Maundy Thursday

Want it or not, Easter has arrived in town. If you happen to be in Spain, you will probably have crossed paths with countless processions to honour the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. However, as I explained in my last year's post about Easter (including videos and exercises related to Easter), Easter is not only a Spanish tradition. 

In this entry I will talk about one important tradition in the United Kingdom : Maundy Thursday. This day is the day before Good Friday, today it is ! On Maundy Thursday, two important events in the Christian religion took place. 

Firstly, it was the Last Supper where Jesus Christ commanded his disciples to love one another. "Maundy" comes from Latin "mandatum" (that is, order or command). That day was the first day of religious communion, so there are special services in churches to commemorate this day.  

Secondly, on this day, Jesus Christ washed the feet of his disciples himself to prove and pass on his humility. This is why still today some bishops and priests organize foot-washing rituals, washing the feet of the poor and some monarchs in the past devoted this day to washing the feet of the poor. Interesting tradition, don't you think ?

However, the tradition of monarchs washing the feet of their poor was lost and it has been replaced by money, indeed !  Nowadays, the Queen of England offers some coins (Maundy money) to men and women (precisely, a number of men and women equal to the age of the current age of the monarch). 

From : http://british-coin-price-guide.homelinux.com/British-Maundy-Money-Coin-Set-Price-Guide_files/Page2019.htm

Last year, 90 people received Maunday money. 

Here you have a video summarizing the traditions of Maunday Thursday : 

Well, As you can see, Easter has its quirky traditions outside Spain. I hope you have liked this post. I'm going to finish with a fast fact about Maundy Thursday (or Holy Thursday) : Unlike Good Friday, Maundy Thursday is not a public holiday in the United Kingdom.
Enjoy the rest of the Easter holidays and do not eat too many Easter eggs ! 

Easter exercises and videos

Did you read my post about Easter ? Now that Easter is finally here, I thought it would be a good idea to prepare a compilation of some videos of Easter. You will be able to see the different traditions and customs mentioned in my post. In these funny videos that you can also test your listening comprehension :


Did you like the video ? It was really easy ! Not let's talk about British all over the world :

Here you have another interesting video !


And the last one : 

Did you like my compilation of videos ? Did you do the exercises ? I hope so ! Enjoy the rest of your Easter holidays!

Easter is here... and it is not just a Spanish tradition

Hello there,

Holidays at last ! It's been a long term for me but  I am finally on holidays : on Easter holidays ! There is a wide misconception that Easter is not "celebrated" in the English-speaking world. I agree that Spanish celebrations of Easter outnumber those in the English culture, but Easter traditions in the English-speaking countries are also important. Let's summarize some of the most important ones : 

1. Easter eggs : At Easter, it is customary to buy, give or exchange Easter eggs. Why ? The eggs represent Jesus Christ and when they are broken that represents his resurrection (the breaking of Jesus's tomb). In a wider sense, eggs are a symbol of rebirth and fertility.  There are eggs of various types nowadays, but chocolate eggs seem to have flooded the market. There are also traditional boiled eggs dyed with a lot of decoration. Hard-boiled eggs are very popular at Easter and some people even paint them and dye them :

From : http://headingforenglish.blogspot.com.es/2015/03/easter-eggs.html

Eggs were really popular because during Lent, neither meat nor eggs should be eaten. It was during Easter after Lent that people could 'feast' on eggs. 

2. Easter games 

Easter eggs are the protagonist of some really entertaining traditions :

- Egg tapping or egg knocking : In this fun game, you have to try to break another contestant's egg by tapping or knocking it with your eggs, but without breaking your egg. Yes, you hard-boile your eggs, you decorate them only to use them to break other people's eggs. Ironical ! 

From : http://blog.haven.com/2015/03/28/five-different-easter-traditions-to-try-out-with-your-kids/ 

- Easter hunt : This outdoor game is ideal for small children. Adults hide some eggs outside for children to look for them. These eggs are usually filled with chocolate or with other candies. So, in other words, it is like a treasure scavenger hunt but with eggs ! 

From : http://www.brooklinoptimist.org/optimist/programs/easter-egg-hunt.html

- Easter egg roll : It is a race where children must push the eggs with a spoon. It is usually held on Easter Monday in the White House Lawns. 

From : http://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays-other/easter6.htm

- Easter bunny : It is a bunny that brings Easter eggs to children. Much like an Easter Santa Claus.

3. Easter foods : There are a lot of different typical Easter foods, namely : 

    

Hot cross bun                               Chocolate Easter bunny

 

Simnel cake                                           Jelly beans

4. Important dates :

- Lent : Six weeks before Easter Sunday. During this time, people must refrain from eating one food of their liking and be disciplined (which includes being a good Christian, read the Holy Scriptures...). The first day of Lent is Ash Wednesday.

- Palm Sunday : On the Sunday before Easter. This day is celebrated with a traditional mass, and a parade where people carry palm branches to welcome Jusus Christ

- Maundy Thursday

It is the day preceding Good Friday. This day welcomes the Holy Week. In the past, the monarchs used to wash the feet of the poor in Westminster Abbey. This also served to commemorate the Last Supper. Nowadays, the Queen gives money to a group of old people very famous or important for the community.

- Good Friday : To commemorate Jesus Christ's crucifixion. 

- Easter Sunday : To celebrate Jesus's resurrection. Easter egg hunts are usually held on this date. 

5. Morris dance : It is a typically English dance to scare the spirits of winter away. 

6. Mass : Of course, churches organize quite a lot of Easter services at Easter, much like in Spain. 

Did you enjoy Easter in the UK and the USA. They have some really interesting traditions. What is your best ? Post a comment. 

The UK school system

Holidays are over for school-goers and teachers and nearly over for high school students and it is high time for most people (including myself) to go back to school. I consider it would be a good idea to write a post about the school system in England. Let's begin !:

Pre-school education (kindergarten - not 'kindergarden'): 3-5 year olds. This is not compulsory. Children may attend reception classes to prepare themselves for the school. This stage is sometimes referred as 'Key Stage 0'.

Compulsory education: 5-18 year olds. Formerly, Compulsory Secondary Education lasted until the students' sixteen birthday, but it has been recently extended until 18. Compulsory education is divided into five different stages, at the end of which there will a Standard Assessment Test: 

a) Key Stage 1, for students aged 5-7.

b) Key Stage 2: for students aged 7-11. This is the last stage in Primary Education and pupils leave Elementary schools and go to High Schools (or Middle Schools).

c) Key Stage 3: for students aged 11-14. This is the first stage of Secondary Education, and it is often studied in High-Schools. 

d) Key Stage 4: for students aged 14-16. Ah the end of this stage, students get a GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education).

e) Key Stage 5 (Sixth Form): for students aged 16-18. At the end of this stage, students must face the A-levels exams and they get the GCE (General Certificate of Education).

Tertiary Education or Higher Education: This education takes place in Vocational Schools (Vocational Training, 'FP' in Spanish) , universities, academies or colleges, where you Grade Point Average is taken into account. 

Types of school

1. State schools: Schools funded by the Local Educational Authority where students do not have to pay any tuition fees. Remember not to use the term 'public school' because this term refers to a private school. There are different types:

- Community Schools: entirely state-funded.

- Foundation Schools: State-funded but the governing body of the school has some responsibilities in decision-taking. 

- Academy Schools: started by the funding of private enterprises or ONGs and free from local control.

- Free Schools: set up by parents, teachers and other investors and free from local control.

- Voluntary Aided Schools: The school is usually owned by a charitable foundation (normally linked somehow to the church). Its governing body takes all the decisions, but it also recieves funding form the state ('colegio concertado' in Spanish)

- Voluntary Controlled Schools: Owned by a charitable foundation, but the staff and other decisions are made by the local authorities.

- Comprehensive Schools: A non-selective secondary school. Students often attend these school when they are 11. 

- Grammar Schools: A selective grammar school with entry exams for the selection of pupils. 

- Middle Schools: An intermediate stage between Elementary Schools and High Schools. 

2. Independent schools (private schools): Independent from the government. Students have to pay tuition fees (usually very high). There are different types:

a) Public schools: The most expensive private schools for students aged 13-18.

b) Prep schools: Designed to prepare students to cope with university studies. 

c) Boarding schools: Private schools with lodgings where pupils usually sleep and spend the day. Eton is the most famous boarding school where notorious celebrities have studied. In this link you can see its outrageous fees. 

d) Military Academies: Their programme includes a combination between military training and academic studies.

e) Day schools: A private school where students receive education during the day and come back home to sleep. It's the opposing term to 'boarding school'.

Differences between the educational system in England and Spain:

- Compulsory Education begins at 5 and finishes at 18 in England, whereas in Spain it begins at 6 and finishes at 16.

- Students have to attend afternoon classes in England, and they have lunch at school. However, in Spain, students do not generally have to attend classes in the afternoon (except in some Elementary Schools in some communities). 

- There are more types of schools in the English educational systems.

- The subjects are similar but in England there are sometimes different subjects such as drama, sports, or home economics. 

- The academic year in England is different. Schools begin in August or September and finish in July with mid-term holidays. There are three terms which usually receive a name. In Spain, classes begin in mid-September and finish in June due to the weather conditions (it is extremely hot to teach during the summer).

- In English, more often than not, it is compulsory for students to wear a school uniform and teachers should wear smart clothes to school. 
- The grading system is rather different in England.  In England, they use letters (rather than numbers) to grade. Here you have some equivalencies, but there are small variations depending on the schools and colleges:
A= 80-100 % (Sobresaliente)
B= 70-79 % (Notable)
C= 60-69 % (Bien)
D= 50-59 % (Suficiente)
E: 40-49 % (Insuficiente)
F: 0-39 % (Deficiente)

Did you enjoy the educational system in England ? I hope you did. Now if you are one the unlucky ones that have to get back to school and start doing exams, think positively and do your best. If you do, soon you will be on holidays again.
P.S. Here you have a list of the most common abbreviations dealing with the educational system of the UK:
L.E.A. : Local Educational Authorities 
C. S. E. : Compulsory Secondary Education
KS1: Key Stage 1     
G. C. S. E: General Certificate of Secondary Education
G. C. E. : General Certificate of Education    
G. P. A: Grade Point Average
SATs: Standard Assessment Tests  
G. N. V. Q. : General National Vocational Qualification

Technology addiction

Watch this video and fill in the gaps with the appropriate words. A sentence has been given as an example:
https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-technology-addiction-definition-signs.html#lesson
0. The girl mentioned in the video is __seventeen__ years old. 

1. One of the first symptoms to detect technology addiction is when your daughter barely ____________________________.

2. When your daughter spends all the time playing videogames and she ignores her friend's request to ________ her at the beach, she'll probably have technology addiction. 

3. Last time your daughter was grounded without electronic devices she became ___________.

4. Technology addiction may be even more difficult to treat than __________________.

5. According to the video, technology addiction is an _____________ urge to use mobile phones and other electronic devices. 

6. Although technology addiction can be detected in the general population, it seems to be more ____________ among teenagers.

7. Technology addiction has not been medically ______________ so far. 

8. Apparently, technology addiction may be the result of both inherent genetic traits and elements _________________.

9. Technology ______________ are likely to have underlying health issues. 

10. Other than anxiety, insomnia and depression, technology addicts have also tendency towards _______________.

It's a Beautiful Day

Book reviews

Dear students of Intermedio 1, 

Here you have some help for you to write good film review. I hope it is usefulhttps://padlet.com/miguelillopistacho/4cf3apvu3hbh

Women listening

Match women 1-5 to the correct sentence A-:
A) THIS WOMAN IMPROVED WOMEN'S SANITARY CONDITIONS
B) THIS WOMAN EXPERIMENTED DIFFERENT COOKING METHODS
C) THIS WOMAN APPLIED KITCHEN STUFF TO ANOTHER FIELD OF EXPERTISE
D) THANKS TO HER, A DRINK WAS IMPROVED
E) THIS WOMAN HID THE INVENTION FROM HER BOSSES
F)  THIS WOMEN CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF HER INVENTION IN A RAINY DAY
G) SOMEONE ELSE BENEFITED FROM THIS WOMAN'S INVENTION
H) THIS WOMAN INVENTED TOILET PAPER

British vs. American English