31st December 2017: New Year's Eve

As you all know, in Spain we eat twelve grapes at midnight. The actual countdown is primarily followed from the clock on top of  the Correos building in Puerta del Sol square, Madrid. It is traditional to eat twelve grapes, on on each chime of the clock. This tradition has its origins in 1909, when grape growers in Alicante thought of it as a way to cut down on the large production surplus they had had that year. Nowadays the tradition is followed by almost every Spaniard, and the twelve grapes have become synonimous with the New Year. After the clock has finished striking twelve, people greet each other and toast with sparkling wine (such as champagane or cider).

26th December: Boxing Day 2017

Today is Boxing Day. No, it has nothing to do with the sport of fighting with the fists. This is the reason for the name:

A box, usually of earthenware, in which contributions of money were collected at Christmas, by apprentices, etc.; the box being broken when full, and the contents shared.

So, the name Boxing Day derives from the tradition of giving seasonal gifts, on the day after Christmas, to less wealthy people and social inferiors, which was later extended to various workpeople such as labourers and servants.

What if Virgin Mary Had Whatsapp? 2017

THE DIGITAL STORY OF NATIVITY

How would the birth of Jesus be experienced through digital media such as Facebook, Twitter, Amazon...? Have a look at the video below:

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Christmas' Eve Dinner 2017

In Britain, turkey is the traditional dish for Christmas' Eve dinner. Enjoy it!

No copyright infringement intended. For educational purposes only.

Christmas Tube Map 2017

(Reblogged from The Telegraph)

This festive Tube map will make you wish the Underground was open on Christmas Day.

If you look closely at this beautiful map, you will see that a few festive changes have been made. We all love a good alternative Tube map. There's a geographically accurate one, one which shows average house prices at each stop, one which points out the most haunted tube stations and even one which shows you how to climb Everest. 

Now, there's a festive tube map, with excitingly-named stations. How do you feel about We Three Kings Cross St. Pancras? Regent's Park has been re-named Treegent's Park. Oxford Circus is now Boxing Day Circus. Our favourite is Victo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ria. And Angel has been left out - as it is already festive. They could have bunged a 'Gabriel' on the end.The map was created by a Twitter user named Paul, for us to enjoy during the festivities. He made it to use on his Christmas cards. It's impressive that one man managed to come up with all these different names. Sadly, we cannot use the map on Christmas Day - as the Underground is shut.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

7 O´Clock News / Silent Night 2017

Recorded on August 22nd, 1966, "7 O'Clock News/Silent Night" is the twelfth and final track on "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme", a 1966 album by Simon and Garfunkel. The track consists of an overdubbing of two contrasting recordings: a simple arrangement of the Christmas carol "Silent Night", and a simulated "7 O'Clock News" bulletin of the actual events of 3 August 1966.

8 Facts about Spain's 'El Gordo' Lottery 2018

The following article was published by PR Newswire on7th December 2010.

Christmas Carols & Songs 2017

A carol is a song of praise or joy, especially for Christmas. But it is also an old round dance often accompanied by singing.  The word was probably from Old French, derived from Latin choraula, which means "choral song".

Enjoy a selection of traditional Christmas carols and songs in English. Lyrics are included, so you can learn how to sing them!

Merry Christmas 2017

Labor English Zone wishes you the 

Season's Greetings

At Labor English Zone we know what present we want for Christmas!

Football Quiz

1 point is up for grabs at the next Test for Unit 4 for the ESO student who sends the first correct answer to our email:

What football team does the shirt in the photograph above belong to?

NB: This quiz is for our students, NOT FOR THEIR PARENTS. Answers must be in English, of course, in correct English.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Feast of the Immaculate 2018

The Immaculate Conception by Francisco Zurbarán

Two days ago in Spain we had a national holiday because we celebrated Constitution Day. Today we are out of school again and this time the reason is the Feast of the Immaculate. No matter what religion you are (or if you don't belong to any religion at all) it is useful to know the origin and reasons for our celebrations.

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception celebrates belief in the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is celebrated on 8th December. It is the patronal feast day of the United States and it is a national holiday in over 20 countries besides Spain. It is celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church as well as a few other closely related Christian churches.

The Immaculate Conception of Mary is, according to Catholic doctrine, the conception of the Virgin Mary without any stain ("macula" in Latin) of Original Sin. It is one of the four dogmas in Roman Catholic Mariology. Under this aspect Mary is sometimes called the Immaculata (the Immaculate One), particularly in artistic contexts.

The doctrine states that, from the first moment of her existence, Mary was preserved by God from the Original Sin and filled with sanctifying grace that would normally come with baptism after birth. Catholics believe Mary "was free from any personal or hereditary sin". Mary's immaculate conception should not be confused with the Incarnation of her son Jesus Christ; the conception of Jesus is celebrated as the Annunciation to Mary. Catholics do not believe that Mary, herself, was the product of a Virgin Birth. Catholic theology maintains that since Jesus became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, it was fitting that she be completely free of sin for expressing her fiat: 

"Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done to me according to your word"

The feast was translated to the Western Church in the eighth century, it began to be celebrated on December 8th. It spread from the Byzantine area of Southern Italy to Normandy during the period of Norman dominance over southern Italy. From there it spread into England, France, Germany, and eventually Rome.

In 1854, Pius IX made the infallible statement Ineffabilis Deus: "The most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the saviour of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin."

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Believe in the Impossible - Finland's 100th Anniversary

Since Finns dare to dream and believe the impossible, 100-year-old independent Finland has become a success story. Its story deserves to be heard. #congratsfinland #finland100

No copyright infrintgement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Labor English Zone 8th Anniversary

Labor English Zone started on 6th December 2009. Since then we have published 1000+ posts and have received over 66,000 visitors who have viewed more than 280,000 pages. Our busiest day was 11th May 2010, when our hits peaked at 122 visitors (we guess the following day there was a pbl deadline or some kind of exam!!). Posted on February 27th 2010, the song If you give a little love, you can get a little love of your own, with over 3,000 visitors, has been the most popular one during these 8 years.

We want to thank you all for being there and for your visits. We would like to encourage you to send us comments and messages with your ideas and suggestions for new posts. We are interested in hearing what interests you.

To celebrate we are 8 years old, we publish again our first post, "The Italian Man Who Went to Malta":

6th December 2009

Let's begin with some humour. Italian and Spanish are arguably the hardest accents to get rid of. Practise pronunciation drills and try to polish your accent in case you go to Malta too!!

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Logo Quiz

A “logo” or “logotype” is a mark or symbol to promote or advertise enterprises, organizations or individuals.

Below, you’ll find 18 logos belonging to different institutions, brands or groups. One extra point in Unit 3 exam is to be given to the first ESO student who provides the name of the brand or group related to each logo as well as its country of origin.

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No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.