2012 Calendar

With all the traditions related with each of the year's months in our respective countries,we have made a 2012 calendar.
This is its front page
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B65zku-bM5tvV2xJWXFlaWRvMkU
And now the calendar month by month.
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B65zku-bM5tvaWMyNlB1dFVVejg

June tradition from Finland: Juhannus - Midsummer Day/St. John´s Day

Juhannus           

Juhannus on keskikesän juhla, jota vietetään kesäkuun 20. ja 26. päivän välissä olevana lauantaina. Juhannusta kutsutaan myös yöttömän yön juhlaksi sillä sitä vietetään vuoden valoisimpaan aikaan. Nimensä juhla on saanut Johannes Kastajan mukaan.  Juhannus on myös Suomen lipun päivä. Se on ainut liputuspäivä, jolloin lippu saa olla salossa läpi yön.

Ennen vanhaan koti siivottiin juhannukseksi perusteellisesti ja koti koristeltiin luonnon kukilla ja juhannuskoivuilla, jotka asetettiin ulko-oven molemmin puolin. Koko kylän väki kokoontui juhannustulille järven rantaan ihailemaan kokkoa. Nuoriso kokoontui  keinumaan kallioiden laelle rakennetuilla suurilla keinuilla. Nuoret neidot keräsivät seitsemän tai yhdeksän kukkaa tyynyn alle ja uskoivat näkevänsä unta tulevasta sulhasestaan. Ruotsinkielisellä rannikkoalueella ja saaristossa rakennettiin kukkasin koristeltuja juhannussalkoja, joiden ympärillä tanssittiin kansantansseja.

Edelleenkin ihmiset kokoontuvat kokkoja ihailemaan ja myös juhannussalkoja pystytetään rannikkoseudulla. Nykyisin kaupunkilaiset viettävät juhannusta mielellään maaseudulla järven rannalla saunoen, grillaten ja kokkoja poltellen.

Juhannus – St. John’s Day

St. John’s Day is a midsummer festivity that is celebrated on Saturday between the 20 and 26 June. St. John’s Day is also called ”the festivity of nightless night”, since the night is at its shortest then. The festivity is named after St. John. Also the Finnish flag is celebrated on St. John’s  Day.  It is the only Flag Day when the flag can fly on the pole all night through.

In the old days people would clean the house thoroughly and decorate it with wild flowers and birch trees, which were put on both sides of the outdoor. All village people would gather together by a lake to admire the big bonfire. Young maidens would pick seven or nine wild flowers and put them under their pillows believing to see their future husband in a dream. On the Swedish speaking coastal area and the archipelago people built and put up poles decorated with flowers. People would dance folk dances around the poles.

Still today people get together to admire big bonfires by lakes and midsummer poles are put up on the coast. Nowadays many people like to go to the countryside to  celebrate Juhannus by having a sauna, a barbeque and  a big bonfire.

Summer in Boden

Click on the link to see our summertraditions

https://navet.boden.se/LotusQuickr/prastholmskolan/Main.nsf/h_6154AABDCBF844FAC12577BB003FF12C/6F7CCED63941AC03C12578A100404A1F/?OpenDocument

SPANISH JUNE TRADITION

June tradition in Barrafranca (ITALY): Il Corpus Domini

Il Corpus Domini
Il Corpus Domini (espressione latina che significa Corpo del Signore) è una delle principali solennità della Chiesa Cattolica che celebra il mistero dell’Eucaristia e chiude il ciclo delle feste dopo Pasqua.
Nella ricorrenza, in molti paesi e città, si svolgono solenni processioni in cui viene mostrata pubblicamente e solennemente l’Eucaristia ai fedeli.
Nel nostro paese si usa erigere degli altari lungo le vie della processione e abbellire i balconi con i più bei capi di corredo.
Mentre passa il Corpus Domini, la gente getta petali di rose dalle finestre e dai balconi.
Da qualche anno, davanti alla Chiesa Madre viene realizzata l’infiorata: tappeti colorati costituiti da elementi vegetali e floreali che riproducono motivi religiosi.

The Corpus Domini (Latin expression that means Christ’s Body) is one of the main
occasions within the Catholic Church which celebrates the mystery of the Eucharist and concludes the Easter feasts cycles.
Religious processions are held in many cities and towns, to show the Eucharist to the faithful.
In our town it is traditional to build altars along the procession route and to embellish the balconies with the best bed and table linen.
While the Corpus Domini passes people throw rose petals from the windows and balconies.
For some years now, in front of the Mother Church, the infiorata is made, multicoloured carpets made of flowers and parts of plants which reproduce religious motifs.

The legend of the changed saint (Barrafranca)

La leggenda del santo cambiato
Tanto tempo fa Santo Rocco era il santo patrono di Barrafranca e Sant’Alessandro era il patrono di Pietraperzia.
Si dice che c’era una festa, durante la quale, le statue dei due santi si incontravano in una chiesa a metà strada fra i due paesi.
Gli abitanti di Barrafranca si accorsero che Sant’Alessandro era più miracoloso di Santo Rocco, così decisero di cambiare il loro patrono.
E coll’inganno, alla fine della festa, riuscirono a scambiare le statue nascoste da teli.
Gli abitanti di Barrafranca lasciarono la statua di Santo Rocco nella chiesa e portarono a Barrafranca quella di Sant’Alessandro.
Nonostante la sostituzione tutti rimasero legati al loro precedente patrono.
Così ancora oggi per la festa di Santo Rocco gli abitanti di Barrafranca si recano a Pietraperzia e altrettanto fanno gli abitanti di Pietraperzia per la festa di Sant’Alessandro.

May tradition in Barrafranca (Italy): Saint Alexander

Saint Alexander
Saint Alexander, Pope and Martyr, is the patron of Barrafranca.
On the 3rd of May (feast day) the statue of the Saint is carried in procession and taken to the outskirts of the town, just in front of the lands, where it makes three passes to bless the growing wheat so to have a good crop in June.
Particular are the interlaced ears of wheat, situated on the back of the chair where the saint sits, which reveals the rural derivation of the feast.
People used to bring to the Church, as votive offerings, bread reproducing the parts of the body recovered by an illness.

Sant’Alessandro
Sant’Alessandro papa e martire è il patrono di Barrafranca.
Il 3 maggio la statua del santo viene portata in processione fino ai limiti del paese, di fronte alle campagne, dove compie tre corse, per benedire il grano che sta crescendo e assicurare a giugno un buon raccolto.
Sono particolari le spighe intrecciate, poste sulla spalliera della sedia dove il santo è seduto, che rivelano la derivazione agricola della festa.
Le persone usano portare in chiesa, come ex-voto, pani a forma di parti del corpo che sono state guarite da una malattia.

May tradition from Finland: Äitienpäivä - Mother´s day

Aitienpäivä Suomessa

Suomessa  äitienpäivää vietetään toukokuun toisena sunnuntaina. 

Ensimmäisen kerran sitä vietettiin täällä vuonna 1918. Se tuli meille USAsta. 

Se on virallinen liputuspäivä. Useimmissa maissa äitienpäivää vietetään jonakin muuna ajankohtana. Sitä voidaan viettää monin eri tavoin. Tavallisinta on tarjoilla aamiainen äidille vuoteeseen.  Äidille voi antaa lahjoja ja kukkia. Voi  myös  tehdä kortin itse. Äitienpäivänä täytyy äidille olla hyvin ystävällinen. Jotkut perheet menevät syömään ravintolaan.

Mother’s day in Finland

Mother’s day is on the second Sunday of May.

It was first celebrated in Finland in 1918.

It came from the United States of America.

It is an official flag day in Finland.

Most of the countries have a different day for Mother’s day.

There are many ways to celebrate it. The most usual way is to make a breakfast and serve it to Mother in the bed. You can give flowers and presents to your Mother. You can draw a card too, if you want. You have to be very kind to your Mother. Some families go to eat in a restaurant.

SPANISH MAY TRADITION

WORKSHEET

May tradition from Sweden

Mors dag
Mors dag är en högtidsdag som ska uppmärksamma alla mammor på en särskild dag.
Företeelsen att fira våra mammor finns runt om i världen men på lite olika sätt och olika dagar. Den första Morsdagen firades 1908 i USA av en kvinna som hette Ann Jarvis som ville hedra sin döda mamma. 1919 firades Morsdag första gången i Sverige.
Nuförtiden firar vi Morsdag den sista söndagen i Maj. Det är inte någon flaggdag i Sverige.
Traditionen att fira sin mamma på en särskild dag har inte varit helt populär bland alla.
Många tycker att det bara är en kommersiell dag som finns för att affärsmännen ska tjäna pengar. Hursomhelst så brukar barn i många skolor måla fina morsdagskort som de ger till sin mamma på Morsdagen. En del mammor får frukost på sängen av sina barn, blommor eller någon liten present. Vissa restauranger annonserar om speciella Morsdagsmenyer som de vill locka med.




Mother's Day is a celebration that will draw attention to all the mothers on a special day.The phenomenon to celebrate our mothers are around the world, but in slightly different ways and different days. The first Mother's Day was celebrated in 1908 in the USA by a woman named Ann Jarvis.She wanted to honor his dead mother. 1919 Mother's Day was celebrated for the first time in Sweden.Today we celebrate Mother's Day on the last Sunday in May. There is no flag day in Sweden.The tradition to celebrate our mother on a special day has not been entirely popular with everyone.Many think that it's just a commercial day for businessmen to make money. Anyway, usually children in many schools have to paint fine Mother's Day card that they give to their mom for Mother's Day. Some mothers get breakfast in bed by her children, flowers or any small gift. Some restaurants advertise a special Mother's Day Menus that they want to attract.

April tradition from Finland: Mantan Lakitus 2010

April tradition from Finland: Vappu -May Day Eve

Vappu

Vappu on kevään ja suomalaisen työn juhla. Vapun päivään kuuluvat ilmapallot, naamiasasut, ylioppilaslakit, vappumarssit, poliittiset puheet, vappulounaat ja eväsretket.

Vappu on lasten juhla. Silloin saa koristella kodin ilmapalloilla, serpentiineillä ja vappuviuhkoilla. Vappuna juodaan simaa ja syödään munkkeja ja tippaleipiä.

Vappu on myös ylioppilaiden juhla. Ylioppilaat laittavat päähänsä valkoiset ylioppilaslakkinsa ja kulkevat koko päivän ne päässään.

Vappuna juhlivat myös työläiset. He kulkevat lippukulkueissaan kaupungin halki.

May Day – The 1st of May

On May Day we celebrate Spring and Finnish labour. Balloons,  clown costumes, student caps, parades,  flag processions, political speeches, May Day dinners and picnics are part of May Day celebration.

May Day is childrens’ festival. We decorate our homes with balloons, streamers and  whisks made of silky paper. We drink mead and eat doughnuts and  and special  May Day confectionery called tippaleipä”  or May Day fritter (in the picture).

”

Also people who have graduated from high school celebrate on May Day by wearing their  white student caps all day and having a stroll on the streets.

Working-class people celebrate May Day, too. They walk in flag processions through towns.

RECIPE: A Pagnuccata

Canto: Preghiera a Gesù Crocifisso

APRIL TRADITION IN BARRAFRANCA: The Holy Week and Easter Day

The Holy Week and Easter in Barrafranca Many religious and traditional events are held in our town during the Holy week. The celebrations start on Palm Sunday with processions among the Parrish churches streets. Children take interlaced palms, embellished with flowers and ribbons, while adults take olive branches to be blessed in the churches. On Holy Wednesday evening a group of people act, in some characteristic places of the town, the “Vasacra” a moving representation of passion and death of Jesus Christ. Altars are bared in churches after the religious rites on Holy Thursday and people go visiting the “Sabburca”. The Sabburca are places of worship prepared in the churches and embellished by flowers, plants, candles and coloured lights around a golden urn where there is the Holy Sacrament. On Holy Friday morning the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows, in mourning, is carried in procession and according to the popular interpretation She goes out searching for his Son who has been captured and condemned to death. She is accompanied on the way by Saint John, by the confraternities, by the band and by a group of men singing dirges (the lamentations). Little girls (le monachelle) wear a black dress and a black cloak and boys shake the scattiole. The most important and solemn celebration is in the evening. Our Lady of Sorrows, Saint John, the Urn of dead Jesus go in procession with Jesus on the cross (U Trunu) who is covered with gold and big coloured flowers (scocchi), offered by faithful, and carried with great effort by many people. Easter Day is celebrated with the representation of the meeting (a Giunta) of Holy Mary and Risen Christ. Typical are the twelve big woodenhead Apostles. On the following day, Easter Monday, we used to go out in the country with relatives and friends and eat special traditional food: grilled meat, grilled sardines, grilled artichokes and vegetable omelettes. Our typical sweets are: la colomba pasquale, i muscardini and a pagnuccata.

La Settimana Santa e la Pasqua a Barrafranca Molti eventi caratterizzano il nostro paese durante la Settimana Santa. Le celebrazioni iniziano la Domenica delle Palme con le varie processioni lungo le strade delle parrocchie. I bambini portano le palme intrecciate, abbellite con fiori e fiocchetti, mentre gli adulti portano dei rami d’ulivo che vengono benedetti nelle chiese. La sera del Mercoledì Santo, in alcuni posti particolari del paese, un gruppo di persone recita la Vasacra una commovente rappresentazione della passione e morte di Gesù Cristo. Il Giovedì Santo, dopo i riti religiosi, gli altari vengono spogliati e le persone iniziano la visita ai sabburca. I sabburca sono luoghi di culto allestiti nelle chiese attorno ad un’urna dorata, nella quale viene esposto il SS. Sacramento, e abbelliti di fiori, piante, candele e luci colorate. La mattina del Venerdì Santo la statua dell’Addolorata, vestita a lutto, viene portata in processione e, secondo l’interpretazione popolare, va in cerca di suo Figlio che è stato catturato e condannato a morte. Durante il tragitto è accompagnata da San Giovanni, dalle Confraternite, dalla banda musicale e da un gruppo di uomini (i lamentatori) che intonano dei lamenti. Le bambine indossano un abito e un mantello nero e i bambini scuotono le scattiole. La più importante e solenne manifestazione si tiene la sera con la processione dell’Addolorata, di San Giovanni, dell’Urna col Cristo morto e del Crocifisso che, coperto di ori e di scocche (fiori)offerti dai fedeli, viene trasportato con grande sforzo da numerose persone. Il giorno di Pasqua si celebra con la rappresentazione della Giunta, cioè l’incontro della Madonna con Cristo Risorto. Particolari sono i dodici Apostoli con le teste di legno. L’indomani è usanza andare in campagna per festeggiare con amici e parenti e mangiare carne arrostita, sardine arrostite, frittate di verdure e i dolci tipici: la colomba pasquale, i muscardini e a pagnuccata.

SPANISH APRIL TRADITION

Worksheet

April's tradition in Sweden

Alicia with Easter preparation

April is the fourth month of the year. It has 30 days. In school we talk about the Easter and have arts and crafts related to the Easter.

Natalie, Eric and Oliver waiting for footexamination..

The first day of April is the day when you get to fool your friends. Our teacher fooled us and told us to take of our socks because the school nurse was going to examine our feets. But of course it was all just a joke.

Walpurgis Night bonfire in Sweden

In April the spring begins in Sweden. The snow melts and the sun stays up longer every day. The 30th of April is the traditional spring festival Walpurgis Night, Valborgsmässoafton in Swedish. We celebrate this day and night by lighting up big fires all over the country and singing traditional songs to welcome the spring

Easter eggs filled with sweets

Easter eggs or spring eggs is an old tradition to celebrate Easter or springtime. In many families we decorate our eggs before eating a lot of them. ;-) A modern custom is to fill big decorated cardboard eggs with sweets. These eggs are often hidden by their parents or the Easter bunny for the children to find on Easter morning. .

March tradition from Finland: Palmusunnuntai - Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday

When Jesus rode to Jerusalem people threw palm leaves on the road to cheer him. Later it became a tradition to take palm leaves  to  church to be blessed  there. Palms don’t grow in Finland but we use twigs of pussy willow  to symbolize  palm leaves.

Children decorate these twigs with e.g.  feathers and silk paper roses.  In Orthodox churches  the twigs are blessed the night before Palm Sunday .  On Palm Suday morning  children dress up in neat clothes and go to their relatives and godparents to whisk them with the decorated twigs to wish them good luck  and health in their lives. The twigs are saved until next Palm Sunday.  Traditionally, children  didn’t get a reward or a treat for this until on Easter Sunday. This was originally the tradition in Eastern part of  Finland.

In Western Finland it was believed that ugly witches fly on their broomsticks on Easter Saturday night. Today these two traditions are mixed and nowadays children dress up  as little witches and go from house to house asking for a permission to whisk  people with their decorated twigs for good luck. While doing this, they recite a  rhyme in which they wish good luck and health for the forthcoming year and ask for a treat for themselves. They are usually treated with  chocolate eggs or coins right away, not a week later as was customary before.

The  rhyme children recite:

Virvon varvon                                                     I whisk you

Tuoreeks, terveeks                                            fresh and healthy

Tulevaks vuodeks.                                            For the forthcoming year

Vitsa sulle,                                                          You’ll get the twig

Palkka mulle.                                                      I’ll get the treat.

SPANISH MARCH TRADITION

WORKSHEET

March tradition in Barrafranca (Italy): "A Tavulata di San Giuseppe"

“A TAVULATA” DI SAN GIUSEPPE
La festa di San Giuseppe viene celebrata in Italia il 19 marzo e coincide con la festa del papà.
A Barrafranca, la festa di San Giuseppe si svolge nella piazza principale attorno ad una tavola imbandita detta

a tavulata.
Qui viene rappresentata la “Fuga in Egitto” della Sacra Famiglia, provocata dal Re Erode, durante la strage degli innocenti.
Dei bambini, con bellissimi e preziosi abiti ricamati, danno vita ai personaggi di San Giuseppe, la Madonna, il Bambino Gesù e l’Angelo, mentre tre giovani, a cavallo, impersonano gli Ufficiali di Erode.
La stessa scena viene ripetuta nelle case (senza la presenza degli ufficiali del re Erode) dove è anche usanza preparare a tavulata, con molte pietanze tipiche della festa adagiate su una tovaglia finemente ricamata a mano, come voto al Santo per qualche grazia ricevuta.
Il primo piatto caratteristico della festa di San Giuseppe è il minestrone di linguine casalinghe, condito ed insaporito con tutte le verdure di stagione. Poiché la festa cade nella Quaresima non ci sono piatti a base di carne, ma frittate fatte con varie verdure.
Caratteristico è anche il pane di San Giuseppe preparato in varie forme simboliche.
Vari sono i dolci tradizionali: sfingi, pasta siringata, pagnuccata, ita ’e murti e l’armuzzi santi.
Nelle settimane precedenti la festa viene raccolto del cibo da destinare alle famiglie indigenti.
A scuola abbiamo celebrato la festa di San Giuseppe e mangiato la pasta preparata dalle mamme nel cortile della scuola.
Nell’occasione i bambini hanno portato il cibo per i bambini poveri del paese.

SAINT JOSEPH’S “TAVULATA”
Saint Joseph’s feast is celebrated in Italy on the 19th of March and coincides with Father’s day.
In Barrafranca the feast takes place in the main town square around a sumptuously laid table, called
a tavulata, where it is performed the Flight into Egypt of the Holy Family, due to King Herod during the Massacre of the Innocents.
Children, dressed in beautiful and precious embroidered cloths, revive the characters of Saint Joseph, Holy Mary, Baby Jesus and the Angel, while three young men act the King Herod’s Officers.
The same scene is repeated in private homes (without King Herod’s Officers) where it is used to prepare a tavulata, with lot of typical feast dishes laid on a hand-embroidered tablecloth, as a votive offering after a received grace.
The first characteristic course of Saint Joseph’s feast is the homemade minestroni (pasta di San Giuseppe) seasoned and flavoured by vegetables in season. There are no meat dishes, as the feast is in Lent, but omelettes with different kinds of vegetables.
Special bread is prepared in different symbolic shapes.
Various are the sweets: sfingi, pasta siringata, pagnuccata, ita ’e murti e l’armuzzi santi.
Food is collected during the preceeding weeks for poor families.
At school we have celebrated Saint Joseph and ate the typical pasta prepared by mothers in the schoolyard. In the preceding days children have brought food for poor children in the town.

RECIPE: La pasta di San Giuseppe (Saint Joseph’s pasta)
Here is how we prepare the typical pasta of the feast in Barrafranca.
INGREDIENTS
- fresh pasta (linguine)
- beans
- chickpeas
- lentils
- broccoli
- fennel
- olive oil
- salt to taste
PREPARATION
Soak separately beans, chick peas and lentils overnight. Drain and boil them separately adding salt in plenty of water until cooked. Clean and then boil separately, adding salt, broccoli and fennel until cooked.
Cook pasta in boiling and salted water until al dente.
Add beans, chickpeas. lentils, vegetables, olive oil, mix together and serve hot.