22
Dec
2023
“El Gordo” Spanish Christmas Lottery
The Spanish Christmas Lottery has been an annual event since 1812. It is the second oldest lottery in the world and always takes place on December 22 of each year. It is known for being the largest lottery in the world, with a prize pool of around three billion euros! The same lottery number can be sold multiple times so that many people benefit from […]
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21
Feb
2023
Cascarones
Cascarones are hollowed out chicken eggs that are filled with confetti. Sometimes they may even contain small coins or toys. The name cascarones is the plural form of “cáscara,” which means shell in Spanish. They are a popular tradition found throughout Mexico during carnival, a celebration that occurs 47 days before Easter. In addition, Cascarones are popular in Mexican-American border towns during Easter. They may also be included […]
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07
Jul
2021
Easter Island
Easter Island is a Chilean island in the Pacific Ocean. It is located 3700 km or 2300 miles off the west coast of Chile, making it the most isolated inhabited island in the world. Since 1995 it has been a UNESCO world heritage site and much of the island is within a national park. The island has three names: Easter […]
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08
Feb
2020
Cultural Corner: Reggaeton
Reggaeton is a popular style of Latin urban music that had its origins in Puerto Rico during the early 1990s. It was influenced by dancehall music and American hip-hop as well as Caribbean music. This type of music features both rapping and singing mainly in Spanish. Reggaeton features a special dembow rhythm beat first produced in Jamaica in the 1980s and the […]
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12
Nov
2019
Cultural Corner: The Taíno
The Taíno were a group of indigenous people that lived in the Caribbean before contact with the Europeans. The name Taíno translates as ‘men of the good.’ They were the largest group of inhabitants on the islands of Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. The Taíno were the first group to make contact with Christopher Columbus when he […]
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27
Oct
2019
Biography: La Malinche
La Malinche is known by various names including Malintzin and doña Marina. She was born around 1500 in the Yucatán peninsula. She had a difficult childhood and was sold into slavery to a group of Mayans after her father’s death. She was later given to yet another tribe as tribute. Through her circumstances she was forced to learn several indigenous […]
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22
Sep
2019
Cultural Corner: Mexican Independence Day
The Mexican movement for independence from Spain was inspired by the American and French revolutions of the late 18th century. Spain had been governing the territory now known as Mexico for over 300 years, but by the early 1800s many of the educated elite that were born in Mexico no longer felt the same loyalty to the Spanish crown, resulting in […]
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22
Aug
2019
Cultural Corner: Colombian Dances
Colombia is a country with a long and varied musical history. The types of music and dance vary by region and have been influenced by Colombia’s unique history of pre-European indigenous cultures, the conquest by Spain in the early 1500s and the subsequent introduction of African slaves to the territory. Luckily, many of these traditional dances still exist and are […]
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16
Jul
2019
Biography: Anne Frank
Anne Frank was born into a Jewish family in Frankfurt, Germany. When she was only four years old, Adolf Hitler came to power and her family fled to Amsterdam for safety. Unfortunately, in May 1940, the German armed forces also occupied the Netherlands. The Jewish faced many restrictions and also had to wear a yellow Star of David on their clothes. […]
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16
Jun
2019
Highlight on History: Cinco de mayo
Cinco de Mayo is a date that commemorates the Battle of Puebla, Mexico of 1862 in which the Mexican troops triumphed over the French army. To understand this date better it is necessary to understand a little of the history of Mexico. In 1821 Mexico gained independence from Spain. However, the Mexican government had incurred large debts with France among other […]
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