The 23rd April Children’s Festival

The 23rd April Children’s Festival a children’s festival which was gifted to Turkish children by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the Republic of Turkey, to mark the opening of the Assembly. The festival has been celebrated internationally since 1979. The Children’s Festival was first celebrated in Turkey on 23 April 1920, when the Turkish Grand National Assembly was opened. The Festival intends to contribute creation of a world where children can live peacefully by developing sentiments of fraternity, love and friendship.

The greatest aspiration of Atatürk, who saved his country from occupations and introduced reforms in all fields hence changing the viewpoint of the nation it was modernization, in other words, an industrialized country that the industry of the Republic which it was founded on was out of date and poorly equipped, Atatürk endeavored to achieve modernization through educational reform, and thus entrusted Turkey to the children and the youth. Atatürk knew that modernization could not be achieved in a rapid way; therefore, he presumed that the Turkish children educated at schools resting upon positive sciences could attain his goals. He believed his nation and lived for what he believed. This is the main philosophy of the 23rd April. As can be seen,the educated children and youth have made great contributions to the creation of modern Turkey. Present-day Turkey has evolved over the years and has attained a level of a modern state.

Polish students dancing SIRTAKI

Dear Greek friends,

Thanks a lot for your musical inspiration. We were happy to learn your sirtaki dance. Have a look!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYLKw_SOETc&feature=youtu.be

National exams, Poland

Last 3 days were the days of national exams in Poland. Students of the final year in gimnazjum took the following exams: at History and Social Science, Polish, Science subjects, Maths and a foreign language. Now we're waiting for the results!
If you want to have a look at the English test, go to:

http://www.cke.edu.pl/files/file/Arkusze-2013/GA-P1-132.pdf   (basic level)


http://www.cke.edu.pl/files/file/Arkusze-2013/GA-R1-132.pdf   (extended level)

,,Tutorial-Making paper greeting cards''

Our short film ,,Tutorial-Making paper greeting cards'' was published on ,,Didactic.ro youtube channel'' marked with the logo ,,Didactic.ro'' and logo ,,LessonsOnDemand.ro''. If you like what you see please give us a ,,like''. Thank you!

Spring Campaign!

Turkish Folk Dance

The Blogtrotters Cook Book

Are you ready for cooking?

Our common Cook Book is ready!!!

Easter celebration and customs in Greece

Written by Alexandra and Despoina

The week before the Sunday of Easter is called Holy Week by Orthodox Christians and it is celebrated with great solemnity.

Every afternoon of Holy Week the believers go to church and watch the Divine Liturgy.

On Holy Thursday is the representation of the crucifixion of Jesus.

Housewives dye eggs red (red is the colour of life as well as a representation of the blood of Christ). From ancient times, the egg has been a symbol of the renewal of life, and the message of the red eggs is victory over death. They also bake tsoureki the traditional sweat Easter bread.

Holy Friday is the holiest day of Holy Week. It is a day of mourning.  Traditionally, women and children take flowers to the church to decorate the Epitaphio (the symbolic bier of Christ). The decoration and the procession of Epitafios happens in the neighbourhoods of every parish.

This day even the less religious people go to church. Children meet their God parents to get their Easter gifts and their  “labatha”. “Labatha” is a  special candle made for Easter and usually it is  prettily decorated. Children light their labatha on Holy Saturday’s midnight.  

At midnight on Holy Saturday the sequence of Resurrection takes place.   On Holy Saturday, the Holy Flame is brought to Greece by military jet from the Holy sepulchre, and then it is carried to every church. All people hold a white candle and the children their labatha to light it with the Holy Flame.

Housewives cook the “mayiritsa” ('Mayiritsa' is a traditional soup, which is eaten on Holy Saturday after the resurrection and it contains intestines and livers of lamp, green onions, dill and mint.)

At midnight, after the hymn which declares the resurrection of Jesus Christ is sung at church, during the evening mass, church bells ring joyfully, people tap their eggs with one another and firecrackers and fireworks are set off.

In many places of Greece  after the resurrection, in the yard of the church , people burn the Juda’s effigy.

Easter Sunday: People gather together at houses or neighborhoods to celebrate the most important event of Orthodox Christians. This celebration is associated with the roasting of the lamb on a spit.

This year we celebrate Easter on 5^th of May as the Greek Orthodox church keeps on using the Julian calendar.

Make a collage

Annual school celebrations in Greece

The sacrament of “Baptism and Chrism” in Greece

Written by Anna Ts.

Paintings were made by Anna, too

Not only the parents but all the family get prepared with a lot of joy for the coming of the new-born child. When the baby is 40 days old, his/her mother takes it to church. This is held in remembrance of Candlemas when Virgin Mary presented the 40-day-old Jesus to the temple where priest Simeon received them.

Baptism is the day of name giving. The name of the child is usually the name of one of the child’s grandparents. He/She can also be given the name that the godmother/godfather likes.

Children are usually baptized till they become one year old at church, in the font. The godparent receives the baby at the entrance of the church. They keep the baby in their hug. The godparent with the child stand near the door and the priest reads some wishes. 

Afterwards, the godparent recites “the symbol of our faith”, as the baptized kid can’t say it by himself/herself, and they take the responsibility to help the child to be a good Christian. Soon afterwards, they all stand in the middle of the church, round the font. The priest lifts the child up three times, he immerses the baby into the holy water of the font. Then he places the baby in the godparent’s arms on a white sheet.

Every movement has its meaning. Baptism is a sacrament of our church. The priest blesses the water – that is, he says a few wishes forming the sign of the cross three times. He also blesses the oil. He anoints the naked baby with oil on the forehead, chest, hands and feet. Then he passes the oil to the godparent and he/she anoints the baby too. Then the priest anoints the baby with chrism. He seals – does the sign of cross –the forehead, chest, hands, feet with chrism.

Afterwards, he cuts some hair with a pair of scissors and he throws it into water to show that the baby abandons everything from his/her old self. An older child is holding a lit candle which symbolizes the joy and the light that a Christian gets with Baptism.

The godmother/godfather places a gold cross round the neck of her/his godchild. The priest, moving round the font, chants loudly: “You, who were baptized in the name of Christ, were dressed with His Grace”. The baby in his/her godparent’s arms follows the priest as well as the child who holds the candle.

It’s both a blessing and an honor to become a godmother/godfather.

A young lady, known to the family, pins small crosses on the guests’ lapel. In the end, the baby’s mother kisses the godparent’s hand and kneels down three times to have the newly baptized baby in her arms. The baptized child starts a new life. He/She is cleaned from the original sin.

Relatives and friends are offered sugared almonds in special wrapping and a sweet. The newly baptized will have his/her godmother/godfather as a second mother/father. She/He will be the child’s spiritual mother/father and a supporter.

An historical Italian character

The Majella, the mountain of Abruzzi,  hiding dozens of hermitages in which retired to meditate unknown men but also famous peple  as Pietro da Morrone

Pietro, pope from 5 July to 13 December 1294, named Celestino V,  was the last pope of the history, before Benedict XVI,  who renounced  the papacy to live in prayer and meditation with his monks.

... very often the road to get the hermitages is inaccessible but the breathtaking landscapes repay us for the effort

Follow us on our journey to discover the 'Celestine Hermitages in the mountain of  Majella'

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The hermitage of St. Bartholomeo was built by Pietro del Morrone on an existing building.

The staircase carved into the rock leads to a rocky balcony at the end of which is the church.

                  

From a small terrace you can admire a wonderful panorama where  merge the blue of the sky, the gray of the mountains and the green of the meadows and trees.

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The origin of the hermitage of Santo Spirito a  Majella  might lie in the centuries before to the year

one thousand and was rebuilt after a long period of neglect by Pietro da Morrone.

It  was the main hermitage  of the Celestine congregation until 1293.

                

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Matteo from the first class  F visited the Hermitage of Sant 'Onofrio.

 

When I  visited  the hermitage of Sant 'Onofrio on Morrone  I was impressed from the spirituality of the place. (Matteo)

It is located on the bare rock about 630 m in height and can be reached after a climb of about twenty minutes.

It was the last hermitage built by Celestine V and it was here when he was elected Pope in 1294.

Initially consisted only of a cave where Pietro da Morrone prayed and rested, then it was expanded to become what it is today.

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 And finally Giorgia visited The hermitage of San Giovanni, located 1227 meters high, near the town of Caramanico, it is the most inaccessible of the hermitages frequented by Celestine V.



He spent various periods of penance here almost continuously from 1284 to 1293.

From classroom first D and F

Easter Monday in Poland

In Poland Easter Monday is known as ŚMIGUS DYNGUS or Wet Monday. On this day boys pour water on girls. In the past they used even buckets of water, nowadays they use water guns or whatever available. In the past it was a shame for a girl if she wasn't wet as it meant she wouldn't get married that year. The custom has got pagan roots but at present people do it for fun. However, this year is quite unique. due to heavy snwofall, we rather saw palying with snow than pouring water.

Easter impressions from Poland

This year Easter came in a winter coat. It was quite surprising as in our region it was the heaviest snowfall this season;-) Anyway, we ejnoyed Easter and here are some photos we took during this time. Enjoy!

Holy Saturday in Poland

Holy Saturday is a day when peole go to church to pray but there is also another tratition very popular in our country. This day people come to church bringing baskets with food which is blessed by the priest. In a typical basket you will find such symbolic things like bread, eggs, ham, butter, salt and usually some sweets (e.g. a sweet bunny, a sweet lamb). After the Resurrection Mass people have a meal and share the food which was blessed.