Inauguration Day

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 07 January 2021 > Celebrate

Assuming that anything happens as planned in this extraordinary election campaign, Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, and Kamala Harris as Vice-President, on Inauguration Day, 20 January, 2021. The ceremony and traditional celebrations that follow will be much smaller than in previous years because of the coronavirus … Continue reading “Inauguration Day”

Happy Birthday, MLK!

Posted by Speakeasy News > Saturday 02 January 2021 > Celebrate

The third Monday of January is a federal holiday in the U.S.A., in honour of Martin Luther King. In keeping with King’s philosophy, citizens are encouraged to treat it as a day of service to others by volunteering in their communities. As the slogan says, it is “a day on, not a day off”. Starting … Continue reading “Happy Birthday, MLK!”

Ho, Ho, Ho, Christmas Jumper Day is Back!

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 11 December 2020 > Celebrate

As Boris Johnson said as he announced a new lockdown: “‘Tis the season to be jolly careful”. But it’s nice to know that some festive traditions have survived the pandemic. Friday 11 December is the ninth Christmas Jumper Day, organised by Save the Children U.K. Normally, people wear a Christmas-themed jumper to work or school … Continue reading “Ho, Ho, Ho, Christmas Jumper Day is Back!”

The Unknown Warrior 100 Years On

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 25 November 2020 > Celebrate

The First World War was so devastating, countries were at a loss to know how to commemorate their dead. A hundred years ago, two years after the Armistice, Britain’s King George V inaugurated the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Cathedral, to honour all the anonymous fallen. Although the war had mobilised vast numbers … Continue reading “The Unknown Warrior 100 Years On”

Masked But Not Muted on World Children’s Day

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 20 November 2020 > Celebrate

19 November is Unicef’s annual World Children’s Day. This year, the UN organisation is highlighting how children have been impacted by the global pandemic. Although children are the group in society which is least affected by actual infection by Covid-19, many children are being negatively impacted by all the collateral affects. Loss of schooling and … Continue reading “Masked But Not Muted on World Children’s Day”

World Ballet Day

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 29 October 2020 > Celebrate

We all need a bit of beauty in these difficult times, and the inspiring example of dancers who are continuing to practise their art even in lockdown. And for a literary fix, see how the emotions of great classics like Jane Eyre and The Handmaid’s Tale can be expressed through ballet. Ballet companies from around … Continue reading “World Ballet Day”

Painting the Town Black

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 22 October 2020 > Celebrate

To celebrate Black History Month 2020, the British Post Office painted some of its iconic red post boxes black and adorned them with the portraits and stories of notable black Britons. The boxes show biographical information about the person featured, and passers by can scan a code to access a Black History Month gallery  of … Continue reading “Painting the Town Black”

Create a Poster: Halloween

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 09 October 2020 > Celebrate

We have a teacher recommendation for a site for creating posters for your classroom, and an example of a poster on the theme of Halloween to use in collège to work on the BE+ing present and reading comprehension around this celebration. Plus a worksheet on Halloween celebrations from A2, with a focus on the plastic … Continue reading “Create a Poster: Halloween”

The Voyage of the Mayflower

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 31 August 2020 > Celebrate

On 16 September 1620, a ship set sail from Plymouth, England on a voyage that became part of the foundation myth of the U.S.A. The Mayflower carried Puritan religious dissenters called the Pilgrims and the colony they founded in Plymouth, Massachusetts has taken on mythical status. Plymouth wasn’t the first British settlement in the future … Continue reading “The Voyage of the Mayflower”

Ray Bradbury at 100

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 05 August 2020 > Celebrate

American author Ray Bradbury spent more than seventy years fascinating readers and viewers with futuristic science-fiction stories like The Martian Chronicles, and Fahrenheit 451. But it all started with a little bit of magic. Bradbury was born in 1920 in Waukegan, a small town in Illinois. He fell in love with storytelling by watching films … Continue reading “Ray Bradbury at 100”