Spanish Three Wise Men Festival: The Arrival of the Magic Kings

1. The most representative festival of the month of January is the arrival of the Three Wise Men on the eve of the 5th of January.All towns and cities in Spain are full of children holding candles waiting for the three Wise Men to arrive from the West. All cities organize a big parade and the three come with their servants: One is white, the other is blond and the third is black. Each child has his favourite and spend the afternoon queuing just to give him a letter with all the presents he/she wants. We call them the Magic Kings and they come from the West carrying toys for all good children. On the morning of the 6th of January all children wake up excitedly and go to the window where they find all the presents that the three Wise Men have left for them. In Spain, then, presents are brought by the Three Wise Men, not by Santa Claus, although because of the American influence in our culture,nowadays more and more children get their presents from Santa. JANUARY 2014

2. La Festa de Santa Àgata, 5 de febrer The celebrations of Saint Agatha is a set of events that take place on 5th February and are dedicated to the woman patron. This is a traditional dinner party, a female gimcama, an exhibition of costumes and other activities and talks on subjects related to women. All day is dedicated to woman. El Carnestoltes de Vilanova i la Geltrú Carnival at Vilanova has a long tradition. Anyone who wants to can participate in events: la Merengada, el ball de Matons, la Comparsa, la Xatonada, el Caramel... La festa dels traginers The festival of Traginers is celebrated on Sunday before carnival. It is considered one of the most traditional festivals in Catalonia. In 1942 begin to celebrate horse racing, mules, donkeis on the road County facing Balsarenys week Manresa Yard. February 2014

3. Martisor is an old Romanian tradition which takes place at the beginning of the spring, on March the 1st. The red and white string is a decoration that boys give to girls. This is an old custom, and it is believed that the one who wears the red and white string will be strong and healthy for the year to come. It is also a symbol of the coming spring. March 2014

4. PALM SUNDAY In 2014, the 13th of April. On this day, the Poles come to church with handmade palm trees which commemorate Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The palms are then blessed by the priest after the Sunday Service. ŚMIGUS-DYNGUS Known as Wet Monday – old Polish tradition celebrated on the Monday after Easter. Boys pour water on girls. In 2014, the 21st of April.2014. HOLY SATURDAY In 2014, the 19th of April. On this day, the Poles carry big beautifully decorated baskets with food to church and have their Easter food blessed by the priest. In the baskets they put such food as: eggs, meat and sausage, horseradish, butter. It is believed, especially in some regions of Poland, that when on Holy Saturday a girl washes her face with the holy water, her freckles and other shortcomings will fade. April 2014

5. Turkey International April 23-rd Children's Festival The 23rd of April Children’s Festival is a children’s festival which was gifted to Turkish children by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the Republic of Turkey, to mark the opening of the Assembly.The festival has been celebrated internationally since 1979. The Children’s Festival was first celebrated in Turkey on 23 April 1920, when the Turkish Grand National Assembly was opened.The Festival intends to contribute creation of a world where children can live peacefully by developing sentiments of fraternity, love and friendship.Celebrations take place in Turkey’s various major cities such as Ankara ,İzmir, İstanbul and Antalya.Children aged between 8 and 14 attend the international 23 April children’s festival. Festival Week begins with a Festival Parade. During the parade, guests wear their traditional outfits, perform their traditional music and dance on the largest street of the city. In the following days, guest countries perform outdoor shows in large parks and embrace with Turkish people. Festival week continues with the children’s visit to the mausoleum of Atatürk, the great leader who gifted this festival to Turkish children. April 2014

6. Egg decoration is an ancient custom in Romanian tradition. Painted eggs are a testament for the Easter customs and beliefs . Since the red egg is the carrier of deep meanings about Christ's Resurrection and the renewal of nature, Christians have painted it, drawing wax motifs, of rare beauty. May 2014

7. DANCING EGG Corpus Sunday June The dancing egg is an old tradition. It is on the second or third of June. We celebrate it in Barcelona’s cathedral. In the cloister there is a fountain with one egg. The fountain has got water jet and one egg and it is dancing. In the square, there are a lot of people visiting this and around the fountain there are fruits of the time and exotic flowers. Jaleo or horses dancing, june 24 In Sant Antoni (Menorca), from Sant Joan (June) in Ciutadella, to the Virgin of Gràcia (September) in Maó, is celebrated the “jaleos”, in there, the protagonists are horses of Menorca, who go on two legs and dance by the same route twice. Passing by the city for the first time, riders are collected from the mayor a green branch, which made. In the second round. Participates in a large number of people, from children to seniors five years. Horses parading in single file and enter the square. The following gentlemen, who were all dressed alike with a traditional uniform, which differ slightly in each town, but always have black as their main color, white or black shirt. In the square, some come to help the horse remain standing. The residents of the nearby balconies throw water to cool them. SAINT JOHN June 23/24 The Night of Saint John, also known as of whitches Night Fire is a celebration that takes place throughout the Catalan.It is the shortest of the year, due to the proximity of the summer solstice. There is no clear origin of this celebration, there are people who think that St. John is Vasata in Christianity there are those who think that it is a pagan celebration.And usually a bonfire to celebrate tonight, throw firecrackers, Spend over bonfire eat cake ... June 2014

8. July is a month of holidays. We don't go to school in this month. We go to the swimming pool or our Western Park the so called „Twin Pigs” which our city is famous for in the region. Some of the Polish students spend their two months holidays at the Baltic Sea or in the mountains. The most beautiful are the Tatras but we can also vist the Beskidy Mountains. Young people can also spend their summer holidays at the camps with their friends or go abroad with their families. July 2014

9. Turkey Eid Festival & Ramadan Feast ( Sweet Festival ) In Turkey  , nation-wide celebrated holidays are referred to as Bayram and Eid Festival is referred to as both ŞekerBayramı ("Bayram of Sweets") and Ramazan Bayramı("Ramadan Bayram").It is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting (sawm).Because of the types of the calendars the exact day of celebration varies by locality. It is customary for people to greet one another with Bayramınız kutlu olsun ("May your bayram be blessed") or Bayramınız mübarek olsun ("May your bayram be blessed").The first day of the bayram is generally regarded as the most important, with all members of the family waking up early, and the men going to their neighbourhood mosques for the special bayram prayer.As an obligatory act of charity, money is paid to the poor and the needy .It is also customary for young children to go around their neighbourhood, door to door, and wish everyone a "Happy Bayram," for which they are awarded candy, chocolates, traditional sweets such as baklava and Turkish Delight , or a small amount of money at every door. July 2014

10. “FESTAMAJOR” inGranollers: Whentheholidaysareoverandthedayisatwork, around the last Sunday of August Granollers celebrates ​​its"FestaMajor”. The"Granollerins"formtwogroups:whiteandblue.ItisdancedinPorxadaandbecomesthe"correfoc",wegetwetinthe"correaigua",stretchrope,spentthetiles. Afteraweekthelastdayfireworksaremade,andtheverdictistoknow whichgroupwon. CASTELLARS-HUMANTOWERS August 2014

11. "For hundreds of years, September is the month of the grape harvest. For us, this period is associated with the joy of making wine!" September 2014

12. St Dumitru- The 26th of October (October) On the eve of the feast of St. Dumitru, people light fires, and children jump over them to be healthy all year. The fire also has the power to chase away the beasts. After the fire is extinguished, people throw a piece of coal in the garden in order to receive fertility.St. Dumitru is considered the patron of the shepherds. On his birthday, tradition says, shepherds find out how the winter will be. They lay their coat amoung the sheep and wait to see which sheep lays on it. If it’s a black sheep, winter will be good, and if it’s a white sheep, the weather will be cold. October 2014

13. 1-st November All Saints Day On this day, we remember the dead by visiting cemeteries, lighting candles, praying and attending a special Mass commemorating the dead. On the night of 29-th to 30-th NovemberSt.Andrew's Day On this day, the Poles according to the traditions and beliefs perform a variety of divination.Many of them are of a future, love, money, health, work, and many others.One of the most popular predictions is the divination of wax.On this evening many St Andrew’s festivities and events take place, where people can play together and have fun. 11-th NovemberIndependence Day In Poland, 11th November is celebrated to commemorate the recovery of the Polish nation's independence in 1918. Poland regained it after 123 years of partitions November 2014

14. Turkey The day of Ashura Ashura  (in Turkish: Aşure) or Noah’s Pudding is a Turkish dessert.for the holy month of Ashura, which comes after the Feast of Ramadan, many households prepare a pudding called Ashura to share with guests,friends and neighbours. According to tradition, Ashure must contain at least fifteen different ingredients, such as peas, beans, almonds, cereals, rice, raisins, rosewater, pomegranate seeds, orange peels, figs and cinnamon.The ashure pudding is prepared with special prayers for health, healing, safety, success and spiritual nourishment.Ashure stands unique among other Turkish desserts as it contains no animal products. One reason behind it is arguably protesting all kinds of violence and bloodshed. Ashure is made in large quantities to distrbuted to friends, relatives, neighbors, colleagues, classmates, among others, without regard to the recipient’s religion or belief system as an offering of peace and love.Ashure was traditionally made and eaten during the colder months of the year as it is calorie rich fare, but now it is enjoyed year – round. November 2014

15. The traditional romanian carols, named “Colinde”Romanian carols, by their simple form and message, express the voice of the Holy Spirit and the Churchsent in the souls and houses of the Christians. The carols represent the popular and artistic echo of the religious traditions. December 2014

16. In Spain,wecelebrate Christmason25thofDecember,weeatnougatsandalsoweeatasoupcalled ‘’Escudella’’.Wemeetwithourfamilyinahouseandwestaytherealltheday. Onthe26th ofDecember is SaintSteve’sday,andwegotochurch. Onthe31st ofDecember,at00:00,weeat12grapeswhenthebellsring.Afterthis,westartalongparty. Onthe5th ofJanuarywecelebrateaparade,thechildrenwritealetter to the Kingswithalist ofpresents. Onthe6th ofJanuary,thechildren wakeupveryexcitedtoopen thenewpresents December 2014

17. Christmas and Santa Claus Day are not celebrated at the same time in Poland. Santa Claus (called Mikołaj) Day is celebrated on December 6th, the name day of St Nicholas. This is whem Santa visits some children in person or secretly during the night. The Breaking of the Wafer (in Polish “opłatek”) One of the most beautiful and most revered Polish customs is the breaking of the wafer. By doing this people exchange Christmas wishes of good health and happiness among one another. Sometimes an oplatek is sent in a greeting card to loved ones away from home. Traditionally, the Christmas tree is decorated on the Wigilia day - quite an event for children. In Poland, Christmas celebrations start on Christmas Eve, December 24th. On that day we prepare a Christmas Eve Supper traditionally made of 12 dishes. At the Christmas Eve table an additional seat is kept for somebody unknown who may visit us unexpectedly looking for shelter and food. On Christmas Eve some straw is put under white tablecloth. Some maidens predict their future from the straw. Christmas Day, December 25th, called the first holiday by the Poles, is spent with the family at home while December 26th is usually a visiting day and is called St. Stephen's Day. This is a day of enjoyment, for Jesus was born. On Christmas Day, people start to observe the weather very closely. It is believed that each day foretells the weather for a certain month of the following year. Christmas Day predicts January's weather, St. Stephen's Day impacts February's, etc. December 2014