Remembering Rosalía de Castro (1837-1885)

Many events are being held today all over Galicia in memory of one of our greatest poets, Rosalia de Castro. 

Rosalía de Castro por Luis Sellier. Wikipedia

She was born in Santiago de Compostela 181 years ago, on February 24, 1837.

Casa-museo de Rosalía en Padrón. Rosalíadecastro.org

She wrote poems and prose in Galician (Cantares Gallegos, Follas Novas, Contos da Miña Terra) and in Spanish (A Mi Madre, En Las Orillas del Sar) and her work has been translated into languages like English, French, Japanese and Portuguese.

Three ESO students, Adriana, Carlos and Álex have recorded a special podcast to celebrate such an important day for poetry lovers. 

Primary school students have also celebrated Rosalía de Castro’s Day by colouring pop-art illustrations of the poet and reciting some of her best-known poems with the help of their families!

Thanks a million!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

St Patrick’s Day celebrates Irish culture and commemorates one of Ireland’s patron saints, St Patrick, on or around March 17.

Saint Patrick's Day. Stpatricks.es

Location of Ireland. Wikipedia

ESO students have approached Irish culture and traditions and have recorded a podcast that explains who Saint Patrick was and why this feast is nowadays celebrated by millions of people in many parts of the world, especially by Irish communities and organizations.

If you want to find out more about Ireland and its patron Saint, take the quiz below.

HAPPY PADDY’S DAY!

Saint Patrick's Day Quiz from colexiopadrefeijoozorelle

Happy Victoria Day!

Victoria Day, also known as La Fête de la Reine, May Two-Four, May Long, and May Long Weekend, is a Canadian holiday on the Monday preceding May 25, in honour of Queen Victoria's birthday (24 May, 1819)

In some cities, fireworks displays or parades are held to mark Victoria Day. One of the most notable parades is held in the city of Toronto, Ontario.

Victoria Day Fireworks in Toronto. Wikipedia

For many people, the long Victoria Day weekend marks the end of the winter and the unofficial start of the spring or summer season. 

To find out more about this celebration, you can listen to the podcast below recorded by Raquel and Noelia (1ºBac). You will need to know what a Penny Black is. The Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. 

Penny Black Stamp. Wikipedia

It was issued in Britain on 1 May 1840, for official use from 6 May of that year and features a profile of Queen Victoria.

Thanks a million, girls!

Happy Galician Literature Day!

Every year, on March 17, Galicia celebrates O Día das Letras Galegas, a public holiday dedicated to our language and writers. Many cultural events are held on and around Galicia and our school is no exception! Here you have some images of the folk party celebrated by our Very Young Postcrossers.

And here are some of the poems and stories written in Galician by secondary school students. They are now on display in the school's lobby.

The first Galician Literature Day took place in 1963 to commemorate the centenary of Cantares gallegos, the first work written in the Galician language by Rosalía deCastro (1837–1885), who later became one of the most important poets in the history of Galicia. Cantares gallegos was first published in Vigo on May 17, 1863.

You can listen to two poems by Rosalía de Castro in English recited by our students and translated by John Howard Reed: “Daydreaming” and “Why Do You Despise Me?”

Since 1963, each Galician Literature Day has been dedicated to a different writer in the Galician language. 2016 pays homage to Manuel María, a poet and playwright from A Terra Cha (Lugo), best known for his social and political commitment.

Manuel María. El País

Primary school students have chosen 4 of Manuel María's poems for your enjoyment. Thank you, guys!

Happy World Book Day!

400 years ago two of the most well-known writers of world literature died: Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) and William Shakespeare (1564 -1616). That's why we are celebrating Book Day today! 

Shakespeare and Cervantes. El Placer de la Lectura.com

The connection between 23 April and books was first made in 1923 by booksellers in Catalonia, Spain. The original idea was of the Valencian writer Vicente Clavel Andrés as a way to honour the author Miguel de Cervantes, who died on this date.

Vicente Clavel Andrés en enero 1958. La Piedra de Sifio.com

In 1995 UNESCO decided that the World Book and Copyright Day would be celebrated on 23 April, as the date is also the anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega.

World Book Day and Copyright Day. UNESCO

Ledicia (3º ESO A) has recorded a brief podcast about William Shakespeare's life. We hope you like and find it interesting!

Thanks a lot, Ledicia!

Our Student Teacher from the University of Georgia, Monan Lu, has recorded this video to share her reading habits and likes with all of us and also to reflect on why reading matters.

Thanks a lot, Monan, for such an inspiring message!

Luca Spessato's podcast on Piedmont (Italy)

Luca Spessato, a friend of our project, has very kindly sent us a podcast on the beautiful Italian region of Piedmont after knowing that we’ve received a postcard from Castellinaldo!

Grazie mille Luca for telling us so many interesting things about the history, culture and lifestyle of Piedmont!

Luca Spessato

You're welcome to take part in our project any time you want!

Happy Valentine's Day!

It's that time of the year when people show their love for each other by sending flowers, chocolates, and of course, cards!

Valentine's Day Cupid. The source.com

The tradition of sending Valentine cards dates back to 1806, when they were began to be assembled in factories. Such early manufactured valentines were composed of black-and-white pictures painted by the factory workers and  contained delicate and artistic messages with illustrations of turtledoves, lovers' knots in gold or silver, bows and arrow, Cupids and bleeding hearts.

Puzzle Card. Inspirational Quotes.com

Classic Valentine card.

Valentine's Day Cards now remain extremely popular and are manufactured on an enormous scale! Millions of valentines are sent to sweethearts, children, parents, friends and even teachers!

Valentine Teacher

This video shows the largest Valentine collection in the world with more than 10,000 pieces. Nancy Rosin’s collection is a perfect chronicle of the world’s history of love.

Listen to the podcast that Ana and Lucía have recorded to learn how Saint Valentine is celebrated in different countries. Thank you, girls!



HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Interviewing Ana Romero about Singapore

Ainhoa (2º ESO A) has interviewed Ana Romero about Singapore, the origin of the 11th postcard we've received. Ana lived there a few years ago and she's currently working in the Export Sales department of a Cosmetics Company. Thank you, Ana, for letting us know about this faraway place!

Ana in Chinatown (Singapore). Photo by Ana Romero

Podcast on Tambov (postcard 14)

Ciencia Activa students have recorded a podcast about Tambov, a Russian city which is the destination of postcard 14. 

Happy Saint Martin's Day! Os Magostos

It’s St. Martin’s Day today and here in Ourense it is the height of the Magosto, a celebration of autumn’s bounty and the ripening chestnuts!

In our school, the Magosto is a big feast! We all paint our faces black and eat roast chestnuts prepared by a very special "castañeira", Rocío, our language therapist.

On or around November 11th, the Ourensanos gather around bonfires, fireplaces or even stoves to talk, laugh, eat chestnuts, and celebrate the bountiful harvest and coming winter rest.

O Magosto en Ourense. Guía rural

Have you ever stopped to consider the health benefits of this autumn fruit?

A Castaña. Blog de Juan Ramónrpepa.wordpress.com

One of the coordinators of this project, Ana Losada, has recorded this podcast in which she explains why chestnuts are good for our health. Thanks, Ana!

Happy Halloween!

It’s the end of October and everyone is talking about Halloween! 

Jack'O Lantern. BBC America

This is why this entry is devoted to an English village which is known as the most haunted village in England.

St. Nicholas Church and graveyard in Pluckley – Google Images: Stephen Nunney

As some of you have learnt this week Pluckley, a picturesque Kentish village, not far from London, is the most haunted village in England according to the Guiness Book of Records.

Pluckley shown within Kent. Wikipedia

Some of Pluckley's ghosts are:

• The Highwayman
• The Coach
• The Gyspsy Woman
• The Miller
• The Schoolmaster
• The Vicar's dog

If you want to find out more about these and many other ghosts, listen to the podcast Lucía, Ana and Alex have recorded for you. We hope you like it!

Listen to this podcast with the "Conxuro da Queimada"

Gema and Miranda (ESO 2 Group A) have recorded a new podcast with the spell we usually read when we prepare "A Queimada"! This Galician tradition is featured in the 9th postcard sent (destination Mounds View in the US).

Queimada. Wikimedia Commons

The spell is recorded in English and Galician. Hope you like it!

A podcast about our Postcrossing project

Our school has a podcast channel in English, Live From Padre Feijoo Zorelle, to which secondary school students submit audio files. 

One of their podcasts explains in detail what Postcrossing At Padre Feijoo-Zorelle is about.

Listen to Noelia and Raquel by clicking REPRODUCIR below.