Las fiestas y tradiciones de los países hispanoamericanas

1. Las fiestas y tradiciones de los países hispanoamericanas

2. PROCEDURE • Have students brainstorm about the different holidays they know that are celebrated in Spanish speaking countries • How are they different/same than the holidays/traditions that we celebrate in the United States • Go through each slide that discusses a different tradition/holiday and each slide has a critical thinking question at the end • Students will discuss these questions with their groups or in large group discussions • Students will make a compare and contrast chart of all the holidays we discuss • Students will then pick their favorite holiday/ tradition we talked about and write a mini-report and give an oral presentation the following day

3. La Tomatina • SPAIN • Have you heard of this tradition before? • Could this exist in the United States? • Since 1944, each year on the last Wednesday of August in the little town of Bunio between 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 pm, in eastern Spain, people flock for the tomato war called the Tomatina

4. La Carnaval • MEXICO • The festival of Carnaval is celebrated as a last indulgence of carnal pleasures that Catholics must give up for 40 days of fasting during Lent, from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday. • Does the United States have a similar tradition?

5. San Fermín(running of the bulls) • SPAIN • It is held at eight o'clock each morning from the 7th to the 14th of July inclusive. It consists largely of young men (although women may also run) who run in front of the bulls to lead them from their pen up and into the bull-ring. It usually lasts from two to three minutes • Is this a tradition or a holiday? How do you know? Do we have events like this in the United States? Why is this celebrated?

6. Cinco de Mayo • The 5th of May is celebrated in the United States among the Mexican-American population, especially in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Various Mexican-American societies use the celebrations to commemorate the overthrow of the Mexican Imperial Monarchy headed by Maximilian of Austria. • Do you celebrate Cinco de Mayo? Why is it celebrated in the United States?

7. El Día de los Muertos • MEXICO (and many other Spanish speaking countries) • It is celebrated differently depending on where you go • Death is celebrated—friends visit grave sites, give gifts, have picnics, dance, and sing in cemeteries. • Communities are shut down to respect those who have died • What does this tell us about their culture? What does death signify to them?

8. Quinceanera • MEXICO, PUERTO RICO, CUBA • Today's ceremonies embrace religious traditions, and the virtues of family and social responsibility. The custom is a celebration of the young girl (la Quinceanera), and a recognition of her journey from childhood to maturity. The celebration highlights God, family, friends, music, food, and dance. • What coming of age celebrations does the USA have? Do they have the same value here as they do in other countries? What does this tell us about Spanish-speaking culture?

9. RESOURCES • http://www.sanfermin.com/guia/in_encierro1.shtml • http://www.cyberspain.com/life/index.htm • http://www.mexonline.com/holiday.htm • http://www.nacnet.org/assunta/spa5may.htm • http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/ • http://www.quinceanera-boutique.com/quinceaneratradition.htm