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el 2 de enero
Two really fun celebrations of the New Year come from Spain and Ecuador! Regardless of how you spent New Year's Eve, in Spain every celebrates at midnight with the tradition of DOCE UVAS. As midnight arrives, the clock strikes 12 with individual gong sounds. Upon each strike of the clock Spaniards eat one grape at a time, a wish for good luck for each month of the year!

In Ecuador, people make a small dummy of themselves, fill it with stuffing and firecrackers, and as midnight approaches they set the dummy, called "Ano Viejo," on fire. As it pops and burns they say "Adios" al ano viejo and "Bienvenidos" al ano nuevo. So if you're thinking about a fresh start in 2010, think about the tradition from Ecuador, and say adios to your ano viejo and bienvenidos to the new year! Feliz ano nuevo, todo el mundo!

el 5 de diciembre
Hanukkah is upon us in America, but is a holiday barely celebrated in the Spanish-speaking world. Spain is largely a Roman Catholic nation, and as you will remember from your country presentations, this religious tradition was brought into "the new world" with the Spanish explorers and mixed with many of the traditions of the natives of North America. The traditions of gift giving vary widely from Europe to South and Central America, but the tradition of celebrating and honoring your family is held as very important. So during this great time of year, be sure to make your family a top priority!

el 3 de noviembre
This week we worked on projects about el dia de los muertos. It was awesome! Each of my class members honored someone who has passed away, and colored a skull. It really came alive because one boy in the class presented his real experiences with this Mexican holiday in which he honors family members, especially his mom who passed away. He brought in a sugar skull which he had decorated beautifully and he had articles, including a skeleton in poncho, newspaper information, and personal stories about the holiday. It was great! A great experience was had by all!

el 18 de octubre
Today we started projects about Spanish speaking countries. Venezuela was the first up! We will start to talk about what we learned about all of these Spanish-speaking countries!