They want to feed the hungry ghosts who have been wandering the land since the beginning of Hungry Ghost Month. It is thought that after two weeks of activity, they must be very hungry.
August 15, 2019
Spirit Festival in China
The Hungry Ghost Festival is one of several traditional festivals in China to worship ancestors. In 2018 it takes place on August 25. Chinese people perform special ceremonies to avoid the wrath of the ghosts such as putting the family’s ancestral tablets on a table, burning incense, and preparing food three times that day. The main ceremony is usually held at dusk. People put the family’s ancestral tablets and old paintings and photographs on a table and then burn incense near them. Plates of food are put out for the ghosts on the table, and the people may kowtow in front of the memorial tablets and report their behavior to their ancestors to receive a blessing or punishment. People also feast on this night, and they might leave a place open at the table for a lost ancestor.
They want to feed the hungry ghosts who have been wandering the land since the beginning of Hungry Ghost Month. It is thought that after two weeks of activity, they must be very hungry.
They want to feed the hungry ghosts who have been wandering the land since the beginning of Hungry Ghost Month. It is thought that after two weeks of activity, they must be very hungry.
July 20, 2019
Why Should My Child Learn Spanish?
Why should your child learn to speak Spanish? Approximately 13% of the United States' population can speak Spanish; that's 44 million people. That's the second most-spoken language in the United States! Mexico and South America are our closest neighbors, and almost all of those are Spanish-speaking countries. With more than 400 millions speakers worldwide, Spanish is a fast-growing language. Becoming bilingual is not just a perk; it is a necessity.
Unfortunately, most Americans do not start learning a second language until middle school or even high school. It is possible to become bilingual as an adult; however it is far more likely that many Americans will remain monolingual. 53% of Europeans learn to speak a second language, compared with only 18% of Americans. In order for the United States to maintain its world standing, every American should be learning a second language from an early age.
Luckily, Cultured Kids Club does offer Spanish classes for children as young as 18 months! Keep reading to discover some of the perks of learning Spanish from a young age.
Take advantage of the critical time in early development when acquiring language skills comes naturally and easily. A child’s capacity to pronounce unfamiliar, foreign sounds and to absorb new grammar rules is highly enhanced prior to age six.
Children who start learning at a younger age have a better chance of developing a natural-sounding accent, something older kids have a hard time with if they learn later. Learning another language can also help with listening skills. A study at Northwestern University showed that people who knew a second language could better identify another speaker's voice among distracting noises. Most importantly, kids will develop a broader perspective of the world.
You can travel to a Spanish-speaking country and really get to know the culture. Spanish is the official language of 21 countries worldwide, and those countries are home to many exquisite and fun travel destinations. If you speak Spanish, you can stray from the tourist path and explore local culture with ease. Travel stress is also minimized when you understand directions and menus, and countless doors open to travelers who speak the native language of the country they’re visiting. Prepare your child for aventuras!
Give your child access to Spanish films, music, and literature. World-renowned singers like Juanes and Gloria Estefan, filmmakers such as Pedro Almodovar, and writers like Gabriel Garcia Marquez are all native Spanish speakers. Knowing Spanish will help your child understand and appreciate other cultures and Hispanic cultural contributions. Your child's ability to understand Spanish will enable him or her to gain important insights which monolinguals cannot.
Hundreds of words are the same in both English and Spanish. Animal, hospital, actor, color and doctor mean the same things in English and Spanish; they’re just pronounced a little differently. For English-speaking children, there’s no easier second language to learn than Spanish.
You might think that it would be difficult to learn a second language due to different sounds and the rate at which native speakers talk. This is why we at Cultured Kids Club teach immersion classes! This kind of learning enables your child to pick up on the rhythms and accents of Spanish while their ear adapts to the sounds of an entirely different language.
Your child can learn Spanish with us here at Cultured Kids Club. With our engaging and age-appropriate curriculum, kids will have so much fun, they won’t even realize they’re learning! Click here to learn more about our awesome program.
Unfortunately, most Americans do not start learning a second language until middle school or even high school. It is possible to become bilingual as an adult; however it is far more likely that many Americans will remain monolingual. 53% of Europeans learn to speak a second language, compared with only 18% of Americans. In order for the United States to maintain its world standing, every American should be learning a second language from an early age.
Luckily, Cultured Kids Club does offer Spanish classes for children as young as 18 months! Keep reading to discover some of the perks of learning Spanish from a young age.
Develop early language skills.
Take advantage of the critical time in early development when acquiring language skills comes naturally and easily. A child’s capacity to pronounce unfamiliar, foreign sounds and to absorb new grammar rules is highly enhanced prior to age six.
Children who start learning at a younger age have a better chance of developing a natural-sounding accent, something older kids have a hard time with if they learn later. Learning another language can also help with listening skills. A study at Northwestern University showed that people who knew a second language could better identify another speaker's voice among distracting noises. Most importantly, kids will develop a broader perspective of the world.
Broaden cultural horizons.
You can travel to a Spanish-speaking country and really get to know the culture. Spanish is the official language of 21 countries worldwide, and those countries are home to many exquisite and fun travel destinations. If you speak Spanish, you can stray from the tourist path and explore local culture with ease. Travel stress is also minimized when you understand directions and menus, and countless doors open to travelers who speak the native language of the country they’re visiting. Prepare your child for aventuras!
Give your child access to Spanish films, music, and literature. World-renowned singers like Juanes and Gloria Estefan, filmmakers such as Pedro Almodovar, and writers like Gabriel Garcia Marquez are all native Spanish speakers. Knowing Spanish will help your child understand and appreciate other cultures and Hispanic cultural contributions. Your child's ability to understand Spanish will enable him or her to gain important insights which monolinguals cannot.
It’s easier than you think.
Hundreds of words are the same in both English and Spanish. Animal, hospital, actor, color and doctor mean the same things in English and Spanish; they’re just pronounced a little differently. For English-speaking children, there’s no easier second language to learn than Spanish.
You might think that it would be difficult to learn a second language due to different sounds and the rate at which native speakers talk. This is why we at Cultured Kids Club teach immersion classes! This kind of learning enables your child to pick up on the rhythms and accents of Spanish while their ear adapts to the sounds of an entirely different language.
It’s fun!
Your child can learn Spanish with us here at Cultured Kids Club. With our engaging and age-appropriate curriculum, kids will have so much fun, they won’t even realize they’re learning! Click here to learn more about our awesome program.
July 7, 2019
Fiestas of San Fermin
The fiestas of San Fermin are celebrated in Irunea/Pamplona, in the region of Navarra, every year from the 6th to the 14th of July. They have become internationally known because of the running of the bulls, where the bulls are lead through the streets of the old quarter as far as the bull ring by runners.
June 7, 2019
Dragon Boat Festival, China
Dragon Boat Festival, also called Duanwu or Tuen Ng Festival, is a traditional holiday observed annually for over 2,000 years in China to commemorate Qu Yuan, an ancient Chinese patriotic poet. Dragon boat racing and eating zongzi are the central customs of the festival. In some regions in China, people also wear a perfume pouch, tie five-color silk thread and hang mugwort leaves or calamus on their doors. It takes place on June 7 this year.
May 8, 2019
Fête de la Victoire in France
Fête de la Victoire is celebrated in France on May 8. It marks the end of World War II in Europe. Many people attend parades or church services to celebrate the Allied Force's victory. It is a national holiday in France, much like Labor Day is in the United States. One important symbol of this holiday is the French flag. Its colors are displayed in banners around the country. Flags of all European nations and the European flag are also displayed at some ceremonies as a symbol of the ongoing peace and unity of Europe.
April 21, 2019
¡Felices Pascuas! Easter in Spain
Easter is a big deal in Spain. The country is historically very strongly Catholic, and many holidays reflect this religious past. The entire week leading up to Easter (Pascuas) in Spain is called Semana Santa, or Holy Week.
Catholic cofradía and fraternities perform penance processions on the streets of almost every Spanish city and town during the last week of Lent, the week immediately before Easter. Some of these associations date back to the Middle Ages!
Food and family are also important during Easter celebrations. Torrijas are a traditional Semana Santa sweet snack of bread soaked in milk and egg before being fried and served with sugar or honey.
Pestiños are little pastries popular throughout Spain, but especially in Andalusia. Sesame-flavored dough is fried then glazed with honey or sugar.
Catholic cofradía and fraternities perform penance processions on the streets of almost every Spanish city and town during the last week of Lent, the week immediately before Easter. Some of these associations date back to the Middle Ages!
Food and family are also important during Easter celebrations. Torrijas are a traditional Semana Santa sweet snack of bread soaked in milk and egg before being fried and served with sugar or honey.
Pestiños are little pastries popular throughout Spain, but especially in Andalusia. Sesame-flavored dough is fried then glazed with honey or sugar.
April 5, 2019
Today is Qingming Festival in China
Today, April 5, celebrates Qingming Festival in China. It is also known as the Remembrance of Ancestors Day or Grave-Sweeping Day. Ancestor veneration is extremely important in Chinese culture, and the spirit of this day is much like Memorial Day in the United States, or Dia de Muertos in Mexico.
Quingming rituals not only include weeding of the area around the grave, cleaning of the headstone, and replacing the wilted flowers with fresh ones, but also the lighting of incense and burning of imitation paper money. The burning of the imitation money is for the deceased to use in the afterlife. In addition, food is laid out in front of the headstone as an offering to the spirits of the deceased.
Quingming rituals not only include weeding of the area around the grave, cleaning of the headstone, and replacing the wilted flowers with fresh ones, but also the lighting of incense and burning of imitation paper money. The burning of the imitation money is for the deceased to use in the afterlife. In addition, food is laid out in front of the headstone as an offering to the spirits of the deceased.
The Qingming Festival has been observed by the Chinese for over 2500 years.
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