National holidays and local area of interest.

Coming abroad to work as an English teacher has been quite restricting on my schedule. Of course, I’m loving every second of it but actually having a job does mean that I can’t just skip a day or take a day off like my friends studying at university can, so I’ve really learnt how to make the most of the national holidays and local holidays. Spain is traditionally a very religious country, and so the Easter holidays is still a national holiday which I didn’t have to work – I had ten days off. Spain also celebrate ‘Fiesta del Trabajo’ or Labour Day, on the 1^st May. Also, in my village where I am teaching, there is a festivity celebrating the town on a weekend in May, as well as a local holiday on the 9^th April, which is called ‘Lunes de Aguas’

La primera fiesta es la del pueblo donde trabajo yo. Esta fiesta dura 4 días – de viernes a lunes, y la programación (programme) es muy muy interesante. Durante los días, las familias pueden ver los bailes tradicionales de España, pueden comer paella y otras comidas típicas, y también pueden ir a la plaza de toros (bull ring) para ver espectáculos (shows). Más tarde durante las noches, hay festivales y grandes fiestas donde van los jóvenes. Muchos de mis amigos de Salamanca viajaban a Villamayor (unos 15 minutos) para ir a las fiestas. Además, ¡unos de mis alumnos, que tiene 16 años, alquilaron (rented) un gran edifico para hacer una fiesta con sus amigos después de la fiesta en la calle!

Another festival in my city is called Lunes de Aguas, and is held on the first Monday after Easter, to celebrate the end of lent. In the past, people often went to the river to enjoy food, drink and other fun things with their friends which they were not allowed to enjoy during lent. Nowadays, the day has become more of a social event where young people go to eat Hornazo and do a ‘botellón’ (drinking alcohol) with their friends. Unfortunately, because it was raining, not many people actually went to the river to celebrate. I would say that there was about 50 people there and we were all crammed under the bridge trying to hide from the rain, whereas normally there are hundreds, as you can see in the photo below!  In the other photo, you can see how quiet it was this year! And in the third photo you can see me and two of my friends sat on the grass praying for no more rain! Although we didn’t get to experience the true Lunes de Aguas experience, we still had an awesome time and made some friends!

Hablé sobre el hornazo. Normalmente, la gente come Hornazo, que es un tipo de empanada (pie) con chorizo, lomo y huevo. Mi amiga española cocinó su propio hornazo para que mis amigos y yo podríamos probar la comida típica de Salamanca. Fue deliciosa, pero muy sustancioso (filling). También se puede comprar hornazo dulce, que también tiene chorizo, lomo y huevos, pero se hace la masa con azúcar. ¡No me gustaría el hornazo dulce!

Not only are these fiestas a great opportunity to enjoy yourself in the city, but they’re also a great way of attracting people from surrounding local areas to the city. During Lunes de Aguas I spoke to many people who had travelled from Madrid (about 2 hours away), to come to the festival! Of course, this is great for Salamanca as more Spaniards get the chance to experience the beautiful city and appreciate its beauty.

En Salamanca, hay muchas y muchas lugares de interés. En la ciudad, hay una catedral increíble, y una universidad muy importante. La universidad es la segunda universidad más antigua de todo Europa, y hoy en día está celebrando sus 800 años! También, hay muchos edificios bonitos, como el Convento de San Esteban, la Casa de las conchas y la plaza mayor. Además de lo dicho, en las afueras de Salamanca, hay una cascada impresionante que es muy famosa, que se llama ‘Pozo de los Humos’.

Now, to see how well you understood the text, see if you can remember the meaning of these words and find them in the spiral!