THANKSGIVING DAY - HISTORY

Thanksgiving Day is celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday in November. It is a harvest festival that dates back to 1621, the year after Pilgrims from England arrived in Massachusetts. The Pilgrims were the first settlers of America. They sailed away from England in September 1620, on a small ship called the Mayflower, in the hope of finding a new home where they could live in peace and freely practice their faith. It took them 66 days to reach America from England. Only half of the Pilgrims who left England in 1620 survived that first year. Many died during the first winter. The survivors turned for help to neighbouring Indians, who taught them how to plant corn and other crops. The next Autumn harvest was plentiful and inspired the Pilgrims to give thanks by holding a three-day feast. Have a look at this video for more information.

25th NOVEMBER VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

violenceagainstwomen-111123094436-phpapp01

25th NOVEMBER, VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN DAY

BONFIRE NIGHT

BONFIRE NIGHT

GUY FAWKES' DAY - BONFIRE NIGHT - ACTIVITIES

ALL SAINTS' DAY IN SPAIN

When is All Saints' Day in Spain?

All Saints' Day is celebrated in Spain on the same day as in the rest of the world - on November 1.

How do the Spanish Celebrate All Saints' Day?

The most obvious sign that it is All Saints' Day is that you'll notice the graveyards to be unusually full of flowers. The Spanish remember their dearly departed on All Saints' Day and bring flowers to the graves of their loved ones on this day.

If you can get to see a performance of Don Juan Tenorio on All Saints' Day, seize the opportunity. The play is the most famous (and the most romantic) story about the mythical Don Juan and is performed each year on All Saints' Day.

There are a few traditional sweets that the Spanish eat on All Saints' Day. The most common is Huesos de Santo (literally 'saint's bones'), which is made of marzipan and 'dulce de yema'. Another is 'buñuelos de viento'.

ALL SAINTS' DAY - RECIPES FROM SPAIN

Buñuelos de Viento (Wind Puffs)No one knows exactly when these sweetened dough fritters, which are usually filled with cream, chocolate, pudding and anything else, began to be elaborated. But given that the Royal chef of Spanish king Felipe II made some references to this pastry in some of his recipes towards the beginning of the XVII century, has raised them to be one of the traditional culinary desserts to celebrate Dia de Todos los Santos, as tradition states that when you eat a buñuelo, a soul is released from purgatory.

Huesos de Santo (Saints' Bones)These oddly named sweets, which are made of marzipan dough rolled into thick thumb-size tubes, do not actually resemble a bone in shape, so do not fret over its unappealing name. Its name derives from the final coloring it acquires after its baked in a syrup covering: a bone-like beige hue. Huesos de Santo were also traditionally filled with a sweet egg yolk concoction, but nowadays are elaborated with all types of filling (from chocolate to coconut shavings to marmalade, banana, etc) to being sold in an assortment of colors that hint away at its flavor.