Traditions in Spain

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Andrea Rojas Fernandez, Spain.

All the countries of this world have their own traditions. Best known among Spain’s folkloric traditions are certainly Flamenco and bullfights. You will find bullfights indeed throughout the country. The most popular event perhaps being the “Running of Bulls” during the Sanfermines in Pamplona. But bullfights are part and parcel of any Fiesta.

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The Sanfermines is one of the most important weeks in Spain, especially for the people that live in Pamplona and for the people that love the bullfights. Everybody dresses with white clothes and wear a red handkerchief.

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Every year, this typical week starts with a street shout in which we can hear the hymn of the Sanfermines.

Flamenco, on the other hand, is the musical traditional in the country, particularly in Andalucia. Nowadays, in the rest of the country you don’t usually listen it, but, in Andalucia, yes. In the Fair of Andalucia people dress with flamenco costumes.

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The Seville fair, also called Seville April Fair, is the most popular in the country. The fair generally begins two weeks after the Semana Santa or Easter Holy Week.

The fair officially begins at midnight on Monday, and runs six days, ending on the following Sunday. However, many activities begin on the Saturday prior to the official opening. Each day the fiesta begins with the parade of carriages and riders, at midday, carrying Seville’s leading citizens which make their way to the bullring, La Real Mastranza, where the bullfighters and breeders meet.

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In my opinion, the April Fair is one of the most important moment of the country and it’s so beautiful because everybody enjoys it a lot with their families and friends. It’s a moment to share with your people.

Spanish Food

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Victor Potenciano, Spain

A lot of people in the world think that in Spain we only eat Paella and that is not true. We eat paella, but Spain is big and every region of Spain has its own food, and that is one of the best things that we have.

I am going to talk aboput the most famous foods in Spain and where they are from.

The first thing that I am going to talk about is one of my favourites foods, which is the Cocido madrileño. The Cocido madrileño can be prepare in many ways and depends on what part you are from and the person who makes it, one style or another, but what is clear is that everyone makes it very well and it is one of the most famous meals in Madrid. It is made of chickpeas, carrots, potatoes, Iberian chorizo and meat.

Another very famous meal is the Salmorejo, which is made of tomato, bread, oil, vinegar and salt. It is very easy to make, you only need to put all the ingredients together in a blender and mix all and then you have the Salmorejo. It is from Cordoba, Andalucia, but all people of Spain make it.

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Another very good meal is the Asturian fabada, often simply known as fabada, which is a rich Spanish bean stew, originally from and most commonly found in Asturias, but widely available throughout the whole of Spain and in Spanish restaurants worldwide.

Fabada is a hot and heavy dish and for that reason it is most commonly eaten during winter and at the largest meal of the day, lunch. It is usually served as a starter, but may also be the main course of the meal. It is typically served with Asturian cider or a red wine.

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The next meal that I am going to talk is one of the most famous meals in Spain and all the people of the world know it,which is the Tortilla de patatas. It is made of potatoes and eggs and sometimes you can put onions, but that is if you like the onions. It is very easy to make and you can eat it at lunch as well as dinner. The tortilla de patatas doesn’t have one unique place where the people make it. In every part of Spain the people cook it.

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The last meal I’m going to talk about is Pulpo a la gallega. As its name very well says, its origin comes from Galica. It is often seen served hot, freshly boiled, put the slices on a wooden board while on the pile is sprinkled with plenty of olive oil, paprika, sweet or spicy, but never smoked.

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The Hell That Majorca Is Living.

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Alejandra Cabanas, Spain.

The hurricane Leslie caused the worst situation that this city could imagine. Its streets are full of water, causing the departure of the Majorca’s families, disappearances and deaths.

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The roads are full of growing piles of broken furniture, street signs and clothing, as hundreds of residents return to their town to clean and restore their street homes.

It was in Sant Llorenç where 12 victims died, trapped in cars that were soon submerged, or unable to escape from their homes at the lower end of town.

Some of the residents, as Pedro Sánchez Caldentey, had lived through really difficult situations. Pedro’s Jeep was engulfed by the water and swept away. He says he was in there only minutes earlier, that he had climbed out of the window and swum to the roof of a building.

Now, there are 900 soldiers, police and emergency workers in the area, divided into groups, some helping with the clean-up, others trying to prevent the looting that has started. A third emergency search team is looking for an eight-year-old boy called Artur, whose mother died as their car was caught in the deluge.

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Six local residents have now been confirmed dead, and six tourists, including a German couple, an elderly Dutch woman, and a British couple in their seventies, Tony and Delia Green.

Also the citizens are working so hard to recover the normal life in their town. Majorcan tennis star Rafa Nadal was also one of those citizens. He had also opened a tennis center to Majorca flood victims at his Sport Academy. This actions honors himself.

 

At the time this disaster was going on, attention is also turning to how this tragedy that led to so many people losing their lives. Some organisations have accused the local government of allowing people to build illegally in flood risk areas.

However, some survivors here said they thought it would have made little difference, that what happened felt “biblical” to them and gave them little time to react.

Soccer Culture

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By Simon Kjellgren, Sweden

For Americans, soccer is just something you drive your daughter to. A world cup they always think they’ll win despite just being no.28 on the FIFA world ranking. For the rest of the world, it’s more than a sport, it’s a lifestyle. We live and breath soccer, some fans even kill and die for their club. The club is our god, the fans of that club is our family and the stadium is our home, our church. Soccer is a religion, a religion with thousands of gods. The leader of all those gods? Sadly FIFA. I’ll explain later.

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The fans are the most important thing a club can have. It sounds cheesy I know, but there’s a reason fans are called “the 12th player”. They provide atmosphere around the stadium; they provide electric chants that energize the players. Most importantly, they provide TIFOs. A TIFO is a synchronized display before the game starts, with banners, flags and songs that the team march in to.

Real Madrid C.F – Champions League Final 2017

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real madrid final pictureby Katharina Coenen, Germany

Real Madrid C.F is the most famous football club in Spain. Founded on March 6th 1906. The traditionally worn kit colors were white. In June 2017 they reached the final in the UEFA Champions League. They had to play against Juventus Football Club. The Tournament was in Wales, Cardiff, also the hometown of one of the most expensive superstars of Real Madrid, Gareth Bale. The game was special and important for the club, but especially for him. Born and raised in Cardiff, and now he had the chance to win a trophy in his hometown. Also the club had the chance to win it for the second time in a row. What else could be better ? But would he at least get the chance to play against Juventus? The Stadium was sold out, many fans decorated it with big banners. The atmosphere was gigantic and the feeling absolutely stunning. Then the official champions league hymn was heard. The players came through the tunnels and shook hands with each other, but no a sign of Gareth Bale yet.

So the match begun without him. It was really intensive and strategic. Nobody wanted to take a risk. Then after twenty minutes, a goal! Cristiano Ronaldo scored. Buffon the goalkeeper from Juventus was delirious. He shouted at his teammates ,and encouraged them on. Everyone in the stadium was excited. After just seven minutes Juventus settled the result, after a nice head goal from Mandžukić. The whole stadium was on fire, but after the first halftime Juventus did not act very self- confident. They moved back and let Real Madrid play their match. After a while Casemiro, the defender from Real Madrid took a volley after a really bad back pass from a Juventus player. It wrapped unattainable in Buffons Goal. After that Goal Juventus was resigned. Two more goals were dropped. Gareth Bale came for the last 15 minutes. The whole stadium cheered to him, and he did his best.

At the end the result was 4:1. The players cried and screamed happily. They couldn’t believe it. The night seemed magical, but not for Juventus. They were devastated. They lost again a important final. They knew that if you reached a final you have to do your best. And everyone knew in the moment they didn’t . The Italian fans applauded them and the players appreciated that.  On the other side, the Spanish Fans were thrilled and happy. Their team won this trophy, the best and most important trophy you can win in football,  the second time in a row. It was unbelievable. But Juventus was a fair team. They congratulated the players on their 12th title. And so Real Madrid wrote history. Again.

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Olympic Games History

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Tom Lumiere ,  France

The Ancient Olympic Games were religious and athletic festivals held every four years at the sanctuary of Zeus in Olympia, a city of Greece. Competition was among representatives of several city-states and kingdoms of Ancient Greece. These Games featured mainly athletic, but also combat sports, such as battle and the pankration, horse and chariot racing events. It has been generally written that during the Games, all conflicts with the participating city-states were suspended until the Games were finished. This cessation of hostilities was known as the Olympic peace or accord. This idea is a modern illusion because the Greeks never suspended their wars

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The modern Olympic Games (French: Jeux olympiques) are best international sporting events presenting summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games are considered the world’s principal sports competition with more than 200 nations participating. The Olympic Games are adhered every four years, with the Summer and Winter Games alternating by developing every four years but two years apart.

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Their creation was inspired by the ancient Olympic Games. Baron Pierre de Coubertin (French) founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894, principal to the first modern Games in Athens in 1896. The IOC is the governing body of the Olympic Movement, with the Olympic Charter defining its structure and authority.

Pierre de Coubertin

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The reason why I choose is that since I was young, I have been

going to every summer Olympic Games: ‘Athens in 2004, Beijing in  2008, London in 2012, Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and I will go to Tokyo in 2020’ .

 

 

FC Barcelona

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by Jovan Dukic, Switzerland

Fc Barcelona is a famous football club from Spain. The short form is Barca. The players never would like to say they play for Spain because Catalonia has a conflict with the Spanish government. Catalonia has been looking to be independent for many years. The club was founded 29. November 1899. Today the club counts as one of the best in the world, if not the best. In Spain, Barca has the most trophies of the national cup (Copa del Rey) and they have the second most championship titles behind Real Madrid.

 

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Johan Cruyff

Johan Cruyff was born 24. April 1947 and he died 24. March 2016. He died in Barcelona and the club gave him the highest honor. Johan was a Dutch professional football player and head coach. He won the Ball d`Or three times as a player. Johan Cruyff was regarded as a true football genius and he was the founder of the considered Tiki- taka. Johan has three children; he has one son and two daughters. His son leads the Johan Cruyff Foundation, who helps children in trouble.

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Tiki- Taka

Tiki – Taka is a style of play in football characterized by short passing and movement, working the ball through various channels, and maintaining possession.
The style is primarily associated with La Liga Club Fc Barcelona especially during the era of Pep Guardiola. The typical characteristic of this system is that the team has a lot of ball possession, between 50%-70%. If the left and the right outside linebackers run in the attack and don’t defend for this short moment, they have more players in the attack. If they lose the ball, the two outside linebackers run all the way back to their defensive positions. If the whole team changes from attacking to defending, it creates pressure on the other team to lose possession of the ball again.

 

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Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi was born at 24. June 1987 in Argentina. As a young guy he started his career in Newells Old Boys. This is a mid-level club in Argentina. In 2003, he left the Newells Old Boys to join Fc Barcelona. He started in the youth team of Fc Barcelona, the famous La Masia. With 16 years, four months and 23 days, old he made his first team debut. It was a friendly game against Jose Mourinhno’s Porto. In his first season he made his first record he scored 36 goals in 30 games. Messi holds the record for the most goals scored in La Liga 50, a football season 82 and a calendar year 91. After the tournament copa america 2016 he is the top scorer of Argentina he past Gabriel Batistuta. He won the Balon D’or five times you can see the picture among the article.

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Total Domination From Spain

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Daan Klein Schiphorst, The Netherlands

Where it comes from and how they did it nobody knows or they think they know. But the Spanish football clubs are ruling in Europe. Not only the Spanish clubs are dominating but the national team as well. The Spanish football is doing well for the last 6 years, they become champions of the world with the clubs and the country as well. Who can stop them?

The Clubs
Clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona are at the top of Europe since the beginning. With 3 teams in the top 4 of clubs they are the best in Europe. In 2014 the Champions league final was a completely Spanish final between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid and this year as well. You think that’s the only league in Europe that they are dominating but in the Europa League there is a Spanish team in the Finals as well. From the last 4 winners of the Champions/Europa League there were 3 Spanish victories. This shows you how the clubs are dominating in Europe.

The National Team
At the moment, the national team of Spain is doing well. They became first in their group of the Euro Cup qualification and they will give everything to become the champions again. They won the Euro Cup in 2008 and 2012 and became champions of the world in 2010. It’s not strange that the national team is doing well because the players play in the top of each competition. They became the best of Europe with their club,  transformed champions in their league or they play in a good team.

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He is a little guy,  got a good technique and he is unstoppable when he gets the ball. I am talking about  Andrés Iniesta. Iniesta become one of the best and important players from Spain. He became world champion with the national team in 2010 and European champion in 2008 and 2012. He won the Primera Division with Barcelona seven times and won the Champions League four times. He is the captain of both teams and, as one of the oldest players, he is an inspiration for the younger generation to achieve the same success.  This was just one example of the players who brought Spain to the level  where they now are.

 

Now you can see what the domination of Spain includes. Will they still be dominating the world? We will see soon..

Interview about Miriam

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Miriam

by Catherine Sodar – Belgium

Miriam is 25 years old and she comes from Barcelona, Spain. She is a tourism agent but she is also studying communication to become a travel journalist. She wants to travel a lot and to see different countries and cultures. She is an open minded person and for her, English is an important skill to communicate with other people, to travel and to work because it’s a good opportunity to meet new people and cultures.

She will stay here for 3 weeks only, because she has to return to work in Spain. First, she worried about the safety in America because everyone can have a gun, but now she isn’t afraid anymore because Santa Barbara is a really safe and it doesn’t seem very dangerous. She is very happy to be here because the American people are very friendly and helpful.

While she is here, her aims are to improve her English for her job, but her life goals are to become a travel  journalist for a magazine. Money isn’t that important because she just want to do something what she loves and that is traveling. She would like to go to Japan and Thailand because they have completely different types of cultures. Her dream is to swim with dolphins but she doesn’t really want to do it if it would contribute to the imprisonment of them.

Before she came to America she went to a few different countries in Europe :

  • France; She lived there for 7 months.
  • Italy : Miriam really like this country.
  • England
  • Tunis
  • United States : for holidays.
  • Brazil
  • Belgium ; to study at the English Academy in Spa for 3 months.

She told me that when I come to her country and especially to her city, Barcelona, I have to visit absolutely the Gaudi Park and also see all the Gaudi architecture. She appreciates  walking in the little streets of Barcelona where are many bars, cafes and little shops. I think it could be wonderful to get lost in her city. I have heard a lot of great things about Barcelona.

She went to Liege six years ago to go to the English Academy and it’s the city where I live in Belgium. There she also learnt a lot of English. She’s now an independent tourist guide but she is studying communication : marketing, languages and journalism.