Parade

Today, September 3, start the long awaited Fiestas of Valladolid, with an ample program of concerts, shows, contests, dances, food tastings and more, much more.

The official activities start at 19:00 in the Plaza Mayor with the presentation of the giants and at 20:30, the actress Marta Valverde will read the Proclamation of the Fiestas and the traditional fireworks that announce the beginning of the fiestas will be lit.

The Plaza Mayor will be the stage for the performances of popular artists, well known by the people of Valladolid, every night of the fair.

The open stalls of restaurants and bars will open tonight also, offering all kinds of pinchos and tapas at special prices.

The Bullring starts its program today with a staging of the opera Carmen. After  that, there will be bullfights every night.

There are more than 20 plays and shows programmed for the city theaters, from classical plays by Calderon de la Barca to the latest musicals.

This is a great time to visit the city that will be celebrating the fiestas until September 12.

Rayuela

Featured in the website streetplay.com, Carlos Velázquez, a teacher in Spain, states that he believes that physical education can be used as a vehicle to promote intercultural knowledge and values. For this reason, he has compiled a listing of traditional children’s games from around the world.

In the case of Spain,  Carlos conducted a series of interviews with people of all ages from various Spanish provinces. In the website, he offers 28 different games and their rules, played in different parts of Spain.  The explanations are clear and bring to life an interesting and broad mix of play.  Readers may find many similarities between many of these traditional Spanish games and children’s activities in their own countries. To view the listing and more games, use this link.

Today we had a very different activity in the Seminar’s program. During our visit to the Jorge Guillen Early Childhood and Elementary School, and thanks to the kindness of the Summer Program Coordinator, Martha Gutierrez, the participants in the Seminar, instead of observing the activities, led them, sharing a little bit of their country of origin with the children in the program.

Nallely Ruiz telling a traditional story.

For example, Nallely Gutierrez, from Veracruz, Mexico, told a traditional story, shared with the children phrases in various indigenous languages and taught them how to play the traditional Mexican lottery game.

Playing Mexican Lottery.

Lilia Gomez, from Queretaro, Mexico, taught different songs and games to the groups she visited. The “rabbit” game was very successful among all.

Lilia Gomez explaining a game.

Libertad Ruiz, from Queretaro, Mexico, shared games and songs with all the groups. The “chicken” song will surely be heard among the children for the weeks to come…

Libertad Ruiz leading the "chicken"

Josefina Arellano, also from Queretaro, Mexico, taught the children all the steps needed to dance the “Marcha de Zacatecas”.

Josefina Arellano leading the "Marcha de Zacatecas".

Thanks to the excellent coordination of Martha Gutierrez and her team, the activity was a great success. We are very thankful to them for their hospitality and enthusiasm.

Participants in the program with Martha Gutierrez and Guadalupe Vidal.

We then proceeded to the El Peral Early Childhood and Elementary School where there was a great surprise waiting for us. The Summer Program Coordinator, Nuria Pinacho, showed us the brand new facilities of the school that are truly outstanding. We were able to see the children enjoying their recess time and returning to their classrooms to carry on with their regular activities. And, at the end of the visit, one of the youngest groups sang for us the traditional birthday song of “Las Mananitas” that they had prepared especially for us. So, they had the first half of the song and the participants in the Seminar sang the second half and, then, altogether, we sang the complete song.

Participants with Nuria Pinacho.

This was a truly interesting and enriching visit and we are very thankful to the team of leaders and Nuria for their kindness.

In the afternoon, we visited Peñafiel, to see the castle, the Wine Museum, the Plaza del Coso, the church of San Pablo and the picturesque streets and plazas of that town.