Out with the old, in with the New Year!

THREE…TWO…ONE! Happy New Year! Felice Anno Nuovo! Bliadhna mhath ur! While New Year celebrations in many parts of the world consist of fireworks, ball dropping and bar hopping, some countries ring in the New Year with pretty interesting traditions that date back hundreds, even thousands of years. This week, Explorica takes a look at some Read More …

Winter Holiday Fundraising, Idea 3—Creative Holiday Cards

It’s a tradition that goes back some 200 years. But the actual history of sending season’s greetings began in ancient Chinese and Egyptian societies who wished to exchange good will in the New Year. At different times throughout history, these greetings were written on papyrus and even woodcuts. Cards did not become popular until the Read More …

Winter Holiday Fundraising, Idea 2—Not Your Average Bake Sale

Celebrate a world of beliefs by teaching through sweets. December holidays include Christian Christmas, Jewish Hanukkah, Hindu Pancha Ganapati (or Winter Solstice) and Buddhist Bodhi Day among the celebrations. Here are some ideas to spread good cheer and great lessons. 1. Assign your students a December holiday and have them do some research on the Read More …

International Dance, Part 3 of 3—Cancan

Discover the Cancan in the third part of this world dance series, which in its heyday elicited rather too much scandal in the Parisian district of Montmartre. They didn’t call this dance the Cancan (which translates as “scandal”) for nothing. Young ladies, (usually students) would shriek, provocatively throw their legs up high from beneath their Read More …

International Dance, Part 2—Tango

In the second part of this world dance series, let’s discover the romance of Tango. Though rumor has it that its humble beginnings in the lower class barrios of 19th century Buenos Aires were anything but romantic. In fact, some say that Tango got its rigid posture when ladies would dance in the crook of Read More …

International Dance, Part 1—Flamenco

International Dance Week Why wait until April 29th 2012 for World Dance Day? Put on your dancing shoes, let Explorica take the lead and one, two, three-step into this three-part series about some of the most culturally significant dances from around the world—Tango, Flamenco and the Cancan. International Dance, Part 1—Flamenco In this first of Read More …