Hogmanay is the name for New Year’s Eve in Scotland. It was traditionally a much bigger celebration than Christmas in Scotland, and is still a big event. It’s associated with many traditions, some which will seem familiar and some specific to Scotland. As with new year celebrations in many cultures, it’s considered bad luck to … Continue reading “Happy Hogmanay!”
The Boston Tea Party wasn’t a social event. It was an act of rebellion and it helped start the movement for the U.S.A. to become independent from Britain. In 1773, Boston was the capital of Massachusetts, one of 13 British colonies in the future United States. For several years, the British government, in financial trouble, … Continue reading “Starting a Revolution with Tea in Boston”
After the sudden death of Benjamin Zephaniah, we decided to share the interview we had the great privilege of doing with one of Britain’s most popular poets in 2012. He had just been appointed Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University. He shared some of his very eclectic thoughts with us. Do you think of … Continue reading “Benjamin Zephaniah Interview”
We were very sad to hear of the sudden death of Benjamin Zephaniah, one of Britain’s most popular poets. Benjamin Zephaniah said the art of poetry, and of life, is in how you look at things. Perhaps not surprising for a man of many faces: a dyslexic who left school at 13, who became a … Continue reading “Dub Poet: Benjamin Zephaniah”
Long before it made it to the U.S. and Canada, Hallowe’en was an ancient Celtic festival, Samhain*. One of the four major Celtic festivals, it celebrated the dead. One of the major traditions at Samhain was rituals that predicted the future. This is a tasty Scottish way to do that. * /ˈsɑːwɪn/ This Hallowe’en cake … Continue reading “Halloween Cake to Tell the Future”
26 September is the day the EU celebrates all the many languages spoken in Europe and around the world. They have lots of resources for multilingual fun in schools. This language detective game requires no preparation. There are 40 short texts in 40 different languages each time you have to choose between six possible languages. … Continue reading “European Day of Languages 2023”
The tenth men’s Rugby World Cup will take place from 8 September to 28 October. For the second time, France is hosting the tournament. And this year, the game is celebrating its 200th anniversary. Today’s rugby developed from a form of football that was played at Rugby School, one of the oldest and most exclusive … Continue reading “200 Years of Rugby and a World Cup”
The Invictus Games, created in 2014 by Prince Harry to help the rehabilitation of military personnel, is holding its 6th edition in Düsseldorf, Germany, from 9 to 16 September. Over 500 athletes from a record 22 countries will be participating, and will be accompanied by the friends and family who are so vital to their … Continue reading “Onwards and Upwards: the Invictus Games 2023”
The ninth FIFA Women’s World Cup will be held in Australia and New Zealand from 20 July to 20 August. The tournament is being billed as the biggest ever women’s sporting event . More than a million match tickets have been sold and the tournament will involve the biggest number of teams, and therefore matches, … Continue reading “Women on the Pitch”
The British monarch has two birthdays every year: the real one on 14 November (he was 74) and an official one on the second Saturday in June. That is marked by one of the great moments of British pageantry: the Trooping the Colour ceremony, on 17 June this year. Since 1748, the monarch’s official birthday … Continue reading “King Charles Trooping the Colour”