Steve's sandbox

Tag: fireworks

  • Las alegrías de las Fiestas del Pilar: Matt Hattam, Spain, October 2016

    Este último mes he disfrutado mucho el modo de vida en Madrid y también he aprovechado las experiencias culturales que se ofrecen aquí, incluyendo la degustación de vino y la danza flamenco. Y cuando se me presentó la oportunidad de visitar Zaragoza durante el primer fin de semana de sus famosas Fiestas del Pilar, me parecía demasiado buena para rechazar!

    Las Fiestas del Pilar tienen un origen religioso, y por eso hay varias peculiaridades interesantes durante la semana, como la ofrenda de flores para la Virgen María, para la que van cientos de miles de personas a la ciudad. Pero, el día de apertura, cuando asistí a las Fiestas, había un ambiente carnavalesco. Me gustó mucho la oportunidad de experimentar un festival español auténtico y, cuando llegamos, había una verdadera sensación de entusiasmo en toda la ciudad.

    A lo largo de la tarde presenciamos una serie de carrozas, como gran número de asociaciones y grupos desfilaron por la calle principal y a la plaza mayor donde la ceremonia inaugural tenía lugar más tarde esa noche. Casi todas estas carrozas incluían una banda de trompetas y tambores, un camión donde se servían cerveza y sangria en la parte trasera! Pinturas coloridas, pegatinas, disfraces, ¡una experiencia inolvidable! Una de las cosas más divertidas del día me ocurrió cuando vi a las mujeres mayores que se asomaban por las ventanillas en sus apartamentos y bailaban al ritmo de la música del desfile!

    La ceremonia inaugural alcanzó su climax alrededor de las nueve y media con un gran castillo de fuegos artificiales al lado del Catedral del Salvador de Zaragoza en la plaza mayor. Enseguida hubo un gran concierto, que continuó hasta la madrugada. ¡Un festival energético y único desde el principio hasta el final!

    ‘The firework display next to the Cathedral Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza’

    ENGLISH:

    This past month I have really enjoyed the lifestyle in Madrid and made the most of the cultural experiences on offer here, from wine tasting to flamenco dancing. And when the opportunity came to visit Zaragoza during the first weekend of its renowned Fiestas del Pilar, it seemed to good to turn down!

    The Fiestas del Pilar have religious roots, and so during the week there are a number of interesting quirks, such as the offering of flowers to the Virgin Mary, for which hundreds of thousands of people come to the city. But on the opening day, when I attended the Fiestas, there was a real carnival atmosphere. I relished the chance to experience an authentic Spanish festival, and there was a real buzz of excitement around the city centre when we arrived.

    Throughout the afternoon we witnessed a series of floats, as a number of various societies and groups paraded down the main street into the main square where the opening ceremony was due to take place that evening. Almost all of these societies had their own band of trumpets and drums, and a truck serving sangria out of the back! Paint, stickers fancy dress, an unforgettable experience! One of the most amusing things was seeing elderly women leaning out of their apartment windows and dancing along to the music of the procession!

    The opening ceremony reached its climax at about half past 9 in the evening, with a huge firework display next to the Catedral del Salvador de Zaragoza in the main square. This was followed by a huge concert which continued into the early hours of the following day.  An energetic and unique festival from start to finish!

  • August in Berlin: Gregory Palmer, August 2016

    Thesis schreiben, Feuerwerk und neue Freunde

    Dieser Monat war ziemlich langsam. Viele meiner Freunde und Kollegen haben Last-Minute-Städtereisen und Kurzurlaube auf dem Balkan gemacht. So bin ich hier in Berlin stecken und ich versuche dass meine MA Thesis fertig zu bekommen. Ich versuch so viel von Berlin in diese Monaten aufnehmen kann, bevor ich nach Gross Britannien zurück fahren. In diesem Monat war ziemlich großes für Feuerwerk. Ich wohne neben der Berlin Messe / ICC-Komplex, der eine riesige Messetagen / Konferenz-Komplex mit einem Scheppern Kontrast von architektonischen Stilen ist. Die Internationales Congress Centrum, oder ICC sieht aus wie etwas direkt aus einem Weltraum-Oper 1970, die über die Straße Brücken in den Stil der 1920 Architektur des Haupt Messe-Komplex. Wenn Sie den Film Valkyrie sah, war die Messe in wenigen ‚Establishing Shots’ von Berlin eingesetzt, man denke nur ‘viele Fahnenmasten “. Wie auch immer, wie mein Zimmer sieht auf den Bereich heraus hinter den wichtigsten Messe Gebäuden ich eine kostenlose Feuerwerk gehabt haben meine Freitagabend in den letzten paar Wochen zu beginnen.

    Vor kurzem ich habe einen Tandempartner mein Deutsch zu üben getroffen, wie in Berlin es notorisch leicht ins Englische zu schlüpfen und man brauchen nichts Ihr Deutsch zu verwenden. Also habe ich beschlossen, dass trotz Klassen und die gelegentliche Treffen mit meinen Freunden, ich brauche ein bisschen Gas geben. Wir trafen uns zufällig in einem Café Ich habe versucht, Spiegel zu lesen und zu finden, dass ich das Wörterbuch mehr als die Zeitschrift las. Nach einer Weile ein Mädchen, fragte auf dem Tisch neben mir saß, wenn es etwas Interessantes in der Kopie war, glaube ich, dass sie es tat Hälfte als Scherz und halb zu sehen, ob ich posierte. Ich antwortete mit einem kurzen, und vielleicht ein wenig verstümmelt Zusammenfassung der Hauptgeschichte, etwas über die Gefahren von Smartphones (langsame Nachrichten Tag glaube ich) und dann haben wir uns zu reden. Es stellte sich heraus sie war in meinem Alter und hatte gerade ihre BA abgeschlossen und wurde ein Praktikum bei einem lokalen Gefängnis tun als Psychologe arbeiten. Es war die deutsche ich in eine Weile, und mein Gehirn gesprochen hatte, wurde gebraten, aber wir waren uns einig hin und wieder zu treffen, so dass sie mich mit meinem deutschen helfen könnte, und ich mit ihr Englisch / Spanisch.

    ENGLISH

    This month has been a pretty slow one.  Many of my friends and workmates have taken last minute city breaks and getaways to the Balkans. So I am left here in Berlin trying to get my thesis finished and soaking up as much of Berlin as I can in these last few months before I head back to the UK. This month has been a pretty big one for fireworks. I live next to the Berlin Messe/ICC complex, which is a huge tradefair/conference complex with a clanging contrast of architectural styles. The International Congress Centre, or ICC looks like something straight out of a 1970’s space opera, which bridges over the street into the 1920’s style architecture of the main Messe complex. If you saw the film Valkyrie, the Messe was used in a few establishing shots of Berlin, just think ‘lots of flag poles’. Anyway as my room looks out toward the area behind the main Messe buildings I have had a free firework show to start my Friday nights for the past few weeks.

    I recently met a tandem partner to practice my German, as in Berlin it is notoriously easy to slip into English and never really need to use your German. So I have decided that, despite classes and the occasional get together with my friends, I need to up my game. We met by coincidence in a café I was trying to read Spiegel and finding that I was reading the dictionary more than the magazine. After a while a girl who was sitting on the table next to me asked if there was anything interesting in the copy, I think she did it half as a joke and half to see if I was posing. I answered with a brief, and maybe somewhat garbled summary of the main story, something about the dangers of smartphones (slow news day I guess) and then we got talking. Turned out she was my age and had just finished her BA and was doing an internship at a local prison working as a psychologist. It was the most German I had talked in a while and my brain was fried, but we agreed to meet up every now and again so that she could help me with my German and I with her English/Spanish.

  • 快樂中國新年 Happy Chinese New Year

    綿羊或山羊的一年 Year of the sheep (ram or goat)

    Ranking the eighth position of all the animals in Chinese zodiac, Sheep (Ram or Goat) represents solidarity, harmony and calmness. People born in the year of the Sheep are polite, mild mannered, shy, imaginative, determined and have good taste. On the negative side, they are sometimes pessimistic, unrealistic, short-sighted and slow in behavior.

    Chinese new year 2015

    Chinese New Year is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar.  The Chinese year 4713 begins on Feb. 19, 2015.

    Chinese months are reckoned by the lunar calendar, with each month beginning on the darkest day. New Year festivities traditionally start on the first day of the month and continue until the fifteenth, when the moon is brightest. In China, people may take weeks of holiday from work to prepare for and celebrate the New Year.

    A Charming New Year

    Legend has it that in ancient times, Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Twelve came, and Buddha named a year after each one. He announced that the people born in each animal’s year would have some of that animal’s personality. Those born in sheep years are often artistic, charming, sensitive, and sweet. It is known as the most creative sign in the Chinese zodiac.

    Fireworks and Family Feasts

    At Chinese New Year celebrations people wear red clothes, decorate with poems on red paper, and give children “lucky money” in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire, which according to legend can drive away bad luck. The fireworks that shower the festivities are rooted in a similar ancient custom. Long ago, people in China lit bamboo stalks, believing that the crackling flames would frighten evil spirits.

    The Lantern Festival

    In China, the New Year is a time of family reunion. Family members gather at each other’s homes for visits and shared meals, most significantly a feast on New Year’s Eve. In the United States, however, many early Chinese immigrants arrived without their families, and found a sense of community through neighborhood associations instead. Today, many Chinese-American neighborhood associations host banquets and other New Year events.

    The lantern festival is held on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Some of the lanterns may be works of art, painted with birds, animals, flowers, zodiac signs, and scenes from legend and history. People hang glowing lanterns in temples, and carry lanterns to an evening parade under the light of the full moon.

    In many areas the highlight of the lantern festival is the dragon dance. The dragon—which might stretch a hundred feet long—is typically made of silk, paper, and bamboo. Traditionally the dragon is held aloft by young men who dance as they guide the colorful beast through the streets. In the United States, where the New Year is celebrated with a shortened schedule, the dragon dance always takes place on a weekend. In addition, many Chinese-American communities have added American parade elements such as marching bands and floats.

    New Year Markets

    In the course of the New Year’s days, a temporary market will be setup to mainly selling New Year goods, such as clothing, fireworks, decorations, food, and small arts. The market is usually decorated with a large amount of lanterns.

    Small Year

    Small year is the 23th or 24th of the last month of the year. It is said that this is the day the food god will leave the family in order to go to heaven and report the activity of family to the Emperor of the heaven. People will follow religious ceremony to say farewell to the food god, including taking down and burning the paint of the food god. After the New Year’s Day, people will buy new paint of the food god and display it in the kitchen.

    Cleaning

    A few days before the Chinese New Year, people will do a complete cleaning of the house and house wares which signifies to remove the old and welcome the new. Historically, when bathing did not occur often, people would normally take one to welcome the New Year.

    Decoration

    After the cleaning, people will decorate the house to welcome the New Year. Most of the decorations are red in color. The most popular New Year decorations are upside down fu, dui lian, lanterns, year paint, papercutting, door gods, etc.

    Chinese door god