Celebraciónes y Otros
Eventos
¡Leamos!
There are many celebrations and events in the Mexican schools. All students
interviewed mentioned fiestas (parties), bailes or danzas, kermesses
(fundraisers), and una ceremonia de graduación for each level
of school. There is also a weekly ceremony, honores a la bandera, to
honor the flag and remember heroes.
Let's read what Orlando, 17 years old, of the Instituto Tecnológica de
Puebla had to say about fiestas.
|
"Algunas veces
organizan fiestas por varios motivos, como: navidad, año nuevo,
15 de septiembre, etc." |
It's important to note the difference between the baile and the danza. More modern dances are referred to as bailes and more traditional dances are referred to as danzas. Both types of dances can occur at special ceremonias or most any event. For more informal events, some students prefer traditional and others prefer modern, especially disco and rap.
link to Elena's site
The purpose of kermesses is to raise money for the school. Some escuelas
hold kermesses every year, and others less often so as not to be a burden
to the parents. The kermesses are family eventos with food, bailes,
and other entertainment.
As
in the U.S., la ceremonia de graduación in México is very
important to students and parents alike. In fact, there are many similarities
and few differences. The ceremonia usually begins in a formal
manner with speeches, then the delivery of calificaciones, diplomas,
and certificados. One big difference is that there are many escuelas
católicas. Students of these schools and their families asisten
misa before the ceremonia de graduación. Students of escuelas
públicas also attend mass before the ceremony. The parents organize
the misa. After the ceremonia, there are many fiestas privadas.
At the secundaria nivel, families usually attend these fiestas
with the students. Some fiestas are held in homes, and others are held
in salones varios around the city. Some are even held in discotecas.
No matter where they are held, all seem to involve música, bailes,
good food, and good times.
¿Recuerdas?
When telling time, follow this order.
| a. Es or Son | Es | Son |
| b. la or las | la | las |
| c. the hour | una | cinco |
| d. y or menos | y | menos |
| e. the minutes | veinte. | diez. |
The equivalent of at + time
is a + las = time.
A la una. At one
o'clock.
A las tres y media. At three-thirty.
¡Escribamos!
Imagine that you are graduating from Preparatoria. Design a graduation announcement that you will send to your friends and family. Then, write a letter of invitation to a friend. Be sure to give the times of all the events and explain in detail the activities that your friend will attend. Use eight or more new vocabulary words in your letter.
