¡Martes Social! Celebrates el Día de la Candelaria!

Think the holiday season is over? Think again! 4th and 5th graders in the IS Spanish Enrichment Club ¡Martes Social! took a deeper look at the Hispanic celebration el Día de la Candelaria (The Day of the Candles). During a shared breakfast of pan dulce (sweet bread) and jugos de banana-fresa, mango, melocotón y piña (banana-strawberry, mango, peach and pineapple juices), students reviewed what they know about this Hispanic celebration, watched a brief video explaining its origins and traditions and compared the holiday with other celebrations.

Students were intrigued to know that Hispanic holiday traditions start on December 24 and continue all the way until February 2! The Hispanic holiday season not only includes Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but also the Three Kings Day on January 6 and el Día de la Candelaria (The Day of the Candles or Candlemas) on February 2. As one student commented, “That’s really a lot of celebrating!”

Finally, students had the opportunity to participate in an el Día de la Candelaria celebration of their own. We enjoyed talking about the symbolism of candles representing light, hope and the spring season to come, as well as how tamales—the main celebratory food for the February 2 celebration, made of cornmeal, vegetables and meats, all steamed in cornhusks—are a direct combination of European and pre-Colombian traditions. We then ate tamales to taste the cultural combination for ourselves!

Students will continue to explore fascinating aspects of the Hispanic culture around us, so mark your calendar for this year’s remaining ¡Martes Social! meetings on Tuesday, March 6, Tuesday, April 24 and Tuesday, May 15. If you have an Intermediate School student who would like to join us, please RSVP on the Parker Portal to join the fun!
Back
Francis W. Parker School educates students to think and act with empathy, courage and clarity as responsible citizens and leaders in a diverse democratic society and global community.