Flying Kites for Family & Guatemala’s Dead

by Adrienne Wilson on

Every November 1 better known as All Saint’s Day in Guatemala, the people of Santiago Sacatepequez gather in crowds with enormous homemade kites to celebrate both family and those who have come and gone. From the cemetery residents will set their kites to soar in the skies as a tourist or two sits watching in awe on top of the graves. In this warm travel piece found in the Miami Herald, Kevin Revolinski describes el Dia de Todos los Santos, a holiday with traditions more than 100 years old. While I’ve never placed Guatemala in any of my future travel plans I can’t deny the whimsical sound of celebrating both life and death sounds worth checking out.

Flying kites for any reason is something I’ve always taken fancy to yet never really have the time to embrace on my own. So that I don’t get too carried away or sidetracked here, this one is worth the read if you’re heading down to Central America soon and if you happen to make it to this event, please report back with a word or two of your own.

via MiamiHerald

Last Minute Labor Day Ideas

by Adrienne Wilson on

Say bye-bye to bargains and get ready to dig down in your pockets if you’re planning a last minute getaway for Labor Day. Shouldn’t have waited so late, but hey some one out there is looking out for procrastinators and it just happens to be the NY Times. Go figure. They make it no secret that the deals will be few, but the determined can still find a cool not-so-pricey destination to spend the weekend. Their suggestions hit areas such as accommodation, amusement parks, Canada, and hurricane holidays. In other words, there is something there for everyone and no reason anyone should be inside the house glued to the tube. Unless, of course that’s your idea of a grand Labor Day weekend.

Start searching for the deals now and get out there and do something fun!

Word for the Travel Wise (05/14/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Word around town is it’s Mother’s Day and since we here at Gadling love mom’s worldwide I figured I’d provide you with a number of ways to wish your own mum the happiest of days. The New York Public Library online has a list of greetings and expressions for several holidays so use it today and then prepare for Father’s day just around the corner. Here’s a just few from their list:

  • Catalan – Feliç Dia de la Mare
  • Dutch – Gelukkig Moederdag
  • Hebrew – Yom ha’em sameah
  • Italian – Buona festa della Mamma
  • Japanese – Haha nohi omedeto
  • Norwegian – Mors dag
  • Russian –  S dnëm Materi

And again, Happy Mummies day to all the mummies of the world!!!!

Word for the Travel Wise (04/16/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

With today being a holiday many of you probably spent your afternoon and evening around the dinner table laughing and sharing stories with close family members and friends. Perhaps you were in church all day long with your community celebrating the resurrection of Christ or hunting for colorful Easter eggs planted by an imaginary Easter Bunny with the children. (You know – the kind of heartfelt moments Kodak and Hallmark pride themselves in knowing how to capture best.) If Easter happens to be a holiday you don’t particularly celebrate then maybe you spent your afternoon lying lazily in a grassy park with a good book. I’ll even go as far as guessing that it was a Lonely Planet guide to Greece for your upcoming summer travels. Either way today’s word should come in handy for anyone with an appetite for learning, maghiritsa (a tripe and herbs soup) or potential travelers to Greece.

Today’s word is a Greek word from Greece:

Pascha – Easter

According to the Ministry of Tourism in their little summary on how the Easter is celebrated, the word “Pascha” stems from the Jewish “Pasah” which means “Passover.” The corresponding Greek word for “Pascha” is “Lambri” (Brightness) because the day of the resurrection of Christ is a day full of joy and exhilaration. To sum it up, Easter is a pretty big deal in Greece.

Online sources for learning Greek for free include BBC Languages and AGNI. The courses at BBC Languages are incredible. Probably one of the best you’ll find online and audio can even be found for today’s word by clicking here. Amerispan offers Greek immersion and language courses in Athens. Pretty pricey, but hey it’s Greece!

Past Greek words: toh karavee