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Adele is a British singer and songwriter. Her two previous albums,
19 and 21, have earned the artist numerous awards. Now, she has just released
her third album 25 and the song Hello is the first single from the album. The
song is a soul piano ballad that talks about nostalgia and regret and plays out
like a conversation. Hello is the first song to sell over one million digital
copies within one week of its release in the USA. (source Wikipedia)
The content of the lyrics is open to
interpretation. Some people say it’s about a failed love relationship,
some others argue that it is about Adele’s relationships with everybody she
loves and cannot be with; others, on the other hand, claim it is Adele’s
conversation with her old self before she became famous.
Listen to the song and their task will be to find the following:
a verb meaning to desire to know something.
three phrasal verbs.
an informal contraction that some people consider incorrect.
an idiomatic expression meaning to be lucky, successful and greatly admired.
a modal+ perfect infinitive
an idiomatic expression meaning to cause someone great emotional pain.
a combination that goes against grammar, but which is very common in casual registers.
an idiomatic expression meaningto achieve a goal, to be successful. (Source Blog de Cristina)
The first recorded use of the term “Black Friday” was applied not to holiday shopping but to financial crisis: specifically, the crash of the U.S. gold market on September 24, 1869. Two notoriously ruthless Wall Street financiers, Jay Gould and Jim Fisk, worked together to buy up as much as they could of the nation’s gold, hoping to drive the price sky-high and sell it for astonishing profits. On that Friday in September, the conspiracy finally unraveled, sending the stock market into free-fall and bankrupting everyone from Wall Street barons to farmers.
The most commonly repeated story behind the post-Thanksgiving shopping-related Black Friday tradition links it to retailers. As the story goes, after an entire year of operating at a loss (“in the red”) stores would supposedly earn a profit (“went into the black”) on the day after Thanksgiving, because holiday shoppers blew so much money on discounted merchandise. Though it’s true that retail companies used to record losses in red and profits in black when doing their accounting, this version of Black Friday’s origin is the officially sanctioned—but inaccurate—story behind the tradition.
Thanksgiving is the time to pray and thank God for his continuous grace. Families offer group prayers both in church as well as homes. Customary Thanksgiving prayer before the Thanksgiving feast is quite popular. Some prayers said during Thanksgiving Day are as follows:
Thanksgiving For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)
ORIGIN
Thanksgiving is America's preeminent day. It is celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday in the month ofNovember. It has a very interesting history. Its origin can be traced back to the 16th century when the first thanksgiving dinner is said to have taken place.
Journey of Pilgrims
The legendary pilgrims, crossed the Atlantic in the year 1620 in Mayflower-A 17th Century sailing vessel. About 102 people traveled for nearly two months with extreme difficulty. This was so because they were kept in the cargo space of the sailing vessel. No one was allowed to go on the deck due to terrible storms. The pilgrims comforted themselves by singing Psalms- a sacred song.
Arrival in Plymouth
The pilgrims reached Plymouth rock on December 11th 1620, after a sea journey of 66 days. Though the original destination was somewhere in the northern part of Virginia, they could not reach the place owing to winds blowing them off course. Nearly46 pilgrims died due to extreme cold in winter. However, in the spring of 1621, Squanto, a native Indian taught the pilgrims to survive by growing food.
Day of Fasting and Prayer
In the summer of 1621, owing to severe drought, pilgrims called for a day of fasting and prayer to please God and ask for a bountiful harvest in the coming season. God answered their prayers and it rained at the end of the day. It saved the corn crops.
Turkey and First Thanksgiving Feast
There is no evidence to prove if the customary turkey was a part of the initial feast. According to the first hand account written by the leader of the colony, the food included, ducks, geese, venison, fish, berries etc.
Pumpkin and Thanksgiving Feast
Pumpkin pie, a modern staple adorning every dinner table, is unlikely to have been a part of the first thanksgiving feast. Pilgrims however, did have boiled pumpkin. Diminishing supply of flour led to the absence of any kind of bread. After a number of events and changes, President Lincoln proclaimed last Thursday in November of thanksgiving in the year 1863.
Thanksgiving Day in the United States is a holiday on the fourth Thursday of November. It precedes Black Friday.
What do people do?
Thanksgiving Day is traditionally a day for families and friends to get together for a special meal. The meal often includes a turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, pumpkin pie, and vegetables. Thanksgiving Day is a time for many people to give thanks for what they have.
Thanksgiving Day parades are held in some cities and towns on or around Thanksgiving Day. Some parades or festivities also mark the opening of the Christmas shopping season. Some people have a four-day weekend so it is a popular time for trips and to visit family and friends.
Background
Thanksgiving Day has been an annual holiday in the United States since 1863. Not everyone sees Thanksgiving Day as a cause for celebration. Each year since 1970, a group of Native Americans and their supporters have staged a protest for a National Day of Mourning at Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts on Thanksgiving Day. American Indian Heritage Day is also observed at this time of the year.
There are claims that the first Thanksgiving Day was held in the city of El Paso, Texas in 1598. Another early event was held in 1619 in the Virginia Colony. Many people trace the origins of the modern Thanksgiving Day to the harvest celebration that the Pilgrims held in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. However, their first true thanksgiving was in 1623, when they gave thanks for rain that ended a drought. These early thanksgivings took the form of a special church service, rather than a feast.
In the second half of the 1600s, thanksgivings after the harvest became more common and started to become annual events. However, it was celebrated on different days in different communities and in some places there were more than one thanksgiving each year. George Washington, the first president of the United States, proclaimed the first national Thanksgiving Day in 1789.
Though these days it goes on for weeks before and after the 5th of November.
The day arrives and the fireworks are already exploding.
The following chant recalls the reason for the activity, though burning images of the Pope or more recently politicians and other anti-heros also takes place.
October 31 is Halloween. On Halloween, children wear fancy dress costumes and they knock on doors and say “Trick or treat.” People open the doors and give the children lots of sweets.Orange and black are the Halloween colours. Orange is the colour of pumpkins and black is the colour of darkness. Halloween is a fun holiday!!! You can enjoy playing games about Halloween. Link on the picture and have fun!!!
Let's learn new vocabulary related to Halloween before singing:
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'.
If there’s one typical sweet for All Saints’ Day, it’s the “saints’ bones”. Made with a marzipan dough, these sweets are covered with a syrup and have different fillings. They are shaped like bones, which is where its name comes from. The saints’ bones make up part of the pastry and baked goods in Spain in general, and it’s very common to eat them across the peninsula on November 1st.
Wind Fritters (Buñuelos o buñuelos de viento)
Though they are perhaps more well-known toe at during “Holy Week”, these fritters are also eaten for All Saints’ Day. They’re very simple to make, and the recipe basically consists in a dough made with flour, sugar and a filling that could be one of many flavors. The fritters are cheaper and lighter than the Saints’ bones.
Quince Jelly (Dulce de membrillo)
This is a very fall treat because it’s during this time when the fruit is harvested from the Quince tree and a type of jelly or compote is made in the home. Careful, though: quince can’t be eaten raw. The jelly is made simply by boiling the pulp of the quince with the same amount of sugar, resulting in a block of jelly that can be cut to go with or fill different types of culinary dishes.
“Pestiños” (There is no English translation!)
It’s tradition to eat them at this time of year. They’re pretty easy to make, since there are only three main ingredients: flour, olive oil and sugar, but the key is in frying the dough, and that’s another story. There are lots of variations of the recipe, sometimes adding lemon, honey or Jerez wine.
Roasted chestnuts (Castañas asadas)
Since All Saints’ Day is celebrated in fall, it isn’t strange that one of the most typical nuts is eaten to celebrate it: chestnuts. When they’re roasted they are very tasty, and can be easily eaten. The most common way to roast them is over a hot griddle, though they can also be roasted in the fireplace, in a bonfire or even in the oven.
