2015

    Celebrated annually in the week before Lent in the Spanish capital of Madrid, Carnaval brings the city to life with parades, processions and parties – all the things the Spanish do best. Centred around the Paseo de la Florida in the city centre, Carnaval is an explosion of colour and sound as Spanish citizens from across the country take to the streets to celebrate the national tradition of pulling their collective tongue out at the prevailing social order. Enjoy a range of activities from fancy dress competitions to an evening concert in the Plaza Mayor. Don’t miss the grand finale of the Carnaval festival, as the traditional ‘burial of the sardine’ ceremony takes place – a symbolic burial of fun times, in preparation for the solemn (and meat-free) time of lent.