Calendar of the Comenius Project "Friends around Europe"

COMENIUS PROJECT 2011-2013
FRIENDS AROUND EUROPE
MELLISTE ALGKOOL-LASTEAED, TARTU, ESTONIA
ÉCOLES MATERNELLE ET ÉLÉMENTAIRE DE PONT, ÉCHENOZ LA MÉLINE, FRANCE
SZIVÁRVÁNY ÓVODA, SZÉKESFEHÉRVÁR, HUNGARY
ISTITUTO COMPRENSIVO DI ATRI, ATRI, ITALY
SZKOŁA PODSTAWOWA nr 199 im. JULIANA TUWIMA, ŁÓDŹ, POLAND
ESCOLA PAЇSOS CATALANS LLEIDA, CATALONIA, SPAIN
LLANDOGO PRIMARY SCHOOL, WALES, UNITED KINGDOM

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30

1
International
Music Day
2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31
Castanyada

1st October - International Music Day
The teachers perform songs to children. They sing
the songs and play upon flute.
31st October - La castanyada
In Catalonia every autumn, we celebrate a traditional
holiday named “LA CASTANYADA”( = The chesnut
Day).
A long time ago, on 31st October night, families
gathered together by the fireplace and told dead
people stories, because the All Saints‟ Eve.
In this celebration we cook a kind of sweet little
cakes (PANELLETS) and toast chesnuts and sweet
potatoes.
In our school we participate in a Panellets workshop,
autumn crafts, and afternoon festival with dances and
songs. There are others schools that also cook
chesnuts.
This is our PANELLETS RECIPE.
Ingredients:
1 kg almond flour
1 kg (or 900gr) sugar.
200 gr boiled potatoe (with the skin).
2-3 lemon (grated).
Mix almond flour and sugar.
Add the potatoe peeled and a bit hot.
Mix again.
Add grated lemon to flavour and mix.
Make the little balls with your hands. Decorate them with a syrup cherry or almonds or coconut
or pine nuts or melted chocolate. Bake them in the over 10minutes, 180° C. Let cool.

1 2 3 4 5
Guy Fawkes
night
6
7 8 9 10
Martinmas
11
S.Martino
12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25
Saint
Catherine's
day
26 27
28
Advent
29
Andrzejki
30

5th November - Guy Fawkes Night
It is also known as Bonfire Night
and Firework Night. Its history
begins with the events of 5th
November 1605, when Guy Fawkes, a
member of the Gunpowder Plot, was
arrested while guarding explosives
the plotters had placed beneath the
House of Lords. Celebrating the
fact that King James I had survived
the attempt on his life, people lit bonfires around London, and months later the
introduction of the Observance of 5th
November of 5th
November Act enforced an annual public day of thanksgiving for the plot‟s
failure.
10th
November - St. Martin’s Day (Martinmas)
St. Martin‟s Day (Martinmas) is celebrated in Estonia on Nov. 10th. One of the most important and cherished days in Estonian
folk calendar. It celebrates the end of the field work and beginning of winter period. On Martinmas Eve, Nov. 9th, children
disguise themselves as men wearing dark clothing and masks and go from door to door in a similar way to Halloween trick-or-
treating, singing songs, telling jokes and distributing good wishes. In return, they are given small gifts such as nuts, candies,
apples, cookies and coins.
11 th
November S.Martin
In Italy 11th
November there is a seasonal event in honour of Saint Martin Bishop of Tours. In the evening, after dinner, families
have toasted or boiled chestnuts with some new wine so as so to see if it is ready to drink or not. This event signes also the
coming of the winter; infact according to an old legend the last warm sunbites are those we can enjoy during 3 days before or
after 11th
November. In some little villages in the Abruzzo region, in the evening people gather all together in the centre of the
village, usually a square, to cook chestnuts on a big and crackling fire singing and dancing old traditional songs accompanied by a
typical instrument called “organetto”. In our Infant school on 11th
November we had a typical “castagnata” (chestnut party). The
children brought some chestnuts from home and the bus driver helped the teachers to cook them on the fire, in the school
garden, while the children were singing some autumnal songs and they were saying some typical poems in Italian and in out dialect.
This is our Taralli di San Martino receipe: 1 glass of white wine; 1 glass of olive oil; 1 glass of sugar; a certain amount of flour so
as to have a soft mixture.
Mix the ingredients all together in a bowl, and when the mixture is ready make some strips, then give them the shapes of big
rings. Spread some sugar on and under the big rings. Cook them into the oven for 10 minutes at 180°. After that let them cool.

25th November - Saint Catherine's day
Saint Catherine's day in Vesoul is still a huge
traditional fair on 25th November which has
existed since 1295. At that time the
peasants used to come and sell one part of
their harvest and to buy the little pig they
would feed during the winter time. This fair,
which used to be an agriculture occasion at
first, is still popular nowadays with a huge
market and a lot of little pigs made of
gingerbread with chocolate and a
handwritten name on it. You can see some young ladies with incredible hand made blue and
yellow hats, 25 and single, who take part in a competition. It's also the recommended time to buy a tree because a french idiom said “On Saint
Catherine's day all trees grow well”.
28th
November – Advent
Emotional preparation for Christmas. The candle burns every week
from 1 to 4. This period creates warm atmosphere - we beautify the
kindergarten with children, and organize playhouse with parents this
is handicraft afternoon. After the 4th candle the children get toys
as present – this present is not personal this is for group, it will be
stay in kindergarten.
29th
November – Andrzejki
In autumn, on the eve of St. Andrew‟s Day (November 29th
), we
celebrate ANDRZEJKI (Andrews). In Poland we believe, that the night
before St Andrew‟s Day is the night of magic. Young women can learn
who their future husband is going to be, or, with a little help of magic,
they can bind a husband to them.
So, on the night of November 29th
, young women put pieces of paper
(on which they have written the name of the boys they like) under the
pillow and first thing in the morning, they take one out. The boy whose
name they take out on the morning of St.Andrew‟s Day, is going to be
their husband.
In the evening people throw parties, during which they:
pour hot wax from a candle through a key hole into cold water. The
shape of the resulting piece is going to be the girl‟s future husband‟s
job
eat special cakes, inside which they hide names of boys written on slips
of paper. The name of the boy a girl gets in a cake, is the name of her
future husband.
dance, play and have fun!
ANDRZEJKI is one of our favourite national celebrations!

1 2 3 4
5 6
Santa Claus
7 8
Faugni
9 10 11
12 13
Saint Llúcia
Fair
14 15 16 17 18
19
Advent
20 21
St. Thomas’
day
22 23 24
Wigilia
25
Christmas
26 27 28 29 30 31

6th
December - Santa Claus
Santa Claus puts present at the window. The present is a
pocket of chocolate. The children sing songs and say nursery
rhymes for him.
8th
December - The Faugni
The Faugni (from the Latin “ign is fauns” Faun‟s fire) has a Pagan origin . In ancient time farmers, before the
winter solstice, lit fires in honour of Faunuus, the protector of the earth, animals and agriculture. After, with the
advent of Christianity, the festival became Catholic, that is the fire meant to purify people from sins.
Today in Atri, on December 7th
in the evening the priest of the cathedral blesses the fire which will serve to lit
the faugni (long burning canes). At dawn on 8th
December, the burning canes will be carried along the streets of
Atri. The tour will end in the beautiful Piazza Duomo (The Dome Square), where the canes will form a huge
bonfire.
21st
December - St. Thomas’ Day
In the Estonian folk calendar St. Thomas‟ Day marks the beginning of Yuletide. Traditionally, on St. Thomas‟ Day
Estonians did a thorough pre-Christmas cleaning of their homes and also killed a pig for Christmas feast. Men started to
brew Christmas beer and women started to cook Christmas dishes.
Cleaning chores included cleaning hearths and making the whole house tidy. It was called driving Sooty Thomas out. On
that occasion in some places a doll was made from old clothes and filled with straw and rags. Then under the cover of
night it was carried into another household. If the appearance of Sooty Thomas was not noticed and it was not taken
away, then it meant that filth, untidiness and other bad things would befall the household.
13th
December - Saint Llúcia Fair
People start to prepare Christmas
and buy ornaments, trees,
mistletoe, holly, wreaths, nativity
figures and the “Tió” (a log).

Christmas in…
…Catalonia …Estonia
At Christmas, in Catalonia, the main events are:
the preparation of “El Pessebre” (The Nativity), “El
Tió” (The Log) and the preparation of the
Christmas meal.
In December all children in Estonia put their slippers
on the window sill. At night the little dwarfs put a
sweet in it. The Christmas tree is in every
household. On Christmas Eve people go to church ,
have a big Christmas meal (potatoes, meat, black
pudding, pickled cabbages, pumpkin salad). In some
places Santa Claus comes, to get the present
children have to read a poem or sing a song.
…France …Italy
On Christmas Eve, after "Le reveillon" which is
a very late supper, the children leave their
shoes by the fireplace or under the popular
Christmas tree to be filled with gifts from
“Père Noel”. Nearly every French home at
Christmastime displays a Nativity scene or
crèche which is often peopled with little clay
figures called santons or "little saints.
At Christmas, in Italy, the main traditions are:
the crib, the Chirstmas tree, the Christmas
Mass; after the Mass, families gather to eat the
Christmas meal.

…Hungary …Poland
We have PLAYHOUSE – children, parents and
teachers together make handmade things for
Christmas. The “Bird Christmas” it is special
activity for animal protection. The children
decorate pinewood with eatable ornaments.
We are waiting for upcoming Christmas with
songs, and nursery rhymes. The children get
presents for their class at 4th candle.
On the last day before Christmas break (22nd
December) Polish children come to school to
decorate a Christmas table together, then we
share a holy wafer while wishing each other
merry Christmas, get presents from Santa
Claus and have Christmas lunch together.
Finally we watch Nativity play prepared by our
Drama Group.
…Wales
Christmas for us is a very busy time of year. We celebrate in many different ways. Some events
have a Christian ethos and other events are traditional. The youngest children usually perform
the nativity in front of the rest of the school and parents. We have at least two Carol Services,
where the children sing in the local community. The school year ends with a whole school party
and a visit from „Father Christmas.‟

2 3 4 5 6
La Fête des
rois
Epiphany
Dia de Reis
7 1
9 10 11 12 13 14 8
WOŚP
16 17
St. Anthony’s
day
18 19 20 21 15
23 24 25 26 27 28 22
30
Peace
Day
31 29

6th
January - Epiphany, La fête des Rois
Epiphany (la fête des Rois) is the 6th of January, but in France it isn't a bank holiday
so we usually celebrated the first Sunday after
January 1st. In France people eat gâteau des Rois in
Provence (made of brioche) or the galette des Rois
(puff pastry with almond cream) in the northern
half of France . This is a kind of king cake, with a
charm, usually a porcelain figurine hidden inside.
This year, Epiphany falls on Friday, January 6, 2012.
At school, we made the special cakes called “
galettes des rois” for the king's celebration. Those cakes are round, flat and
golden brown. One of the children went under a table and I asked him” Whose part is it?”He gave each first-name of
the pupils. The child who gets the piece of cake with the charm becomes "king" for the day; he or she choose a king
or a queen. Everybody get a hand made krone with golden drawings.
6th
January - Epiphany,
In Italy, on January 6th,
we celebrate
Epiohany. Catholic Church remembers the
visit of the Magi to the Holy Child. On
Epiphany Eve (the night of January 5th)the
Befana, an old woman who looks like a witch,
delivers gifts to children throughout Italy in
a similar way to Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus
.
6th
January – Dia de Reis – The Wise Men Parade
All the towns and villages, the 3 Wise Men arrive on 5th January. Children give them the present list and they
get a lot of sweets during the Parade. The Mayor of the town gives them the key to open all house doors in order
to leave the presents that night. Children leave water for their camels and food for the Kings in the balconies.
Families open their presents that night or next morning and we celebrate The Epiphany, we eat a typical cake “el
tortell de Reis” with a hidden bean and a little king inside.
8th
January - WOŚP
In winter, on the first or second Sunday of January, Polish people celebrate
WIELKA ORKIESTRA ŚWIĄTECZNEJ POMOCY - WOŚP for short. The English
name of this celebration is The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity. it is a one-
day long, nationwide, money-raising event. Volunteers from all around Poland go out
on the streets and collect money in special cans which are labeled with a red heart
and text: Wielka Orkiestra
Świątecznej Pomocy Everyone who
gives the volunteers any money, gets
a red heart sticker in return. During this one day, huge parties are
thrown around the country (and at other places where Polish people live).
These are organized by volunteers. At 8 p.m. firework show is set in
every city as so called 'light to heaven'. Throughout twenty Grand
Finales, the Foundation collected over $160 million for cardio-surgery,
neonatology, pediatric oncology, kidney diseases, congenital defects,
newborns and children under 5 years of age. Wielka Orkiestra
Świątecznej Pomocy was founded in 1993 by Jurek Owsiak, who has been
its conductor ever since. Jurek is the most famous conductor in Poland. Every year, he plays for WOŚP wearing red
trousers, a yellow shirt and red glasses. Thanks to this great man and his wonderful ideas, Poland has become a great
power in treating ill children. Jurek says, that his orchestra is going to play till the end of the world and one day
longer! And we believe him.

17th
January - Sant’Antony’s day
January 17 Italians celebrate the Festa di
Sant‟ Antonio Abate, feast day of Saint
Anthony the abbot. This festival is celebrated
throughout Italy but is especially colourful in
southern and central Italy. The focus of Saint
Anthony's day is usually a huge bonfire,
probably because this saint is supposed to
protect against skin diseases like shingles,
called fuoco di Sant‟Antonio or fire of Saint Anthony in Italy. He's also patron
saint of domestic animals so there's usually a mass that includes pets and farm
animals. As with most Italian festivals, there may be music and processions, too. The typical pastries are
“Uccelletii” that is small birds, they are crisp pastry puffs with a soft filling of grape jam. Their name derives from
their shape which resembles a small bird. A sheet of puff pastry is rolled out to a thickness of about half a
centimetre, before being cut into squares and spoonful of jam is placed in the centre of each one, the pastry is then
folded over to make a triangle. The two opposite corners form the bird‟s head and tail, then the pastries are baked
at 160° C for about 20 minutes.
30th
January – The Peace Day
Every 30th January we celebrate the International
Peace and non Violence Day. At school we work on
the importance of living in peace and the way we can
build a better world. We remember Gandhi and his
message. Every year we have a different theme , this
year we are learning a song to help us think and share
ideas about peace (“Tenim veu”–We have a voice- by
Jordi Tonietti). We ask our parents to participate
and fill out a questionnaire. The question was about
What families can teach at home in order to build a
better and more just world. The answers were read during the celebration by parents and
children.Then we listened to Pau Casals‟ music piece and danced. We finished by releasing a white balloon. After the
celebration, our messages were attached to umbrellas and hung in the corridors.

1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14
St.
Valentine’s
day
15 16 17 18 19
20 21
Carnival
Shrove
Tuesday
22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29

14th
February - Saint Valentine‟s Day
Saint Valentine‟s Day - is an annual commemoration celebrating love and affection.
The day is named after one or more early
Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was
established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD. It is
traditionally a day on which lovers express their
love for each other by presenting flowers,
offering confectionery, and sending greeting
cards (known as "valentines"). The day first
became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the
High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.
21st
February – Carnival
Carnevale, also known as carnival or mardi gras, is celebrated in Italy and many places around the world 40 days
before Easter, a final party before Ash Wednesday and the restrictions of Lents. In Italy is a huge winter festival
celebrated with parades, masquerade balls, entertainment, music, and parties.
Children throw confetti at each other. Mischief and pranks are also common during
Carnevale, hence the saying “A Carnevale Ogni Scherzo Vale”, anything goes at
carnival.
Carnevale comes with an arrays of sweets to be
made just for the occasion. Each region has his own
recipe and name for it. The typical Abruzzi sweet
for Carnival is called Chiacchere,
Ingredients: 200 g (7oz) all-purpose flour plus
extra for dusting 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 50 g (1
3/4 oz) sugar 1 small glass of dry white wine Oil for frying Powdered .
21st
February - Carnival in Hungary
In Hungary Carnival as known is “Farsang”. Hungarians celebrate this festivals with food, special carnival doughnuts,
as well as with parties and costumes. Carnival season is bringing the fun time
for children with masks, rhymes and songs.
We decorate the classes with colourful and
fun festoons. The teachers organize very
playfully programs, and dance house with
traditional Hungarian folk music adaptation
for children. The children show their fancy
dresses to the classmates.
Shrove Tuesday (between February 3 and March 9).
Shrove Tuesday is a moving holiday. Since during Lent amusements and rich food
were forbidden, people used Shrove Tuesday as their last chance to have a proper
feast and to have some fun. The traditional Shrove Tuesday food in Estonia is pea
or bean soup and pig‟s feet and at more recent times,
buns with whipped cream. Estonian Shrove Tuesday
traditions include sledging and sliding down the hill.
In old times people went on sleigh-rides with horses
and rode down the hill on big sleighs. Nowadays
pretty much everything is used – plastic bags, all
kinds of sledges, slide boards. On this day everybody tries to go down the hill to get
the longest slide. In the 19th and 20th century it was supposed to provide you with
great growth and harvest of flax, nowadays it is just a saying

1
Dydd Gwyl
Dewi
2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19
Father’s
day
20 21
The Drowing
of Marzanna
Spring
green-branch
walk
22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30 31

1st March- Dydd Gwyl Dewi – [English -Saint David‟s Day]
It is the feast day of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales. The date of 1 March was chosen in remembrance of the death of
Saint David. Tradition holds that he died on that day in 589. The date was declared a
national day of celebration within Wales in the 18th century. Children in Wales take part
in school concerts or Eisteddfod, with recitation and singing being the main activities.
Many Welsh people wear one or both of the national emblems of Wales on their lapel to
celebrate St. David: the daffodil or the leek on this day. The association between leeks
and daffodils is strengthened by the fact that they have similar names in Welsh,
Cenhinen (leek) and Cenhinen
Pedr (daffodil, literally "Peter's
leek"). Younger girls sometimes
wear traditional Welsh costumes to
school. This costume consists of a
long woollen skirt, white blouse, woollen shawl and a Welsh hat
19th March - Father‟s day
In Italy Father‟s day is on 19th March, which is also St Joseph‟s, Jesus‟ father, the saint of the poor, the orphans, the carpenters
and the single women. At first it was a public holiday, today it doesn‟t happen anymore, but we continue to celebrate it with
greetings cards and gifts. In kindergarten and primary school children make gifts which
contain a letter with a poem for their dads, they also
learn some songs. In the morning of the festivity the
children say the poem to their dads and give them the
gift. In some regions, for example in Abruzzi, there is
a typical cake called “zeppola di San Giuseppe” (St
Joseph‟s donut), it is similar to a large cream puff
filled with cream pastry. It can be baked or fried with
a cherry on top of it. Families eat the donuts in the
midday lunch or dinner.
21st
March - The drowing of Marzanna.
In Poland, on 21st
March, children (usually at school) prepare an effigy of Marzanna.
Marzanna is the name of a Slavic goddess associated with death, winter and nightmares.
The figure is prepared from various rags and bits of clothing. When the effigy is ready,
children carry her to the riverside. Along the way she is dipped in every puddle and pond!
After reaching the riverside,
children throw Marzanna into
the water. This ritual
symbolizes the end of winter
and the welcoming of spring. Of
course, there are a lot of
superstitions connected with Marzanna, like for example:
You cannot touch Marzanna once she is in the water,
You cannot look back at her,
If you fall down on your way back home, you‟ll have bad luck!
And one more thing! If you don‟t have access to water, you can also burn Marzanna. If you don‟t burn or drown her, spring may not
come…
21st
March - Spring green-branch walk
The” green branch walking” is a parade, with singing and dancing, which was playing before
Easter, to welcome the Spring.
The children were marching, and singing, 2 children made a gate from green branch and
the others got through below this gate.

1
A fool day
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Easter
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16
Saint
Reparata
17 18 19 20 21 22
23
Saint
George’s
Day
24 25
The
Independence
Day
26 27 28 29
30

1st
April - A fool day
Let's fool people. On that special day, in a very serious
way, you can try to fool others in believing big or small
lies. Newspapers, radio are also playing the game. And for
the little ones, hanging a beautiful paper fish they made
in the back of their teachers, their parents, their friends
without them noticing it is great fun.
16th
April - Saint Reparata
In Atri, on “Monday in Albis”(the first Monday after the Monday of
Easter) people celebrate
Saint Reparata, the Saint
Patron who, in ancient times,
saved the town of Atri from
an earthquake. This feast is
very loved by children,
because, on this day, in the
centre of Atri, there is a
funfair with a lot of
attractions. In the morning a
mass is held to honour the
Saint. In the afternoon, a procession with the silver statue of Saint
Reparata starts from the cathedral and crosses the centre of Atri, it is accompanied by a musical band. Later, on
midnight, wonderful fireworks take place.
23st April - Diada de Sant Jordi (Saint George‟s Day)
St. George's Day ,April 23rd, has been celebrated since 1436. St. George is the
patron Saint of Catalonia. In Catalonia St. George's day coincides with the Fair of
the Book and the Rose. On this day every man offers a rose to his loved one (wife
or fiancée), and in return she gives him a book. The book is in memory of
Cervantes (author of "Don Quixote"). And the rose as a symbol of love and the
arrival of Spring. On 23rd
April, books are sold in the streets on stalls prepared
specially for this occasion. Many people take advantage of this day, even though
they may not normally be regular readers to buy and enjoy a book. It is one way
of encouraging people to read. This is also popular date to launch new novels onto
the market and many authors take advantage of the fact in order to
promote their latest book. The 23rd April is a date that has been linked
to literature and popular traditions. The legend that was born is
infamous: St. George fighting the wicked dragon that held the princess
captive. Finally St. George kills the dragon and on the spot where the
dragons blood was spilled a rose grew as a symbol of love and friendship.
It is a day for dancing our traditional dance called “La Sardana”. In our
school, during Saint George‟s week we celebrate our cultural week, with
activities related to reading, listening stories, talks to parents, Saint‟s
George legend plays, roses workshops… On Saint George‟s afternoon,
school is open for parents. Children give them a book made of themselves,
like a present, afterwards they can read nice books altogether, also they
can exchange personal books.
25th
April – Italy Indipendence Day
In Italy, on 25th April, people commemorate the liberation of the country
by allied troops in the Second World War. The holiday is meant to honour all
those who died during the war, in particular, we commemorate the memory
of the Italian partisans who have contributed significantly to the liberation
of our nation. Every year, In the town of Atri, the City Council organizes a
parade that usually starts from our Primary School, it crosses the center of
the city and gets to the Memorial Church where a mass is held to honor the
fallen of World War II and of the heroic partisans killed. At the end of the
Mass, the Mayor gives a speech, recalling the importance of freedom and
commemorating the citizens of Atri who fought for freedom in Italy.

Easter in …
…Wales
In school the children join in a variety of activities Easter
bonnet parade, egg rolling competition and a egg hunt. The
children also make Easter cards. Some children celebrate
Easter as a Christian celebration, but most children just
enjoy the occasion.
…Poland
For Polish people Easter is the most important public
holiday. Among typical Polish Easter traditions you can
find: WRITTEN EGGS, which we call PISANKI. We
decorate eggs with
Polish Easter
symbols, then on
Easter Saturday we
take them to church,
where the priest
blesses them, and we
eat them on Easter
Sunday wishing each
other happy Easter.
WET MONDAY (LANY PONIEDZIAŁEK). On this day we
sprinkle each other with water. It brings good luck
throughout the year.
…Italy
Like all holidays in Italy, Easter, Pasqua in Italian, has its
rituals and traditions. The Monday following Easter,
“Pasquetta” is also a holiday throughout Italy. While the
days before Easter in Italy include solemn processions
and masses, Easter is a joyous celebration. Solemn
religious processions are held in many towns on the Friday
or Saturday before Easter and sometimes on Easter
Sunday. At school we make Easter cards, we decorate
eggs and the windows of our classrooms. We prepare
little gifts for our families.
…Hungary
Easter in Szivárvány Kindergarten
The Easter is one of the favourite feast of children.
After a long winter we can wait for blooming spring, and
for pleasant weather. We follow the tradition of
colouring hard-boiled eggs and giving basket of candy.
The kindergarten teachers teach songs and nursary
rhymes for this celebrate in advance. So the children
are singing, drawing about bunny and Easter all week.
The elder pupils can paint eggs, or make the other
handicraft things. The children are waiting for the
Easter Bunny and they are finding eggs and chocolates
in the garden of our kindergarten.

…France
Easter in Echenoz la Méline preschool.
Usually, the day before the Easter
Week-end, the pupils took part in an
Easter egg hunt. They are looking for
small chocolate eggs in the
playground, they collected them in a
basket and then, they shared them
very equitably , one by one. They also
made some Easter kraft or Spring
decoration for their house.
…Estonia
In the Estonian folk calendar Easter is celebrated not only
as a great church holiday but also as a Spring holiday to
welcome the arrival of the lighter and warmer season.
Easter decorations: growing grass in pots on the windowsills
and using it as the table decoration for Easter dinner;
willow catkins in a vase; coloured eggs and chicks.
Traditionally eggs are dyed by boiling them wrapped in the
dry outer skin of onions. In every family there is “egg
knocking” competition: family members and friends are
invited to join a competition: each has an egg and whoever
breaks the shell of the competitor‟s egg without cracking
his, will be the winner.
…Catalonia
In Catalonia like in the rest of Spain celebrate “La Pasqua”
(Easter), but we have diferent vacation days. Children have
8 days holidays and the parents that work have 4 days. The
important days are Palm Sunday. Saint Friday, ,Easter
Sunday and Bank holiday (Dia de la Mona). With the passage
of time Easter traditions have changed, however, we still
continue to hold chanters, „romeries‟ [pilgrimages] and
„aplecs‟ [gatherings] which celebrate the return of the good
weather. The main religious Easter event of Catalonia is the
blessing of the palms on diumenge de rams (Palm Sunday).
Boys carry long wafting palmons, while girls have graceful
palmes woven into intricate designs. Once home, the palms
are hung on balconies to ward off evil. Nowadays this
tradition isn‟t been followed for the new generations. Also people doesn‟t go too much to the
different religious acts excepte the traditional processions
along the streets. One of the Easter traditions in Catalonia is
that on Easter Sunday the Godfather gives his Godchild "La
Mona" a special cake decorate it with , an Easter chocolate Egg
(symbol of life and fertility) or other chocolate figure and
feathers. In our school the week before Easter holidays, we
celebrate the spring day, doing different activities like
planting new flowers in our playground, games... From the
English classroom we learn Easter poems and decorate the
corridor with eggs, chicks , bunnies and flowers. In some
schools children learn how to do the Easter cake “La Mona”,

1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22
Saint Rita
23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30 31

22nd
May - Saint Rita
In Atri, Saint Rita‟s feast (19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd May) is very
loved by people, because this Saint, in ancient times, did a lot of
miracles, giving the health to people seriously ill. On 22nd May,
people usually go to the Holy Spirit‟s Church to honor the statue of
Saint Rita settled in a gold casket. In this church, a mass is held
to honor Saint Rita, moreover it takes place the ceremony of the
blessing of roses,
flowers dear to
Saint Rita. In the
evening a procession
with the statue of
the saint crosses
the center of Atri
accompanied by three musical bands. On this day
musical shows usually take place (with bands). Like
Saint Reparata‟s feast, this celebration is very
loved by children, because of the funfair hold in
the centre of the town and the midnight
fireworks.

1
Sport Day
2
Republic
Day
3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23
Kupala
Night
24
Saint
John’s Day
25 26 27 28 29 30

1st
June - Sports day
It is an event staged by schools which people take
part in competitive sporting activities, with the aim
of winning trophies or prizes.
Schools use a house system where all the children are
divided up into 3 or 4 teams. The competition is
inter-school, between houses. Games that are played
on school sports days can be wide and varied. There
are straight forward sprints and longer races for all
age groups as well as egg and spoon races. Three legged races are run
as well as sack races and parent and child races.
2nd June – Republic Day
2nd June is the Republic Day in Italy. It is a public
holiday to commemorate the 2nd June 1946, when
Italians chose, by referendum, they wanted to be a
republic rather than to remain a monarchy. A grand
military parade is held in central Rome, presided
over by the President of the Italian Republici, the
Prime Minister and other high officers of state
also attend. The protocol of official celebrations provides for the ceremonial laying of a wreath on
the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Vittoriano. The ceremony continues in the afternoon with the
opening of the gardens of the Quirinale Palace, seat of the President of the Republic and with musical
performances by the band ensembles of the Italian Army, Italian Navy, Italian Air Force, the "Arma dei
Carabinieri", State Police, the "Guardia di Finanza", the Penitentiary Police Corps and the State Forestry
Corps.
23rd June - Kupala night
In Poland, on the night of 23rd / 24th June people celebrate KUPALA NIGHT, known as NOC KUPAŁY,
NOC ŚWIĘTOJAŃSKA or SOBÓTKA. On this night, young men jump over the flames
of bonfires to prove that they are brave and faithful. Girls float wreaths of flowers
often lit with candles on rivers and men capture the wreaths, in the hope of
capturing the interest of the woman who floated them. There is an ancient Kupala
belief, that the eve of Ivan Kupala is the only
time of the year when ferns bloom. Prosperity,
luck, discernment and power would befall on
whoever finds a fern flower. Therefore, on that
night village folks would roam through the forests
in search of magical herbs and especially the
elusive fern flower. Traditionally, unmarried
women, signified by their garlands on their hair, would be the first to
enter the forests. They are followed by young men. Therefore,
consequent to the quest in finding herbs and the fern flower may be the blooming of relationships
between pairs of men and women within the forest.

24th June - Sant Joan (Saint John‟s Day)
Since pre-Roman times, the arrival of the summer solstice has
been a motive for celebration. We mark this astronomical
phenomenon by lighting magical bonfires that “give strength to the
sun” and to keep away the spirits that come out in the shortest night
of the year. We finish school the 22nd
of June ,so we celebrate this
festivity with our family and friends in the streets, squares and
homes. In Catalonia, the first day of summer (23rd June) it‟s
the Festival of Saint John. La “Revetlla de Sant Joan”, also known as
la” Nit del Foc I de les Bruixes” (Night of Fire and Witches) is a
popular and magical celebration that evokes ancient festivals that honored the sun. We celebrate parties
and participate in festivals around a bonfire to commemorate the arrival of summer. The festival fills the
night with light, colour and sound, thanks to fireworks and firecrackers that children and adults launch
into the sky. Traditionally, the celebrations begin with the lighting of the flame of Canigó, a holy mountain
peak in the Pyrenees. From there, the flame spreads down to bonfires, fire pits, and candles throughout
the Catalonian regions of Spain and France. There are Some customs during this event. For example,
as fire symbolizes purity, and since it is such a big part of the
celebrations, it is said that those who burn items in a Sant Joan
fire will be cleansed of all past sins, also the brave people jump
across the fire. The water of “Sant Joan” is said to be symbolic of
healing, and to hold remedial powers which can cure all ailments
and illnesses, (a lot of people dip in the Mediterranean sea late
night) The “Coca de Sant Joan”, is a traditional Catalan cake, it can
be found on every table on 23rd
June Eve, and June 24th
, the actual
day of Sant Joan. It is a sweet flat bread, topped with pine nuts , candied fruits or cream.
24th June - Jaanipäev (St. John's Day)
….is an Important National Cultural Holiday Aside from Christmas
Midsummer Eve and St John's Day are the most important days
in the Estonian calendar. The short summers with brief nights
hold special significance for the people of Estonia. Jaanipäev
follows the longest day (21 June) of the year, or the Summer
Equinox, when night seems to be non-existent.
St. John's Day marks a change in the farming year, specifically
the break between the completion
of spring sowing and the hard work
of summer hay-making. Some of the rituals of Jaanipäev have very strong
folkloric roots. The best-known Jaanik or midsummer, ritual is the lighting
of the bonfire and the jumping over it. This is seen as a way of guaranteeing
prosperity and avoiding bad luck. The fire also frightened away mischievous
spirits who avoided it at all costs, thus ensuring a good harvest.
Midsummer's eve is important for lovers. In Estonian fairy tales there is
the tale of two lovers, Koit (dawn) and Hämarik (dusk). These two lovers see
each other only once a year and exchange the briefest of kisses on the
shortest night of the year. Earth-bound lovers go into the forest looking
for the flower of the fern which is said to bloom only on that night. Also on
this night, single people can follow a detailed set of instructions to see whom they are going to marry.

1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14
National
Holiday
15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30 31

Le 14 Juillet: National Holiday
The national holiday of France takes place on July 14th.
It was established by the law in 1880, in reference to
double date, that of July 14th, 1789, date of the storming
of the Bastille, The royal jail in Paris , symbolic day of the
end of the Monarchy and that of July 14th, 1790, day of
national union during the Party of the Federation.
It is a holiday in France.
July 14th gives rise to a parade of the troops on Champs-
Elysées of Paris in front of a crowd very numerous and in
front of the president of the Republic. Military ceremonies
take place in most of the municipalities and in fireworks.
Balls or concerts are also organized on July 14th
.

1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15
Ferragosto
16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30 31

Ferragosto
Ferragosto is a typical Italian holiday celebrated on
August 15th. The term Ferragosto derives from the
Latin expression feriae Augusti (Augustus' rest)
indicating a festivity set up by the emperor
Augustus in 18 BC. The ancient Ferragosto had the
purpose of linking the main August festivities to
provide a suitable period of rest, also called
Augustali, necessary after the hard labour of the
previous weeks. During the Roman empire this
celebration was for Diana. The Catholic Church
celebrates this date to commemorate the
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the real physical elevation of Her sinless soul and
incorrupt body into Heaven.
Nowadays, Ferragosto is mainly a short holiday.
During Ferragosto Italian people have fun thanks to huge tables of “sharing food” they are able
to create on the beaches, in the mountains, on the boats with lasagne, grilled fish, mussels and,
naturally, a big slice of watermelon added to good company, wines, sun and relax, from moon until
midnight.
On Ferragosto afternoon, in Atri, people enjoy the
traditional parade of wagons, from the fourteenth-
century Dukes Acquaviva‟s Palace to the cathedral of
the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, in Romanesque-
Gothic style. The wagons are painted, pulled by oxen
and laden with singing groups and dancers in costume.
This parade is one of the most famous summer events
of Teramo province and one of the oldest
expressions of the Abruzzi folklore.
Last but not least, fireworks on Ferragosto night!
Amazing!
So think about for next summer …
...Ferragosto, 15th
August 2013 in Italy!
Buon Ferragosto!

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