Columbus Day, celebrated on October 12 in the United States and in other countries around the world, pays tribute to Christopher Columbus, who arrived America in 1492. This date also commemorates the Italian Heritage Day, and the Columbus Day Parade … Continue reading
Goed idee! As we’ve mentioned before, learning Dutch is een goed idee (a good idea) because it is spoken in more places than you might think, it’s easy for English speakers to learn, and it sounds pretty cool. Some people … Continue reading
Yom Kippur יום כפור the Day of Atonement, comes ten days after Rosh Hashana ראש השנה (the 10th of Tishrei) which falls on Oct. 3 this year. In temple times, Yom Kippur יום כפור was a day of elaborate temple rituals … Continue reading
Today is International Coffee Day. In celebration, let’s learn about coffee in Brazil, the largest coffee producing country in the world for the past 150 years, harvesting a third of all the coffee consumed in the planet. Café, coffee, is … Continue reading
Rosh Hashana ראש השנה, which will begin at sundown this evening, September 24, 2014, is literally the ‘head’ of the year of Jewish festivals and holidays. ראש rosh means head in Hebrew and שנה means year. Rosh Hashana ראש השנה is … Continue reading
O Dia da Árvore, Arbor Day, was celebrated in Brazil on September 21, which is also the first day of spring in the Southern Hemisphere. The Amazon rainforest, or os pulmōes do mundo, the lungs of the world, as it … Continue reading
azilian day of independence is a multi-named holiday that includes the monikers Dia da Independência, Independence Day, sete de setembro, September 7, and Dia do Grito, literally, Day of the Shout, and celebrates Brazil’s declaration of independence from Portugal. It is a feriado nacional, national holiday, observed with desfiles, parades, and concertos, concerts. Continue reading
There are two holidays in the United States that Americans consider the unofficial brackets or demarcations of the summer season. Both dates are federal holidays, which means that most full-time non-essential workers get the day off, but still get paid. The … Continue reading
Escuchar la radio (listening to the radio) is a great tool to gain exposure to a foreign language while learning about a different culture. Students with an advanced level should do it regularly, and I also recommend it to students with an intermediate level. Remember to listen with patience and self compassion! Continue reading
Proverbs and popular sayings in Brazil come from many different sources. While some proverbs are direct quotations from the bible, others migrated into the language and culture from famous stories such as the French Fables of La Fontaine or Greek dramas. Continue reading
