Groundhog Day

Today in the States and Canada it is Groundhog Day. A groundhog, the animal you can see in the picture, is also known as a woodchuck, a marmot or a ground squirrel. Tradition states that if this animal should come out of its burrow (home) on this day and fail to see its own shadow due to clouds, winter is almost over. However if it does see its shadow it will return to its burrow and winter will last another 6 weeks. The most famous Groundhog Day celebrations take place in a Pennsylvania town called Punxsutawney.

Perhaps you have heard or even seen the Bill Murray film, Groundhog Day, where the main character is forced to relive the day over and over again until he learns an important lesson in life.

And perhaps in class, your teacher has tried to get you to say the following tongue-twister:

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck
If a woodchuck could chuck wood?
He would chuck, he would, as much as he could,
And chuck as much as a woodchuck would
If a woodchuck could chuck wood.

Halloween and Autumnal Haikus

The 31st of October is Halloween and children all over the US and the UK will be out getting dressed up as ghosts, vampires or skeletons and running around their neighbourhoods knocking on doors and shouting 'Trick or Treat'. If the neighbours have any sense they will fill the children's buckets with sweets (candy - AmE), or wake up to find that they homes have been covered in egg!

Although dressing up and going trick or treating is the traditional way to celebrate Halloween, we at the BLC Blogger have thought of a cleaner and less troublesome way to mark the occasion...

...Have you ever heard of a Haiku? A Haiku is a Japenese style of poem which usually consists of three lines which have a 5, 7, 5 syllable pattern. Haikus usually contain a reference to a season of the year or to the natural world and therefore Halloween and Autumn provide lots of scope for a haiku.

Can you write a Haiku for our blog? If you are feeling creative post an entry in the comments box! If you need some inspiration, or if you just fancy reading some autumnal haikus, check out this web page.

Grand Central Station

Imagine you're at work, and it's a crazy day: the phone is ringing off the hook (a lot!), people are coming and going, and it's generally a hive of activity. You might be inclined to sit back and exclaim, "It's like Grand Central Station in here!".

Grand Central is one of the main railway stations in New York City, and I can tell you from experience, it's a very busy place, with a constant hustle and bustle.

The British equivalent would be "It's like Piccadilly Circus!"

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Thanksgiving is a legal holiday in the U.S. It was first celebrated in early colonial times in New England, although its origins probably lie in traditional harvest festivals. After the first harvest was completed by the Plymouth colonists in 1621, Gov. William Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving and prayer, shared by all the colonists and neighboring Indians. In 1623 a day of fasting and prayer during a period of drought was changed to one of thanksgiving because the rain came during the prayers. In New England it gradually became a custom to celebrate thanksgiving after the harvest.

In 1817 New York State adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom, and by the middle of the 19th century many other states had done the same. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln appointed a day of thanksgiving, and it has been celebrated since then, generally on the fourth Thursday of November as a holiday.

Thanksgiving is also celebrated in Canada, but it falls on the second Monday in October.

Text adapted from history.com

Happy Fourth of July

The hot dog eating contest at Nathan's at Coney Island in New York City is a 4th of July tradition. Japan's Takeru Kobayashi had won the contest an amazing four times, and repeated his victory this year with 53 3/4 dogs in just 12 minutes! I don't know about you, but the idea of eating so many hotdogs makes me feel kind of ill.

Other New York 4th of July tradition is the Macy's fireworks display on the East River. The synchronized show with four barges setting off the same display at the same time, all timed to go with music on the radio, is absolutely amazing.

What's your favourite (AmEng favorite) Spanish holiday tradition?