SHARING CULTURAL TRADITIONS

SHARING CULTURAL TRADITIONSThe holiday season is a time for sharing with others. The Spanish students of Ms. Camille Teichmans Spanish 1,2,and 3 classes planned a visit to the BOCES Carman Road School to share a Hispanic Holiday tradition with them.

Traditionally, January 6th is the day of gift giving for Hispanic children whether they live in Spain, Mexico, Latin America, or any other Hispanic country. The children believe that the Three Kings come on camel to bring them presents. On the evening of January 5th they fill their shoes or a box with hay and leave a bowl of water for the camels and they go to sleep awaiting the arrival of the Kings. The small gifts they receive are called aguinaldos.

The highlight of the holiday festivities is a party when the children break a pinata, a paper maiche object decorated and filled with goodies which is suspended for the children to take a hit at. When the piata is broken the children all run to retrieve the treats. Spanish students, Anna Weiss, Leandra McNair, and Nafessa Hall made and decorated beautiful piatas and adapted them to make them more accessible for the Carman Road students. They filled them with surprises which the students could enjoy.

This was a fun-filled learning experience for all.