Absolutely delighted to report that we have been shortlisted as a finalist for the Western Gazette Business Awards 2017 in the category of “Great Innovation shown by a Business” in recognition of the work we do using Skype to facilitate lessons to students at home and at work.  Looking forward to the site visit and to meeting everyone on the 15th June in Yeovil.  Wishing all those shortlisted the very best of luck with thanks to Jurassic Creative for their entry and Western Gazette for their recognition.

Make a note for your diaries, the annual Feria del Caballo in Jerez de la Frontera is a week later than usual, running from the 13th to 20th May in the Gonzalo Hontoria Fairgrounds, which cover 52,000 square metres, giving ample space for all the riding and driving events taking place. Jerez Horse Fair

If you love horses and the Spanish Riding School style in particular, this is the place to be.  Also at the Jerez Fair a large proportion of the “Casetas” are open to the public, unlike the Feria in Seville which runs from the 30th April to the 6th May (traditionally two weeks after Easter each year).  Here only 7 out of the 1000 casetas, canvas tented pavilions, are open to the public.  Here is a link to whet your interest in the Spring Fair in Seville.  Take your pick!  Seville Spring Fair

Did you know that Easter week from Palm Sunday to Easter Day is celebrated in Spain with processions through the streets of some towns and cities of statues or tableaux reflecting the life and passion of Jesus Christ?

During Holy week processions the Christ figure is usually accompanied by a richly dressed figure of the Virgin Mary from the various Church Brotherhoods and they are carried by teams of people, either supporting the larger platforms externally using long timber beams, or by the “costaleros” who support the platform or “trono” on their shoulders from underneath the platform. All you see is the feet of the outer row of bearers! (In some towns like Avila the platforms are on wheels.) These are accompanied by the dignitaries of the Brotherhood, followed by the “Penitents” who are dressed in long robes with tall pointed hats, the faces are usually covered with just eye slits. Children taking part usually don’t have their faces covered. The robes are either white or, on Good Friday, black and the colour of the cloaks and hats vary with each Brotherhood.

Andalucia is the place to be in Semana Santa (Holy Week) with people flocking by road, rail and air to Seville and Málaga to enjoy the spectacle.

Today in the UK primary age children are attending school dressed as their favourite characters from fiction, or in many cases copies of images of their favourites as depicted in films or on DVDs.

World Book Day was set up by UNESCO to promote reading for pleasure amongst children as it has been shown repeatedly that those who read for pleasure do much better in school. In order to stimulate interest in reading, each child will take part in activities based around stories at school and will receive a book token to put towards the cost of their choice of reading.  This boosts the physical and on-line sale of books worldwide.

In Spain there is a lovely tradition which is celebrated particularly in Catalonia on 23rd April, St. George’s Day.  St. George, as well as being patron saint of England, parts of Germany, Georgia and others, is also the patron saint of Catalonia.  On this day it is customary to give your loved one a red rose and a book in celebration.  This promotes and boosts the numbers of books sold annually and makes  for a lovely celebration.  Perhaps we should do the same and adopt this tradition to keep our smaller bookshops in business?

At the end of February is Andalusia Day.  It is a local holiday commemorating the referendum of that date in 1980 when people in Andalusia voted for this to become an autonomous region within Spain.  However it was not recognized as such by the Spanish government until 2006.

Read more about its history here

As thoughts turn to holidays, whether for Easter or later in the summer, inevitably we remember our promise to ourselves last time around “to learn a bit of the language, to make the holiday just that little bit better”. Now there is even less excuse – Tailormade Spanish are offering lessons over Skype. They vary from half hour lessons – perhaps something you could fit into your lunch hour once or twice a week – or an hour on a regular basis. Time slots can be flexible and we will endeavour to meet your needs.

The Tailormade Spanish Blog

• Have a lesson when convenient in your own home
• Lessons over Skype can add a one-to-one experience
• Make the most of your Spanish language learning
• Make the most of your time without travel expenses
• Clarification of Grammar points
• Conversation Practice
• Feel free to ask any questions
• Keep up your motivation

Message me to set this up quickly and  at your convenience.

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In time for GCSE practice this year, I am now able to offer lessons over Skype as

part of the Tailormade Spanish Experience.

La Cabalgata de Madrid en vivo

The evening of the 5th January has been magical for generations of Spanish children.  It equates of the arrival of Father Christmas with presents on  Christmas Eve; however in Spain it is the Three Wise Men (Los Reyes Magos) who traditionally have brought presents to children at the end of the Christmas season, tomorrow being 12th night or Epiphany.

Watch the video of the Procession of the Kings – la cabalgata – live from Madrid.

 

As in other capital cities around the world, Madrid celebrates the arrival of the New Year with the main feature being the clock in Puerta del Sol, the central point for measuring distances on the Iberian peninsular.

En Noche Vieja (31st December) it is customary to have 12 grapes on hand as the clock approaches midnight, along with a glass of Cava or champagne.  As the clock begins to strike you eat one grape per strike of the clock to bring you good luck for the following year. Finishing with a toast of “Feliz Año Nuevo”.

Here is a quotation from the Don Quijote language school website explaining the pranks played on 28th December, so get out the scissors and cut out your paper people!

“The most traditional joke is to put a puppet or ragdoll on people’s backs. Another tradition is a television program in which celebrities from film and television are made the butt of jokes, with the purpose of raising money for a good cause. The Día de los Santos Inocentes is therefore Spain’s equivalent of April Fool’s Day, as ‘inocentadas’ in Spanish also means ‘prank’ as well as ‘innocent’.”