Lower and Middle School Spanish students and teachers have embraced the holiday season to learn about different Hispanic Christmas traditions and participate in cross-division holiday activities.
Lower School students have been exploring and learning about different Hispanic Christmas traditions that take place in December in various countries. One of these traditions, called “Tío de Nadal,, » – takes place in Catalonia, Spain. The « Tío de Nadal » is a wooden log with a smiley face. In Spain, starting on December 8, children warm up the log by covering him with a blanket and feed him fruit and bread. On December 24, children then hit the log with a stick while singing and asking him for small presents. The history shows that “Tío de Nadal” originally was just a plain tree trunk that people would bring into their house to be burned to keep the house warm during the cold days in December. The log symbolizes the gifts of warmth and light that were given by the earth in the form of wood. After Beasley students took care of “Tío de Nadal” and fed him with apples, “Tío de Nadal” gave them pencils as presents.
Holiday cheer has also been spreading in our 4th and 8th grade Spanish classrooms. Fourth grade students were assigned a « secret friend » from the 8th grade advanced Spanish class. The students wrote letters back and forth, in Spanish of course, describing themselves, their likes and dislikes, and activities and foods they enjoy during the holiday season. The 4th and 8th grade students met last Thursday, and the secret was revealed as students met their secret friend in person. Students exchanged small presents, played holiday games and practiced their Spanish. Everyone enjoyed a great time!
