What are pantomimes and why are they important at Christmas?

   From: https://pixahive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Street-Play-in-Abu-Dhabi-4909-pixahive.jpg

 Merry Christmas to you all!

I hope you've been good enough and I hope the red plump man has brought you tons of presents.

Today I'm writing the traditional Christmas blog entry and this time I have decided to feature pantomimes (or 'pantos', its short clipping).

Outside the UK, a pantomime is "any of various dramatic or dancing performances in which a story is told by expressive bodily or facial movements of the performers." However, in the UK, pantomimes are a bit more specific and, as seen on the online Merriam Webster, a pantomime is "a British theatrical entertainment of the Christmas season based on a nursery tale and featuring topical songs, tableaux, and dances." Yes, when the Christmas season is around the corner, it is mandatory to see a pantomime at the theatre. They typically begin in December and are usually on until New Year's Eve. But, what are the typical characteristics of British pantos?

• Reinterpretation of a fairy tale (Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Aladin,...)
• They star some jaded celebrities (or some still unknown celebs)
• Cross-dressing (men dressing as women, or the other way round)
• High camp, that is, exaggerated or artificial parodies
• Audience interaction: the audience is expected to take part in the action of the play and will play an active role by telling a character something, or warning about some forthcoming dangers... There's even singalong (audience should sing songs with the characters of the play)
• Even if ideally thought for children, these pantos are more often than not enjoyed by grown-ups
• Tradititonal elements of fairy tales: good-hearted protagonist, villain, fairies, animals...

Sounds interesting, doesn't it? I haven't had the opportunity to attend a Christmas pantomime event myself, but if I could, I would definitely check one out! Here you have the link to some of the most popular pantos this Christmas, involding Aladdin, Peter Pan, the Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and many more fairy tale characters. 

If you want to learn more about Christmas pantomimes, here you have a very interesting link with plenty of information...

Happy New Year!

See you again in 2023!

P.S. Should you like to learn more about Christmas, do not hesitate to visit my previous entries : New Year resolutions; Christmas-touching videos; Boxing Day; Christmas vocabulary; Christmas videos; Practise your listening at Christmas; Christmas carols; Christmas in Spain, the UK and the US; Christmas short stories; Christmas origins; Christmas gift-bringers all across the world; happy Chrimbo and some quirks about Christmas; Christmas pantomimes.

HAPPY CHRIMBO! / MERRY XMAS!: Some quirks about the word 'Christmas'

From: https://keepcalms.com/p/keep-calm-and-say-happy-chrimbo/

Long time not see (once again)!

Christmas hols are finally here and I find some time to reprise my writing! First of all, Merry Christmas for everyone: I hope that all of you have got to celebrate it with your loved ones, taking all the necessary precautions. 

Today, I'll be writing a short post about the word Christmas and its variants. I just happen to love the word and it has a good story behind it!

Let's begin:

1) From a morphological point of view, the word 'Christmas' comes from the words 'Christ' and the Old English word for 'mass' (church service). It is a singular word (even though it finishes in -s). This is seen in expressions such as 'Christmas IS fun'. So, unlike in Spanish, the word 'Christmas' is English is normally preceeded by an indefinite article and it is countable: 'I wish you a merry Christmas'.  It has a plural: 'Christmases', which is not frequently used. 

Moreover, the word 'Christmas' has an adjective that can be spelt in two different ways: 'Christmasy' and 'Christmassy'. 

2) From a grammatical point of view, remember that the Christmas season is preceeded by the preposition 'at': 'I always eat a lot at Christmas'. However, each individual day within the Christmas season is preceeded by the preposition 'on': 'I love receiving my presents ON Christmas Day.

3) From a phonetical perspective, it's interesting to know that the word 'Christ' has a diphthong:  /kraɪst/, which is lost in the word 'Christmas', whose 't' is silent: /ˈkrɪsməs/

4) Christmas has a wide-known abbreviation: 'Xmas'. This abbreviation has nothing to do with letter 'x' but with letter 'chi' (a Greek letter similar to Spanish 'j'). There are some religious people against this abbreviation as it has elided the word 'Christ' and all its meaning and this is why some people just tend to use the abbreviation to refer to the commercial side of Christmas. In a nutshell:

- Christmas: Full word that keeps the religious origin of the festivity.

- Xmas:  Abbreviated word that doesn't have much of the religious origin but it is a good alternative for the sake of the linguistic economy, used to refer to the non-secular side of Christmas: presents, consumerism, snow...

In any case, the abbreaviation is out and about and has come to stay...

From: https://www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free-vector/christmas-background-merry-xmas-sale-holiday-web-vector-27080443

5) Christmas has two British hypocorisms (nicknames that shows affection or closeness): 'Chrimbo' (or 'Crimbo')  and 'Crimble'. Apparently, 'Crimble' appeared first and it was John Lennon made the word 'Chrimbo' popular.

So, I hope you have learnt some quirks about the word Christmas. I hope you enjoy this wonderful festivity! Happy Chrimbo!

See you around

The origin of New Year's resolutions

Welcome to my first entry of this blog in 2019! By the way! Happy New Year! Well, did you get to eat your 12 grapes! Hope so! Have you made any New Year's resolutions? Well, last year I wrote an entry on New Year's resolutions. This year,  I propose I little reading exercise on New Year's resolutions. Beware! This text is aimed at students with B2 level or so ! Here you have the text and you can download the answers at the end. The text in highly interesting, as you can learn lots of new stuff related to the origins of New Year's resolution and why people decided to start this tradition. I hope you like it!

DOWNLOAD DOCUMENT

DOWNLOAD ANSWERS TO THE EXERCISE

Are you tired of Santa Claus? Get to know other gift-bringers from all over the world

Well, tonight is the night. Tonight, you'll get to receive your Christmas presents! January, 5th is an important night for Spanish children (and adults), the night preceding the Epiphany, the night where the Three Wise Men will come to bring presents to everybody. You all know that in the UK or the US, the Three Wise Men won't bring any presents, but they do have an expression to refer to our beloved tradition : The Twelfth Night (that is, the Twelfth Night after Christmas). In this entry, I will analyze who the gift-bringers are across the world. Let's begin:

In Spain, on the night of January, 5th, the Three Wise Men will bring the Christmas presents. In Spanish we just call them "the three magical kings". They are Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar, the Three Wise Men from Orient, who brought baby Jesus gold, incense and myrrh. In the Bible, they are also known as the Magi. Well, the idea is this: they travel from Orient on their camels bringing all the presents and they are accompanied by their royal pages. Before their arrival, important preparations need to be made : you have to leave a shoe of yours under the Christmas tree (or some other place of your choosing) and, if possible, leave them something to eat. We normally leave them milk and cookies, "turrón" (nougat) or other Christmas sweets, and also a glass of brandy. In addition, some people leave something for the camels as well, namely a bucket of water or some carrots for them to nibble on. They must be starving after such a tiring journey, don't you think ? If you've been good and kind, you'll get tons of presents. However, if you've been a naughty boy, beware because you may find a lump of coal. Prior to this gift-giving ritual, on the fifth of January, there are parades all over Spain, where the Three Wise Men and their pages will throw sweets and toys for children. These parades include fun, music, and lights and usually finish in the Main Square of the town, where they salute all the children and promise to bring them presents on the condition that they have behaved well. They usually give a final speech. Then, the mayor of the town will give them the town keys, a treasured object that will give them access to all the houses in town! There is one problem of our tradition. children don't have much free time to fully enjoy their presents, since they normally go back to school after this festivity. The Three Wise Men are not exclusive from Spain, of course. They visit countless countries including Argentina, Venezuela, Philippines, Panama, Nicaragua, Mexico, Honduras and Andorra, among others. 

The Three Wise Men is not the only tradition we have. Importing festive traditions is Spain's national sport he he, and that is why on Christmas Eve, most houses in Spain (if not all of them) receive presents from Santa Claus as well !

However, there is a special tradition in a Spanish region. In Basque Country, presents will be given out by the Olentzero, an overweight old man who brings presents on Christmas Eve (much like Santa Claus or Father Christmas). His origins are not very clear and there are countless versions on how the Olentzero came to be Basque Country's gift-bringer. Some people think he is a giant; some legends state that when leaving presents, he would cut the throat of widely-awake children. However, the etymology of his name is quite clear : "time of the good ones." The version that has best caught on is the one where the Olentzero is an abandoned child, who becomes a charcoal burner and uses his hands to carve presents for children. He died when he was saving some children and a fairy bestowed him the power of eternal life, which he used to bring children presents every year. In any case, the Olentzero is adored by the citizens of Basque Country. There are famous songs and chants invoking this lovely character and in some parts of the country, there are parades in his honour.

In Catalonia, there's a weird tradition. There's an object, called Tió de Nadal (Christmas Log). Apparently, you must cut down a log, cover it with a blanket, and feed it. On Christmas Day, children will have to hit it with a cane and sing so that the log "defecates" presents. 

In Italy, as in many other countries, Babbo Natale leaves presents. Who is this Babbo Natale? No other than Santa Claus. However, in Italy, there's yet another gift-bringer who is female and scary... Yap, that's right. She is called Befana and she is the witch in charge of leaving presents on the Twelfth Night, that is, on the night of January, 5th. Apparently, the Three Wise Men themselves bumped into Befana on their way to Bethlehem. Befana hosted them and cared for them, asking them what they were up to. The Three Wise Men answered that they were going to bring presents to a newly born child and they asked Befana if she wanted to join them. She declined because she was busy sweeping the floor and cleaning. When she realized the newly born child was the Messiah, she tried to go to Bethlehem herself but was unable to do so on her own. From that day she flies around Italy on her broomstick, leaving good children some presents. Naughty children will receive a lump of coal. You can leave her some bread soaked in milk or wine. 

In Russia, there is another version of Santa Claus, no other than Ded Moroz. This present-bringer delivers gifts on New Year's Eve accompanied by his granddaughter, Snegurochka. He is also known as Father Frost. 






In Germany, Santa Claus can pay a visit to you, but there is another cute personage that can leave your presents on Christmas Eve: the Christkind. The Christkind (Christmas child) is very popular in Germany and other countries, such as Austria and Switzerland. This angel will deposit the presents only if not spotted by children. If children spot them, it'll disappear. A bell will ring to show children that their presents have been successfully delivered. It is believed that the Christkind is Baby Jesus himself delivering the Christmas gifts.





In Sweden, an elf-like figure, called Tomte, delivers the Christmas gifts. It is much like a gnome, wearing a cone-like hat and it is less than one metre tall. His job is to protect farmers and help them. On Christmas Eve he will hand presents door-to-door aided by the Yule Goat.




In Iceland, the task of delivering presents is divided into thirteen goblin-like figures, the Yule lads. One of this lads will visit children on the thirteen nights prior to Christmas and each night, a different lad will deliver a present next to a shoe placed near the window. Naughty children will receive rotten potatoes. 




 

As you know, Santa (Claus) is the plump old man who brings presents in the US, whereas Father Christmas does so in the UK. 


Other versions of Santa Claus :
- Father Christmas (the UK)
- Saint Nicholas (the Netherlands)
- Père Nöel (France)
- Babbo Natale (Italy)
- Aggios Vasilis (Greece)
- Viejito Pascuero (Chile)
- Julemanden (Denmark)
- Sinterklass (Indonesia)
- Baba Noel (Iraq)
- Siôn Corn (Wales)

Well, I hope you have learnt a lot about Christmasy figures and characters. Should you like to learn more about Christmas, do not hesitate to visit my previous entries : New Year resolutions; Christmas-touching videos; Boxing Day; Christmas vocabulary; Christmas videos; Practise your listening at Christmas; Christmas carols; Christmas in Spain, the UK and the US; Christmas short stories; Christmas origins; Christmas gift-bringers all across the world.

Christmas season is about to finish, so remember to be good and I hope you receive tons of presents. 

Christmas origins: some trivia facts that may actually surprise you

Hiya!

How are your Christmas hols going? Mine absolutely awesome, to be honest. Anyway, I keep writing about my favourite time of the year, yeah Christmas. As some of you may have noticed, I adore Christmas and every year I write several entries about this topic. If you're keen on knowing more about Christmas, do not hesitate to click on my entries on Christmas: New Year resolutions; Christmas-touching videos; Boxing Day; Christmas vocabulary; Christmas videos; Practise your listening at Christmas; Christmas carols; Christmas in Spain, the UK and the US; Christmas short stories; Christmas origins.

Today I will show you some Christmas-related facts that are quite interesting, are you ready?

1. Jesus Christ wasn't actually born on December, 25th: There's no consensus on when exactly he was born, so from the third century onwards they chose that date to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. It was close to some pagan festivals like Saturnalia, a festival in honour of God Saturn and to celebrate the winter solstice. 

2. Christmas has its roots in Pagan rituals : It began to be celebrated as such from the eighth century onwards with wild parties. In fact, some Puritans opposed to Christmas celebrations due to its pagan origins. 

3. In the past, during a brief period of time, you would be fined if you were caught celebrating Christmas : Yes, you had to pay 5 shillings to celebrate Christmas. Can you believe it ?

4. Our way of celebrating Christmas began in the nineteenth century when prince Albert of Germany started decorating the pine tree himself : To celebrate his marriage to Queen Victoria, he had a photo taken of the royal family. In that photo, you could see an enormous decorated pine tree. After this photo publication, this fashion caught on and was imitated in other parts of the US. This also gave wings to the tradition of sending Christmas cards as well. 

5. The tradition of gift-giving is ancient, far more ancient than you can imagine, dating back to year 10 AD : At that time, the gift-giving ritual had a clear purpose: to remind people of the presents brought to Baby Jesus by the Three Wise Men. 

6. Christmas became a consumerist party thanks to the advent of the industrial revolution and the rise in advertising : Yes, obviously, with innovative breakthroughs such as chain production and the advent of the media, people started to spend a great deal of money on Christmas presents...

7. Santa Claus was, in fact, a Christian saint who used to give presents to people. He was known as Sinterklass, hence the popular name that caught on until today. 

8. Santa didn't officially dress in red and white until a Coca-Cola advert was released on TV. So, mass media and big companies have proved themselves outstandingly powerful. Santa wouldn't be the man we picture today, were it not for Coca-Cola or TV. Can you believe it ?

9. In 1990, very recently, a school board banned Christmas celebrations. Yes! Again due to its pagan rituals. Parents opposed and the court decided that Christmas was independent from religion. 

10. Christmasy plants like holly or mistletoe also date back to pagan origins...what a surprise! : People would place wreaths of holly top decorate places of worship in pagan rituals. Likewise, kissing under the mistletoe was a tradition first observed during Saturnalia on a night that involved alcohol and orgies...yap, you heard right. However, some people insist that holly has a religious meaning, its thorns representing Christ's crown at the cross and the red berries representing his blood. 

So, nowadays many people are upset because Spain is a secular state and they associate Christmas celebration with religion. However, without the shade of a doubt, Christmas origins are pagan and although it has something to do with Christian religion, Christmas today has an own entity. It is not religious or secular; it's a celebration for all kinds of citizens, regardless of their beliefs. If you are interested in getting to know more, click on the link below. You'll be redirected to a three-minute video  quickly summarizing everything I wrote.  http://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas.

This will be the last entry of the year, so Happy New Year everyone!

Wanna keep reading this Christmas? Short Christmas stories that will keep you busy and... Christmasy

Merry Christmas everyone! 
Want it or not, Christmas is already here. Look around you: sparkling lights, presents, freezing cold weather, and the Christmas spirit. Well, in previous years I have devoted a great deal of entries to the Christmas season : New Year resolutions; Christmas-touching videos; Boxing Day ; Christmas vocabulary; Christmas videos; Practise your listening at Christmas; Christmas carols; Christmas in Spain, the UK and the US; Christmas short stories.

This year, I propose some very short readings involving Christmas. Here you have a fine selection of Christmasy short stories : 

a) "The Gift of the Magi"  It's a good story about generosity including:  Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar (the Three Wise Men). 

b) "The Little Match Girl   

c) "The Mail Coach Passengers" 

d) "The Twelve Months" 

e) "Dinah's New Year Present" 

f) "The Fairy's New Year Gift" 

g) "The Little New Year"

Well, everyone to practise their English now that you have no excuse, he he. 
See you around. Merry Christmas to all of you!

New Year Resolutions

Well, I start off with a new fresh entry of the blog in 2017. In this case, I intend to speak about New Year resolutions. I assume that you are familiar with them : New Year resolutions are the promises that you make at the beginning of the year, promises that you're willing to stick to, but, eventually, you usually break them, or do you not ? They are the principles that are going to lead your whole year, the commitments that you are willing to make this New Year but you failed to make last year. 

Here you have some possible structures in English that you can use to enunciate your New Year resolutions : 

This year, I will .../I'll

I intend to... this year

I hope I will ...  this year

I hope to... this year

I'd like to ... this year

I wish I could... this year

I promise I'll ... this year

This year I'll definitely ....

This year I'm going to...

What guidelines are you going to pursue during 2017 ? In my case, I intend to enjoy life a bit more; I wish I could control my temper a bit more this year and I'd like to be even happier. If possible, I hope to read more. Not so interesting resolutions, right ?

Now I'm going to share two videos with one. The first video is an example of some New Year resolutions set out by some people, you know, quit smoking, go to the gym and do exercise...

The second video attempts to answer the question : "do New Year resolutions work ?" from a scientific point of view. 

What are your New Year resolutions ? Please, share them with us : post them in a comment and try to stick to them. Remember, your intention is important. You have 365 opportunities to succeed in this newly born year ! 

New Year's Eve : this blog's last entry... of the year !

Well, hello there !

2016 is coming to an end. Tonight is New Year's Eve and the twelve chimes of the clock will finish a year that, at least for me, has been particularly good ! I have passed my public examinations once again and thanks to that I can get to live in Madrid with my significant other. Besides, my niece keeps growing and growing and she can walk and she's learning to do things quite fast ! Anyway, since I'm on holiday, this entry will be a compilation of some touching Christmas videos and carols. What better way of ending the year than with a bunch of optimistic songs of Christmas ?

Let's begin with Mog's Christmas. It's quite an entertaining advertisement about a clumsy -yet friendly cat that, much like the Grinch, ruined its owners' Christmas. Or didn't he ? 



Let's continue with another catchy Christmas carol representing all the Christmas values. 

You know today it's New Year's Eve. It's an important family celebration in Spain where we will definitely try to eat the twelve grapes (one for every chime of the clock). However, in the English-speaking world it is not that important, Christmas Day being far more important for them. Anyway, the year is coming to an end, so to finish this post, here you have the trailer of a well-known film : New Year's Eve. Watch it because you will see some of the Christmas traditions, including New Year Resolutions. Here you have it : 

If you want to keep learning stuff about Christmas, you can click on the following links : Boxing Day ; Christmas vocabulary; Christmas videos; Practise your listening at Christmas; Christmas carols; Christmas in Spain, the UK and the US.

What are your New Year's resolutions for 2017? Come on, post them in a comment ! 

P.S. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Boxing Day

What can you smell in the air ? Well, the Christmasy atmosphere, of course. Everywhere you look, all you see is Christmas related : the Christmas decorations and ornaments, the bells jingling, a wreath of holly on every door, Santa climbing all the people's windows and the streets of your cities overcrowded. What about your belly ? Do you feel stuffed like a turkey ? Have you eaten more than you can really digest ? Worry not ! In the UK, you'll continue eating tomorrow. The UK is celebrating an important public holiday tomorrow : Boxing Day. 

In this post, I will summarize some of its more important traditions : 

1) Families come together to eat Christmas leftovers

From : http://www.solihull.towntalk.co.uk/events/d/56009/boxing-day-lunch

2) Britons buy presents to thank other people : close friends, waiters... : Christmas and consumerism are closely associated. That's why Boxing Day exists ! In the past, it was an opportunity to buy presents and distribute them to the poor, but now it is only buying presents for spending's sake ! Something similar to the tradition of Secret Santa in America. 

3) Shopping centres offer outrageous discounts, making boxing day one of the busiest days of the year (much like Black Friday in America). Some stores may knock-off prices up to 80%, so it is really a good opportunity to get some bargains ! Finders keepers ! 

4) Football is watched once again :  Local football and rugby leagues are broadcast on TV. These competitions add up a lot of viewers (much like football on Thanksgiving). As you can see in the picture, football fans will dress up in a Christmasy mode. 

Here you have a video summarising all the traditions of Boxing Day :

If you want to keep learning more about this day or about Christmas traditions in the English-speaking world, click on the following links :

http://www.whychristmas.com/customs/boxingday.shtml 

http://www.learnenglish.de/culture/christmas.html

Well, how do you like Boxing Day ? Keep enjoying these days with your family and friends, that is the most important thing at Christmas ! 

Christmas hangover : The best videos about the Christmas season.

Hello fellow bloggers,

Lately my blog seems more like the Quirks of Christmas rather than the Quirks of English, so I promise this will be but my last post about Christmas. Last week I wrote several blog entries (one about Christmas carols that included some exercises and videos; and another about Christmas vocabulary (I think it is pretty clear that I love the Christmas season). This time I would like to compile the funniest videos about Christmas. 

1. Do you like my decorations ?

As I mentioned in my post about the different Christmas traditions, one typically American tradition is to go to a farm to cut down your own real Christmas tree (or have it cut down). This video perfectly reflects that tradition in a funny, engaging and surprisingly humorous way. It also includes a pun with the word 'saw'. Simply hilarious. 

2. I gave my children a horrible Christmas present 

Jimmy Kimmel has a very famous late-show program in America. He likes pulling pranks and asking others to pull pranks too. One of his most famous and well-known pranks is to ask parents to tell their children that they ate all their Halloween candy. However, at Christmas, he also asks parents to give their children terrible presents. Watch the children's reaction. It's priceless!:

3. The singing Christmas hedgehogs

This is an interactive video about some cute hedgehogs eager to sing a Christmas carol, but... you know... accidents always happen. Enjoy : 

4. Christmas clumsiness compilation 
This video shows a lot of clumsy people doing their best at Christmas...

5. The scary snowman
A spooky snowman terrifying pedestrian as they go past the street...

6. Christmas lights : Gangham Style 
Some people at Christmas go crazy and decorate their houses with tons and tons of lights. By contrast, other people go even crazier and use the lights to reproduce the song : Gangham Style...

7. Christmas pranks
A compilation of some very funny Christmas pranks. 

8. Santa's adventure to catch some Christmas cookies 

This Santa is a decoration on a Christmas tree trying by all means to eat some delicious Christmas cookies. But how will he go down the tree in the first place ? It somehow reminds me of Toy Story.

9. John Lewis's advertisement

In this lovely ad, a young child eagerly awaits Christmas to get a special present...Really touching !

Did you like my selection of videos ? Would you like to share some more videos with me ? Well, Christmas is over. The Three Wise Men have just popped up. Have you been good or naughty ? Did you receive a piece of coal ? he he. Remember, Yesterday it was the Twelfth Night. It is believed that you must remove all your Christmas decorations and ornaments to avoid bad luck and start the year on the right foot. I hope this Christmas has been fun and welcoming for you all. 

Christmas vocabulary

Happy New Year to everyone !

How did you spend your New Year's Eve ? What are your expectations and resolutions for 2016 ? The first post of the year aims at your learning of more Christmas vocabulary: I propose you a little game. I will upload ten images related to Christmas and you will have to guess the correct word. Then, you can check your solutions with a slides presentation down below where you will be able to learn more Christmas vocabulary. Ready ? Let's go: 

      

     

      

       

     

How many words do you think you know ? Well, now let's have a look at the presentation down below ? I hope you start this newly arrived year learning some useful Christmas vocabulary. 

Exercises about Christmas carols and other Christmas videos

Hello there. Did you have a look at my ranking about the best Christmas carols ?. Now, let's do some exercises. You can listen to the songs and practise your listening skill at the same time. Listen to these  Christmas carols, watch the Christmas videos and do the self-correctable questionnaires. Then, you can share your results if you like. I hope you like them!

This first one is the carol White Christmas sung by Michael Bublé. 
Here you can listen to another Christmas carol about the most famous reindeer. Remember to do the questionnaire. Enjoy !




Here you do a questionnaire about one of my favourite (and widely known) Christmas carol. 
!
Here you have a Christmas carol that perfectly summarizes the Christmas season and the mobile phone addiction. It includes a questionnaire to test your English level. I hope you like it !