Dia de Reis, or Epiphany, is celebrated on January 6 in Brazil. It commemorates the day when, according to the Christian tradition, os Três Reis Magos, the Magi, visited baby Jesus. Another note-worthy event that takes place on that same … Continue reading
azilians like to celebrate o Ano Novo, or Réveillon, New Year’s Eve outdoors. The end of year holidays come in the summer, right at the beginning of the academic summer vacation, creating the ideal period for people to travel to the beach … Continue reading
Adopting the joyous american melody of ‘Jingle Bells’, comedian Francis Blanche composed French lyrics for what became a very popular Christmas song, ‘Vive le vent d’hiver’ (Long live the winter wind). Here is the chorus which everyone in France knows: … Continue reading
Christmas greets Brazilians four days after the first day of summer, so celebrations call for less eggnog and more cold beer. Living Language interviewed Dona Ana, a 45 year-old Brazilian math teacher from São Paulo and asked her to describe … Continue reading
Gifts are a big part of the holiday season in the U.S. But what about gift-giving in other cultures? We asked our e-Tutors to share some tips on gift-giving in their respective cultures. Here’s a quick quiz to see how … Continue reading
In Hebrew, there is only one way to spell חנכה but in English, there appear to be too many variations to even count! Do you spell it with an ‘H’ or a ‘CH’? Two ‘N’s or two ‘K’s? When … Continue reading
On December 8th, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of La Inmaculada Concepción de la Virgen María (the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary). This is a dogma proclaimed by Pope Pius IX in 1854 that declares that the Virgin … Continue reading
The Christmas season in Germany has already begun. Last Sunday, Nov. 30, marked the first day of Advent, the four weeks leading up to the arrival of das Christkind, or the Christ child, on Dec. 25. Continue reading
November 4, 2014 is the عيد الأضحى (ʿīd al-aḍḥā or Eid al-Adha), the “feast of the sacrifice,” also known as العيد الكبير (al-‘īd al-kabīr, the Big Festival), when المسلمين (al-muslimīn, Muslims) commemorate the willingness of ابراهيم (Ibrāhīm, Abraham) to obey … Continue reading
October 9th in Korea is 한글날 Hangul Proclamation Day, a holiday that commemorates the creation of the Korean alphabet, called 한글 (Hangul, sometimes romanized as Hangeul), in 1443. Prior to that time, Korean used Chinese characters for writing. The script used for individuals … Continue reading
