Happy Crepe Day! February 2 is la Chandeleur in France.

This Wednesday (February 2nd) is Crepe Day! La Chandeleur is the Catholic holiday of Candlemas, a feast to commemorate the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of the baby Jesus forty days after his birth. For those of you who don't know what a crepe is, it is a very thin `pancake` of French origin. Crepe batter is very thin and sauteed briefly in a very hot, lightly greased pan. There is a tradition on this day that as you're cooking your crepe; while holding the pan in one hand, and a coin in the other, you flip it in the air, and then catch it in the pan which will bring a prosperous year ahead! Courtesy of foreignlanguagefun.com, check out www.fete-enfants.com for some fun games for your kids. Also if you're interested in some recipes, click here for a children's recipe in french or click here for a few more recipes to try as well! Indulge and enjoy!

Countries

Whenever you learn something new, it's important to understand the context in which the subject matter is being taught. If individuals are learning a language and don't understand where the language is coming from, or what the purpose of the language is (especially in young children, where the rest of the world is just something they hear about, or may have visited). In our classrooms we try to teach the children about the culture and traditions that are native to the language. For example, we teach about Mardi Gras, and Three Kings Days etc. I have attached two maps (one of France and one of Mexico) for you to print out and for your kids to color. Be sure to take this time to expand your children's understanding of the use of language in these countries! Enjoy!

Courtesy of enchantedlearning.com,

click here for the French Map and click here for the Spanish Map

Song Time

I figured it would be a good idea to start this session with a fun sing along for you and your kids! Enjoy!

'FRÈRE JACQUES' . (FRENCH)

Frère Jacques,

Frère Jacques,

Dormez vous?

Dormez vous?

Sonnez les matines,

Sonnez les matines,

Din, din, don!

Din, din, don!

English Version:

Are you sleeping,

Are you sleeping?

Brother John?

Brother John?

Morning bells are ringing,

Morning bells are ringing,

Ding ding dong,

Ding ding dong.

Itzi, Bitzi Araña (SPANISH)

Itzi, bitzi araña,
tejió su telaraña.
Vino la lluvia,
y se la llevó.
Salió el sol,
se secó la lluvia.
Y Itzi, bitzi araña,
otra vez subió.

English Version:

The itsy bitsy spider
Climbed up the waterspout
Down came the rain
And washed the spider out

Out came the sun
And dried up all the rain
And the itsy bitsy spider
Climbed up the spout again.

Epiphany Day

Today, January 6th, is Epiphany day (or Three Kings Day in Spain)! Traditionally, Three Kings Day is celebrated 12 days after Christmas, and marks the end of the Christmas for many families. It is a christian feast day which celebrates the revelation God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ. Click Here for an example of music that is commonly associated with the holiday! On the evening before Three Kings, traditionally there were prayers, blessed dried herbs would be burnt and their aromatic smell would fill the house. Doorways would be sprinkled with holy water and the master of the house would write with chalk C + M + B and the year above the house and barn door and say: "Caspar, Melchior, Balthasar, behütet uns auch für dieses Jahr, vor Feuer und vor Wassergefahr." ("CMB, protect us again this year from the dangers of fire and water.") C + M + B has traditionally been translated with Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, however, according to the Church it stands for "Christus Mansionem Benedictat" (Christ bless this home). If you would like to learn more about the holiday check out 123holiday.net. Epiphany is celebrated in a variety of ways depending on its location, but in both Spain and France it is a widely celebrated holiday that everyone takes part in!

Happy New Year in French and Spanish

Bonne année et bonne santé

French expressions analyzed and explained

By Laura K. Lawless, About.com Guide

Expression: Bonne année et bonne santé !

Pronunciation: [buh na nay ay buhn sa(n) tay]

Meaning: Happy New Year!

Literal translation: Good year and good health!

Notes: The simplest way to wish someone a happy new year in French is with Bonne année !, but Bonne année et bonne santé is a classic expression. In English, we say "happy new year," but the "new" is unnecessary in French - bonne année does the whole job. The addition of bonne santé (good health) is not only a nice thought, but it also rhymes, making a little sing-songy sort of phrase.

More good wishes
Bonne et heureuse Année
Meilleurs vœux
Meilleurs vœux pour le Nouvel An

A Quick Lesson for Beginners: ¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

By Gerald Erichsen, About.com Guide January 1, 2012

Are you new to learning Spanish in 2012? If so, you can begin learning a few of the basics of Spanish with today's greeting: ¡Feliz año nuevo!

The phrase is the most common way of saying "Happy new year!" in Spanish. Here are four aspects of Spanish this simple phrase can help you learn or remember:

• Spanish begins exclamations with an upside-down exclamation point. This punctuation is unique to Spanish among the world's major languages.
• You might notice that both año (the word for "year") and nuevo ("new") end in the letter o. It is usually the case (and is here) that such words are masculine — Spanish words have a quality known as gender, and masculine nouns match up with masculine adjectives.
• The middle letter of año, written as Ñ or ñ (pronounced kind of like EHN-yeh), is the only letter of the Spanish alphabet that is not in the English alphabet.
• The phrase has adjectives both before the noun and afterward. Both locations are common, although there can be differences in meaning depending on where the adjective is located.

You're not a beginner at Spanish? Then see what lessons you can abstract from this sentence: ¡Que tengas un muy feliz año nuevo, lleno de paz, amor y salud para ti y para los tuyos!