Independence Day is a celebration for all Americans, but for some it has special significance. It’s a traditional day for holding naturalisation ceremonies, welcoming new citizens to the U.S.A. A total of 878,500 people obtained U.S. citizenship through naturalisation in 2023. Ceremonies take place all year round, but a lot take place in honour of … Continue reading “Becoming American on the Fourth of July”
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games welcomes a new sport: breaking, or break dancing. Breaking originated in the Bronx in the 1970s. It has its roots in hip-hop culture, but has long been a competitive sport. In Paris, 16 men and 16 women (known as “B-Boys” and “B-Girls”) will engage in an epic battle for the … Continue reading “Let’s Dance at the Olympics”
On June 6, 1944 at dawn, Operation Overlord, the largest airborne and naval offensive in history, was launched by the Allied forces to open a second front in Western Europe against Nazi Germany. After months of titanic preparations mobilising nearly 5 million men and immense logistics, an armada of 4,300 landing ships and 500 warships, … Continue reading “Operation Overlord: the Turning Point of World War II”
Although he was one of the most cosmopolitan American authors, Paul Auster will forever remain indelibly linked with New York and specifically Brooklyn. The author of Moon Palace, The New York Trilogy and films such as Smoke, died there on 30 April at the age of 77 from lung cancer which had been diagnosed in … Continue reading “Brooklyn Mourns Paul Auster”
Red Nose Day is back on Friday 15 March in the UK. British charity Comic Relief has been encouraging people to don a clown’s red nose and “do something funny for money” since 1988. Red Nose Day is an occasion for many people across the country, and especially schools, to have a laugh while raising … Continue reading “Time to Put on a Red Nose”
If you are born on 29 February, you can consider yourself very special… or very unlucky! The chances of being born on a leap day (the extra day we have every four years in leap years) are 1 in 1461. So, people born on that day are rare. But they also only have one “real” … Continue reading “Happy Leap Day!”
On the third Monday in February, Americans celebrate Presidents’ Day, in honour of all 46 Presidents but especially George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. A good time to brush up on what qualifications you need to be President. Today’s Presidents’ Day grew out of individual celebrations of George Washington’s birthday on 22 February and Abraham Lincoln’s … Continue reading “Remembering Presidents”
Ireland has a new bank holiday: St Brigid’s Day, the first to be in honour of a woman. From 2023, it is marked on the first Monday in February. St Brigid is one of Ireland’s three patron saints, alongside St Colmcille and St Patrick. Like so many Irish celebrations, the Catholic saint’s day on 1 … Continue reading “Ireland Has a New Holiday”
New Zealand is a unique country, so it’s not surprising that its national day is unique too! New Zealand’s nearest big neighbour, Australia, is more than 4000 kilometres away. Because it is so isolated, it has some unique plants and animals, like the kiwi, a bird that can’t fly. People from New Zealand are often … Continue reading “Waitangi Day in New Zealand”
In honour of Black History Month, the Institut Franco-Américain in Rennes has varied events about African-American culture and history. There is music, with a gospel and dance show, Shosholoza, an exhibition and concert on female jazz singers and a bilingual lecture about hip-hop. As well as a conversation with Brooklyn-based Dawnie Walton on her first … Continue reading “Celebrate Black History Month in Rennes”
