Midsummer's Day

Midsummer's Eve and Midsummer's Day
When is Midsummer's Day? Midsummer's Day, the middle of summer, falls on on 24 June, after the longest day (Summer Solstice). Before the change of calendars, Midsummer's day fell on 5 July. Why are Midsummer's Day and the Summer Solstice not on the same day? The longest day in the northern hemisphere is today either the 20th or 21st of June, whilst Midsummer's Day in Europe is traditionally on 24 June. This discrepancy is said to have been caused by the variants of the Julian Calendar and the Tropical Year further confused by the Gregorian Calendar. What used to happen on Midsummer's Eve? Midsummer's Eve is a time associated with witches, magic, fairies and dancing. On the eve of Midsummer's Day, many bonfires were lit all over the country. This was in praise of the sun, for the days were getting shorter and the sun appeared to be getting weaker, so people would light fires to try and strengthen the sun. Midsummer's Eve today Practice of this ancient ritual, which also includes a Summer Solstice Circle Dance, is now mainly confined to Cornwall, the West Country, and London's Hampstead Heath. Midsummer's Superstitions Roses are of special importance on Midsummer's Eve. It is said that any rose picked on Midsummer's Eve, or Midsummer's Day will keep fresh until Christmas. At midnight on Midsummer's Eve, young girls should scatter rose petals before them and say: Rose leaves, rose leaves, Rose leaves I strew. He that will love me Come after me now. Then the next day, Midsummer's Day, their true love will visit them.

CUIDADO CON LA PRONUNCIACIÓN

COACH

COUCH

http://estudia-ingles.blogspot.com.es/p/vocabulary.html

Diferentes formas de expresar el número cero en Inglés

EL NÚMERO CERO El número 0 en inglés se puede expresar de diferentes formas. Es zero para el número 0 (number zero) y para la temperatura (-3 ºC ten degrees below zero). También es o, por ejemplo en números de teléfono (402586 four o two five ...), números de habitaciones de hotel (205 two o five), años (1909 nineteen o nine) y después de un punto decimal (7.04 seven point o four). Pero 0 antes de la coma decimal debe usarse nought (0.05 nought point o five). Para los resultados en partidos de fútbol se utiliza nil (5-0 Spain won five nil) Pero el nombre más curioso es el que se utiliza para resultados de tenis: love (15 - 0 fifteen love). Su origen no tiene nada que ver con el amor, la principal teoría dice que proviene del francés l'œuf (el huevo) porque ambos tienen la misma forma.

PAU INGLÉS

HOMÓFONOS 

 Uno de los ejercicios de la prueba de PAU de Inglés es buscar en el texto palabras homófonas a unas dadas. Aquí pongo las más comunes.
allowed                               aloud 
 blue                                    blew                            
 wear                                   where 
 die                                      dye
 bored                                 board
 way                                    weigh 
 whole                                 hole 
 flower                                flour
 berry                                  bury 
 quay                                   key    
 knows                                nose
 wore                                  war 
 one                                    won

WHAT IS THE WEATHER LIKE?

ORDINAL NUMBERS

WORLD BOOK DAY

Let us explain. World Book Day was started by UNESCO (the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and is celebrated on Apr. 23 — a date chosen, according to UNESCO, to mark the day in 1616 that saw the deaths of Cervantes, Shakespeare, and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega. The event is meant to honor authors and encourage literacy. And it’s not just World Book Day. It’s also UNESCO’s Copyright Day, meant to urge implementation of copyright-protection conventions around the world.

The U.K. and Ireland version of World Book Day is observed earlier, partly due to working around school holidays, and involves a literacy-promoting charity — as well as something the rest of the world is missing: costumes.

As the BBC recounts, the day is often marked by children dressing up as their favorite literary characters—even when those characters are only slightly book-related. In this particular complaint, the character in question is a Lego ninja—and the day ends up not so much about books after all:

There was a time when reading a book meant just that. In your head, out loud, to yourself or to a crowd. Whichever way, it was reading.

But not any more. It’s about dressing up. Or at least it’s about dressing up if you happen to be of school age and your teachers have been sucked into the literary-industrial complex of World Book Day.

EASTER IN THE UK

Here are some ideas about Easter customs and traditions in UK: -

• As a part of Easter tradition, there is a trend among British people to eat yummy hams, in order to commemorate the Easter Sunday.
• In England, special springtime dance troupes are called upon, to give exclusive Morris dance performances. This trend of holding dances is not new, rather it is a century old tradition.

• Morris Dance is the biggest attraction of Easter jubilation in England. This dance is always staged by professional male troupes who observe old spring dances to frighten away the evil spirits of winter. The attire of the dancers is extremely traditional wherein they wear white shorts, red sashes, black trousers and straw hats. Red and green ribbons along with flowers and streamers are also added to their attire to make their look all the more colorful.
• Churches are beautifully decorated with different color flowers. White lilies are placed on the altar and these gorgeous flowers are also displayed on the graveyard.

• For offering prayers in the church, men and women dress up in their special outfits and as a part of their wardrobe, colorful Easter bonnets embellished with flowers is like a must.
• Special Easter parades are held in Britain and the parade conducted at Battersea Park in London is a very popular one.
• The Easter celebrations commences with great zeal and vigor before the Palm Sunday.

•  
• According to the legends, on this particular day Jesus Christ had arrived in Jerusalem and had been welcomed by the city by laying a carpet of Palm leaves and waving Palm branches. This custom is still observed in UK even and on the day of Easter, the entire city parades on the city streets with people carrying palm branches.
• Special Easter parades are held in Britain and the parade conducted at Battersea Park in London is a very popular one
• Easter eggs are a very old tradition going to a time before Christianity. Eggs after all are a symbol of spring and new life.
• Nowadays people give each other Easter eggs made of chocolate, usually hollow and filled with sweets. On TV you will see adverts for Cadbury's Creme Eggs, a very sweet confectionery. The catchphrase for the adverts is "How do you eat yours?" And Britainchildren hunt for (chocolate) Easter eggs hidden about the home or garden by the Easter bunny.
• Hot cross buns, now eaten throughout the Easter season, were first baked in England to be served on Good Friday. These small, lightly sweet yeast buns contain raisins or currants and sometimes chopped candied fruit. Before baking, a cross is slashed in the top of the bun. After baking, a confectioners' sugar icing is used to fill the cross.

        

Easter vocabulary