Spanish Festivals

The day of the Immaculate Conception is a national holiday and it is celebrated because the Immaculate Concepcion is the patron saint of Spain from 1761. The Immaculate Conception is an article about faith of the Catholicism that supports the belief in which Maria, Jesus's mother was not reached by the original sin but, from the first moment of his conception it was free of any sin. The belief in the Immaculade Concepcion took root especially in Spain. Numerous temples, chapels and monuments were dedicated to her, and she was nominated a patron saint of the kingdom by Carlos III. The doctrine was defined definitely as a faith dogma on December 8, 1854, for pope Pío IX. Since then December 8 has stayed like date of the holiday of the Immaculade Concepcion in the whole Catholic Church. In the day of the Immaculate Conception a mass is celebrated and the Spanish priests can take a blue chasuble. In some places also processions are celebrated

This is a sculpture of the Immaculate Conception and it is in the cathedral of Granada. It was made by Alonso Cano.

Manuel L.

Fiesta de la Inmaculada Concepción

Fiesta de la Inmaculada Concepción

El 8 de diciembre vuelve a ser fiesta nacional en toda España, justo dos días después de la fiesta de la Constitución, por lo que se trata de uno de los “puentes” (unión de varios días de fiestas seguidos) más esperados por todos los españoles antes de que llegue la navidad.
El dogma de la Inmaculada Concepción es un artículo de la fe católica que sostiene la creencia de que María, madre de Jesús, a diferencia del resto de seres humanos, no fue alcanzada por el pecado original, sino que, desde el primer instante de la creación de su alma, estuvo libre de todo pecado. Esta doctrina no es aceptada ni por los cristianos ortodoxos ni por los protestantes.
Es evidente que España es un país marcado por la religión católica y muchas de sus festividades conllevan un fuerte carácter religioso. No obstante, y a pesar de que las iglesias celebran diversos actos en estas fechas, la mayoría de los españoles aprovechan este puente para irse a su segunda residencia, hacer deportes de nieve y montaña o visitar algún otro país extranjero.
PABLO F.

Constitution's Day

Constitution’s Day
It is a holiday in Spain in which there is commemorated the celebration of the Constitutional Referendum of 1978 in which the Spanish people approved for wide majority the current Spanish Constitution. It is festive in the whole Spain. It is very common to find a street or square of the Constitution in most of the cities of Spain. There is celebrated a day of doors opened in the palace of the courts
MANUEL L.

DÍA DE LA CONSTITUCIÓN

Día de la Constitución
En España, el Día de la Constitución es el sexto día del último mes del año (6 de diciembre). Es un día festivo en España en el que se conmemora la celebración del Referéndum Constitucional de 1978 en el que el pueblo español aprobó por amplia mayoría la actual Constitución Española, en vigor desde entonces.Es festivo en toda España y se celebran diversos actos en homenaje a la constitución de 1978.
Spain's Constitution Day is the sixth day of the last month of the year (December 6). It is a holiday in Spain in the celebration commemorating the 1978 Constitutional Referendum in which the Spanish people overwhelmingly approved the current Spanish Constitution, in force since then.It's holiday in Spain and various events are held in honor of the 1978 constitution.
Raul Q.

SPANISH CONSTITUTION

The Spanish Constitution of 1978 is the supreme legal norm (or principle) of the legal ordering of the Kingdom of Spain.
It is born during the historical process denominated Spanish Transition, that takes place as a result of the dead, the 20 of November of 1975 of the previous Head of the State, the General Francisco Franco, and who will precipitate a series of political events and historical that will finish with the final abolition of the previous pro-Franco regime.
In Spain, the Day of the Constitution is the sixth day of the last month of the year (6 of December). It is a holiday in Spain in which the celebration of the Constitutional Referendum of 1978 is commemorated in force in which the Spanish town approved by ample majority the present Spanish Constitution, since then. He is festive in all Spain and diveros are celebrated acts in tribute to the 1978 constitution.

María F.

GRANADA

I THINK GRANADA IS A SPECIAL CITY.
HERE YOU CAN GO TO THE BEACH, IT IS IN AN HOUR MORE AND LESS, OR TO THE MOUNTAIN, SIERRA NEVADA, AN SKI STATION.
MY FAVOURITES PLACES ARE "LA ALHAMBRA" AND "SIERRA NEVADA".
LA ALHAMBRA, IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PLACES IN GRANADA AND I LOVE IT BECAUSE IT IS VERY IMPORTANT IN OUR HISTORY AND IT IS AMAZING.
SIERRA NEVADA, FOR ME IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE MY PARENTS WORK THERE AND I LOVE SKIING.
GRANADA IS A CITY WHERE YOU CAN DO A LOT OF THINGS.
ANA R.

Who was Comenius?

John Amos Comenius
(Czech: Jan Amos Komenský; Slovak: Ján Amos Komenský; German: Johann Amos Comenius; Polish: Jan Amos Komeński; Hungarian: Comenius Ámos János (28 March 1592 – 15 November 1670) was a Moravian teacher, scientist, educator, and writer. He was a Unity of the Brethren/Moravian Protestant bishop, a religious refugee and one of the earliest champions of universal education.
Comenius became known as the teacher of nations. He is often considered the father of modern education.
The birthplace of Comenius is not known. There are three possible locations: Komňa, Nivnice, or Uherský Brod in Moravia (all three locations are in Uherské Hradiště District, Czech Republic).
Komňa is a small village where his ancestors from the Szeges family lived and where he takes his name from. (Czech: Komňa → Komenský; Comenius is a Latinised form).
Nivnice is a small village where he spent his childhood.
Uherský Brod is a town where he moved during his childhood. There is a museum devoted to him there.
He attended the Latin school in Přerov, Moravia, where he returned 1614-18 as a teacher of the school. He continued his studies in Herborn (1611-13) and Heidelberg (1613-14).
The Herborn school held the principle that every theory has to be functional in practical use, therefore has to be didactic, ie morally instructive..
Comenius became a pastor at age 24 and led the Brethren into exile when the Protestants were persecuted under the Counter Reformation. He lived and worked in many different countries in Europe, including Sweden, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Transylvania, the Holy Roman Empire, England, the Netherlands, and Royal Hungary. Comenius took refuge in Leszno in Poland, where he led the gymnasium, then moved to Sweden to work with Queen Christina and the chancellor Axel Oxenstierna. From 1642-1648 he went to Elbing (Elbląg) in Polish Royal Prussia, then to England with the aid of Samuel Hartlib, who came originally from Elbing. In 1650 Zsuzsanna Lorántffy, widow of George I Rákóczi prince of Transylvania invited him to Sárospatak. Comenius remained there until 1654 as professor in the first Hungarian Protestant college; he wrote some of his most important works there. Comenius returned to Leszno. During the Northern Wars in 1655, he declared his support for the Protestant Swedish side, for which his house, his manuscripts, and the school's printing press were burned down by Polish partisans in 1656. From there he took refuge in Amsterdam in the Netherlands, where he died in 1670. For unclear reasons he was buried in Naarden, where his grave can be visited in the mausoleum devoted to him.
Comenius, his life and teachings, have become better known since the fall of the Iron Curtain.