Let's learn about the Spanish Holidays!
¡Aprendamos sobre las vacaciones españolas!
But first let's look at the history behind the Spanish Holidays ~
Dia de los Muertos History:
The Dia de Los Muertos Festival (Day of the Dead) celebrates life, family and loved ones who have passed on with live dance and music performances, arts and crafts, a children’s pavilion with games and activities, and traditional foods. Of
particular note are the commemorative altars. The festivities are free and open to the public.
Day of the Dead traces its roots back to Meso America and is an indigenous celebration of ancestors who passed away. It has become a tradition in Mexico to honour the dead, especially relatives and family members.
By the late 20th century in most regions of Mexico, practices had developed to honour dead children and infants on November 1, and to honor deceased adults on November 2. November 1 is generally referred to as Día de los Inocentes ("Day of the Innocents") but also as Día de los Angelitos ("Day of the Little Angels"); November 2 is referred to as Día de los Muertos or Día de los Difuntos ("Day of the Dead").
Cinco de Mayo:
Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not actually Mexico's independence day, which falls on September 16. Instead, Cinco de Mayo commemorates a historical event known as the Battle of Puebla, fought between Mexico and France on May 5, 1862.
Although Mexico won the battle, the country was still conquered by the French less than a year later. Still, the battle energised residents of Mexico with a renewed sense of national pride.
Cinco de Mayo was declared a national holiday but remains a relatively minor one in Mexico. The holiday, though, became immensely more popular in the U.S., due in part to Mexican immigration.
Watch this video to learn more about Cinco de Mayo!:
Las Posadas, (Spanish: “The Inns”) is a festival celebrated in Mexico and some parts of the United States between December 16 and 24. Las Posadas commemorates the journey that Joseph and Mary made from Nazareth to Bethlehem in search of refuge where Mary could give birth to baby Jesus. They were unable to find accommodation in Bethlehem. Joseph and Mary were forced to seek shelter in a stable, where the child of Christ was born.
Here in this video, you can learn about the vocabulary of the Christmas in Spanish! Take a look!:
Learn more about Christmas in Mexico! - ¡Aprenda más sobre la Navidad en México!
Beginner level - In the 1st activity, colour in the characters and write a story to match up with.
Beginner level - In the 2nd activity, all the words are jumbled up so your task is to figure out the letters and make the correct words.
Intermediate level - In this activity, you will find many tasks to do. There are a total of 8 tasks for you to complete. In the last fea pages, you will find the answer. Make sure to finish the tasks first and do not cheat!
Advanced level - In this activity your task is to read the paragraphs then to answer the questions on the 2nd page. Make sure not to cheat! Answers are revealed on the last page.
Advanced level - In this activity, you will find that everything is written in Spanish therefore your task is to read the texts throguh and answer the questions in English. If your up for a challenge then you can write your answers in Spanish too!