St George’s Day

St George’s Day in England (on 23rd April every year, the date when Saint George died) remembers St George, England’s patron saint.

St George was born around 280 AD. Even though he is the patron saint of England, he wasn’t actually born there. He was born in a place called Cappadocia (in the modern day, that is in Turkey!) He was a Roman soldier who was tortured and killed by Emperor Diocletian for refusing to renounce his Christian faith in 303 AD on 23rd April.

St George isn’t just the patron Saint of England! Interestingly, St George’s Day is celebrated not just by the English, but by several countries and cities of which Saint George is the patron saint (mainly observed by Christians from the Anglican, Lutheran and Orthodox churches). These countries include Greece, Cyprus, Portugal and Croatia among others. In Greece, Saint George Day, or Agios Georgios Day, is also celebrated on April 23. However, if Easter is after April 23, then it is celebrated on Easter Monday. He is the Patron Saint of farmers (after all, Georgios, a Greek name, means “worker of the land”), soldiers (since during his life he used to work as a military officer), archers and even… scouts!  

Legend has it that George slew a dragon. The story says that he rode into a place called Silene. There he met a man who told him about a terrible dragon who was terrorising the nearby kingdom. Every day, the dragon demanded the sacrifice of a young maiden and now only the king’s daughter remained alive. St George rushed to the aid of the princess. He told the king that he would kill the dragon if he promised St George that his people would be baptised. The king agreed and St George killed the dragon after piercing it with his sword beneath its wings. He also saved the Princess!

This story, though, was actually made up (during the twelfth century, hundreds of years after his death – the dragon was another way to describe the devil!) Historians believe that St George was never a knight in shining armour… He had never slain a dragon, and he wasn’t a knight either. Regardless of whether the tale is true or not, St George is a symbol of courage in the face of adversity, as well as the English ideals of honour, bravery and gallantry.

But what is his connection to England?

During the First Crusade to Jerusalem in 1098, it is said that St George appeared as a vision to lead the Christian knights during a siege. About 100 years later, King Richard III fashioned his army’s uniform on the cross of St. George.

On St George’s Day, a lot of people celebrate with a nice, traditional English meal. Some of the most traditional meals are fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, roast dinner or afternoon tea.

Shepherd’s pie

St. George’s Day is not a public holiday. It is celebrated with parades, dancing and other activities. These activities range from Morris Dancing to even watching a puppet show (Punch and Judy shows).  St. George is also the patron saint of scouting, so the scouts often take part in a parade on St George’s Day.

 

Around St George’s Day, you might see a white flag with a red cross. This is St George’s emblem and also the flag of England.  Flags with the image of St George’s cross are flown on some buildings, especially pubs, and a few people wear a red rose on their lapel. The hymn “Jerusalem” (based on the poem written by William Blake in 1804) is also sung in cathedrals, churches and chapels.

 

Jerusalem

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England’s mountains green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England’s pleasant pastures seen?
And did the countenance divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among these dark Satanic Mills?

Bring me my bow of burning gold:
Bring me my arrows of desire:
Bring me my spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire.
I shall not cease from mental fight
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England’s green & pleasant land.

(William Blake)

 

St George’s Day Activities

St George’s Dragons  

  1. These great paper plate dragons are really easy and inexpensive to make. Paint two paper plates each in contrasting colours. Cut one in half to create the dragon’s body and then draw the head, tails and wings onto the other one. Carefully cut these out. With the flat edge of the body at the bottom, use PVA glue to attach the head on the left corner and the tail on the right. For the wings, attach one to the front of the plate on the top curved edge, and the other behind next to it. Stick on some googly eyes and give your dragon a smiley or fierce mouth. Finally, paint a lolly-pop stick green (or the same colour as the body), and attach this to the bottom of your dragon on the reverse of the plate.   
  2. Make your fierce dragon out of a sock (preferably green, but any other colour will do as well!) On the heel add the tongue and sew (or glue with a hot glue gun!) the mighty dragon wings, mouth, nose and eyes made out of felt.

For the eyes (you can also use googly eyes) :

For the mouth:

For the muzzle:

For the wings:

 

This is our dragon!!!

 

For more wonderful activities visit:

Creative Station

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

William Shakespeare’s birthday

William Shakespeare is one of the greatest writers ever. Although he lived some 400 years ago, his plays and poems are still read and performed all over the world.

He was born on 23rd April (or… thereabouts) 1564. He died when he was 52 … exactly … on 23rd April 1616. What a terrible 52nd birthday! (Actually, the exact birth date is not very certain, but it would have been shortly before his christening on 26th April).

Where did this amazing writer come from? How did he spent his childhood? What did he do when he was a young man? How much do we know about Shakespeare himself? The answer is: … not much!

We know he was born in Stratford upon Avon, a market town in the middle of England, in Henley Street (about two days from London by … horse!) This house is now the Birthplace Museum (and is furnished as it would have been in Shakespeare’s time)

We also know he was born into a wealthy middle-class family: his father, John, was a merchant who worked as a glove-maker 9but also traded in wool and timber), his mother, Mary came from a rich family and William probably worked with his father as a glove maker.

At the local grammar school (where middle class boys like William went) he studied maths, religion, literature and Latin.

At the age of 18 he married a woman called Anne Hathaway (8 years older than him!)They had three children, a daughter and twins (one of them, Hamnet, sadly, died at the age of 11). His wife stayed in Stratford looking after their children (she probably never saw his plays!). In his will Shakespeare left his wife his second-best bed (what happened to his first-best bed remains a mystery…)

In the 1580s, Shakespeare said goodbye to his family and set off to seek fortune in London. The sights and sounds of the bustling city had a big effect on his writing. While he was in London he wrote 37 plays (and performed in some of them as an actor himself!) If Shakespeare had stuck to glove-making, poetry (he wrote sonnets, mostly about love, which were considered more respectable than plays!) and acting, we’d probably have never heard of him – the plays are the reason why we remember him today. He wrote 10 comedies (mostly with happy endings), 3 so-called ‘Problem Plays’ (mainly comedies with unhappy endings), 10 Histories (about real people from the history of England), 6 Romances (comedies that aren’t really that funny) and 10 Tragedies (plays with lots of violence and deaths).

London at the time was a great place for a playwright because it had many theatres, including the Globe. In those days people loved going to the theatre as much as people love watching football matches today (sometimes audiences got rowdy – shouting rude comments or throwing apples if they got bored-  and wanted to get involved in the action). But it was also a dangerous place plagued by religious conflict and the plague! The Lord Mayor and the Puritans saw theatres as a threat to law and religion and were always trying to close down the playhouses. Moreover, outbreaks of the terrible disease were so bad that the playhouses had to stay closed for over two years.

7 years after Shakespeare died (1623) his friends paid for a collection of his plays (36) to be published (known as the First Folio), without which great plays (such as Macbeth) would be lost forever. The ‘Authorship Question’ , whether Shakespeare (an uneducated glove-maker’s son) or somebody else produced such brilliant works arises partly because of the fact that no copies of the plays in Shakespeare’s handwriting have ever been found.

Today, Shakespeare’s plays still excite audiences of all nationalities. The plays have been put on in modern dress, as operas, musicals, ballets and films. But, apart from his plays his legacy lives on. In fact, many of his words and phrases have become part of our everyday lives. If you have ever tried to ’break the ice’ (strike up conversation with a stranger), gone on a ‘wild goose chase’ (a search for something that isn’t there), have a ‘heart of gold’ (being kind) or used words such as ‘hostile(an unfriendly person), ‘lonely’, ‘ode’ (a lyrical poem), and many others,  then you are using the words and phrases of the great playwright, the Bard, Shakespeare himself!

 

Visit my virtual museum for some more information on his life and works:

For a better look:

Shakespeare’s Museum

 

For younger children:

2 minute Shakespeare stories with comprehension activities

 

For interesting facts visit this site:

Shakespeare’s Birthplace trust

Watch a celebration of William Shakespeare with my favourite theatre group Dave’n’Luke (David Gibson & Luke Prodromou, along with David Crystal – Penelope Prodromou – Judy Boyle – Nick Michelioudakis, sponsored by the British Council & Global ELT)

 

April Fool’s Day

April Fools’ Day (aka All Fools Day) is celebrated on April 1st every year in many countries. On April Fool’s Day people play tricks (or pranks or hoaxes or practical jokes) on others, often yelling ‘April Fool!’ to the person who falls for the joke!

The origins of the celebration go back a long way in the past. Ancient Romans and Celts celebrated a festival of practical joking around the time of the March equinox (one of the two dates a year when the length of night and day are nearly equal). Some of the activities on the Hilaria (held in ancient Rome on March 25th , involving dressing up in disguises and mocking people) resemble those associated with April Fools’ Day. April 1st and foolishness was mentioned in the Canterbury Tales1 by Geoffrey Chaucer as early as the 14th century. Some historians believe that April Fool’s day dates back to the switch to the Gregorian calendar (in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII ordered a new calendar, hence the Gregorian, to replace the old Julian one): the start of the new year moved to January 1st but people continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1st, and were ridiculed for that by the rest.

How do people celebrate the day across the world?

In the UK (and other countries influenced by their traditions) April Fools’ Day is in fact only half a day: if you play a trick before 12 o’clock you can say ‘April Fool’. But if you do it after 12 o’clock you are the fool! In Scotland, though, April fool’s day (or Huntigowk Day – meaning ‘Hunt the gowk’ -gowk is another name for a cuckoo, and a symbol of a foolish person) actually lasts for two days! During the first day they prank each other and on April 2nd, Tailie Day, they place paper tails (or ‘kick me’ signs!) on other’s backs.

In France children stick a paper fish on the victim’s back and shout ‘Poisson d’Avril’ (‘April Fish’!) This tradition goes back to the old times, when people placed dead fish onto the back of their friends’ shirts! Today, real fish have been replaced with fish-shaped paper. Shops and bakeries also offer special fish-shaped sweets. Sticking a paper fish to someone else’s back is also practiced in Italy (‘Pesce d’Aprile’).

In Germany a usual prank (an ‘Aprilscherz’) is to send people on fool’s errands, looking for things that don’t exist: this is called ‘sending someone into April’.

In Poland no important work is done on this day because they know anything is possible. You have to be careful not to be tricked, because as they say: ‘Prima Aprilis, uważaj, bo się pomylisz!’ (‘April Fools’ Day, be careful — you can be wrong!’)

In Sweden when you trick someone you say: ‘April, April, din dumma sill, jag kan lura dig vart jag vill!’ (meaning: ‘April, April, you stupid herring, I can trick you wherever I want!’) This may be quite long, but the joke is not complete without it!

In Portugal April Fool’s Day is celebrated on the Sunday and Monday prior to Lent. The occasion calls for throwing flour on someone, and most people go for the face!

In Brazil April Fool’s Day is called ‘Dia das mentiras’ (The day of lies) or Dia dos bobos’ (The day of fools).

In India, apart from the usual pranks, they celebrate the beginning of the spring with the Holi festival and people throw coloured powder or water on their ‘victims’.

In Greece the tradition holds that if you prank someone, your year will be filled with good luck and you will have a year full of good crops!

In recent years newspapers, radio, TV stations, big companies and websites have been trying to fool their audiences / clients on April 1st by reporting fictional claims. You’ll likely hear fake news while friends, family or co-workers will do their best to play a trick on you. No one is safe!

Have a look at this interactive presentation:

For a better look:

April Fool’s Day around the World

Is there a special day for jokes and tricks in your country? Do you like playing tricks on people? Have you ever been tricked?

 

Have a look at this video. What is the prank Tia plays on Tofu? What is the prankTofu plays on Tia?

Colour the Court jester. The court jester or fool, was a servant of a nobleman or a king during the medieval (5th-15th century) and Renaissance (15th-17th century) times who wore brightly coloured clothes and eccentric hats and entertained him and his guests.

Do the exercises to see who the fool is after all!

Do you want to play some pranks on your friends? Get some ideas here.

1The Canterbury Tales is a book of stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer. It was written in the 14th century. It was one of the first books to be written in the English language (before that, stories were written in Latin or French!) The book is about a group of pilgrims travelling from London to Canterbury. As they travel along, each person tells a story to pass the time.

International Children’s Book Day

Since 1967, on 2 April (on or … around Hans Christian Andersen’s birthday !), International Children’s Book Day (ICBD) is celebrated to promote children’s books and to inspire a love of reading. Each year IBBY (The International Board on Books for Young People) decides upon a theme and invites a prominent author from the host country to write a message to the children of the world and a well-known illustrator to design a poster.

2004 was the year Greece was chosen: Angeliki Varella was appointed to write the message to the children of the world and Nicholas Andrikopoulos to design a poster of the year.

This year, the message was written by Cuban-American poet Margarita Engle and the poster illustrated by the Brazilian artist Roger Mello.

Here is the poem: (The poster of the day and the poster with the poem in other languages as well )

The music of words

When we read, our minds grow wings.

When we write, our fingers sing.

 

Words are drumbeats and flutes on the page,

soaring songbirds and trumpeting elephants,

rivers that flow, waterfalls tumbling,

butterflies that twirl

high in the sky!

 

Words invite us to dance—rhythms, rhymes, heartbeats,

hoofbeats, and wingbeats, old tales and new ones,

fantasies and true ones.

 

Whether you are cozy at home

or racing across borders toward a new land

and a strange language, stories and poems

belong to you.

 

When we share words, our voices

become the music of the future,

peace, joy and friendship,

a melody

of hope.

 

‘The Fantastic Flying books of Mr. Morris Lessmore’ (written and illustrated by William Joyce ) is a little gem, an ideal way to celebrate this day! A true masterpiece about the love of Mr. Lessmore for books. In a world of eBooks, and apps, the power of the traditional book is still holding strong. A synopsis from Kirkus Reviews:

The story, in a nutshell, concerns the titular book-loving Mr. Morris Lessmore, whose personal library is blown away in a terrible wind but who finds meaning caring for the books in a marvellous library. Filled with both literary (Shakespeare, Humpty-Dumpty) and film references (The Wizard of Oz, The Red Balloon and Buster Keaton), the picture book version of Joyce’s story has a quiet contemplative charm that demonstrates the continuing allure of the printed page. Paradoxically, the animated books of the film and app are captured as though in a series of frozen frames. The motif of the bound, printed book is everywhere. Even the furnishings and architectural details of the old-fashioned library in which the books “nest” like flying birds recall the codex. The unifying metaphor of life as story is a powerful one, as is the theme of the transformative power of books. The emphasis on connecting readers and books and the care of books pays homage to librarianship. Rich in allusions (“Less is More”) and brilliant in depicting the passage of time (images conflate times of day, seasons and years), Joyce’s work will inspire contemplation of the power of the book in its many forms.

 

William Joyce holding an Oscar for his short film “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” during a parade in his honour in downtown Shreveport, Louisiana.

Ironically, this book in praise of books, first appeared as a much-praised iPad app and Academy Award-winning animated short film !!! The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is a 2011 animated short film directed by William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg, and produced by Moonbot Studios in Shreveport, Louisiana. The film has received 14 awards (including the Audience Award at the Austin Film Festival, “Best Animated Short” at the Cinequest Film Festival and the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.)

 

 

 

Buster Keaton, an American silent film actor, comedian and stunt performer was the model for the character of Morris Lessmore. The film drew inspiration from the storm scene in Keaton’s film ‘Steamboat Bill, Jr.’ and the tornado from ‘The Wizard of Oz’. Also an inspiration was the real-life Hurricane Katrina which devastated New Orleans in 2005. Like The Wizard of Oz, the film utilizes the contrast of colour and black-and-white as a narrative device. In this case, the black-and-white represents the sadness and despair brought about by the storm.

Here is the short film:

 

And here is a worksheet I made about both the book and the film:



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For more food for thought (and laughs!) about books watch these short videos:

 

 

And…my favourite ad (Paper VS ipad or tablet): Emma!

And here’s a worksheet for the adverisement ‘Emma’:



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   You can always visit my eclass library to find information about the day in Greek (and many other interesting ebooks both in Greek and English!)