multicultural club in Coláiste Bríde
OurMulticulturalprefectsViola,RachealandIevauseeveryopportunitytopromote cultureinourschoolcommunity.Here,Kimin1styear,tellsusaboutMulticulturalClubin ColáisteBríde.
Hi everyone, my name is Kim and I’m going to be talking about the multicultural club (since I’m a member of the multicultural club!).
During the school year we were learning about different cultures and languages. We’ve had a few language workshops (I taught one as well!)
Currently we have studied Lithuanian and Vietnamese and we’re going to learn some German from one of the first years. We have also had Cultural Traditional Dress day where people were allowed to wear their traditional dresses and clothes It was an absolute success if I do say so myself. I wore a traditional Viet dress called an “Aoi dai” Typically we would wear these for big events such as Vietnamese Lunar New Year and so on!
So, about my workshop; I was actually teaching some Vietnamese to the members of the club and I have to say, it was a much more different and unique language for the students to experience since there was plenty of never before seen rules and symbols, but we got through it! We learned greetings (Both formal and casual), said thanks and we learned some numbers too! I’m really impressed with some peoples’ accents and how they speak it, so good on them! That’s all I wanted to say about the Multicultural club, and if you’re interested in joining and learning about different cultures and languages, come to T9 at lunchtime on Wednesdays!
Kim Dinh, 1 Year, Rang Diarmaid st
A Focus on Culture
Sicily-Italy
NafisaisinTransitionYearinColáisteBríde.NafisagrewupinSicilyandhereshetells usmoreaboutthisbeautifulisland
A Focus on Culture
Festivals,CelebrationsandRituals
Feast of Saint Agatha (Catania, early February)
One of the most important religious festivals It commemorates Saint Agatha, the patron saint of the city of Catania. The celebrations include processions pulling a heavy silver “vara” (carriage) carrying her relics, local devotions, and street food.
Carnivals (e.g., Carnival of Acireale and Carnival of Sciacca)
These lively carnivals feature giant papier‐mâché floats, music, costumes, and parades. Acireale’s carnival is among the oldest and most visually stunning
Infiorata di Noto (late May, Noto)
In the town of Noto, streets are transformed into floral carpets where artists create elaborate designs from flower petals a blend of religious tradition, community art, and spring celebration.
Holy Week & Local Religious Rituals
Throughout Sicily, the week leading up to Easter is marked by processions, symbols of faith, decorated streets, and communal ceremonies e g , in Caltanissetta.
Seasonal Food & “Sagre” (local festivals of food)
Many smaller towns host sagre celebrating a crop or dish (almonds, pistachios, mushrooms, wine) with music, food stalls and traditions
Why These Festivals Matter
These festivals are more than tourist attractions: they sustain communal identity, connect generations, preserve folk art, crafts and rituals, and tie the rhythms of nature, faith, and harvest together
By Nafisa Mozumder, TYC.
A Focus on Culture
Lowena, one of our 1st year students from Germany, tells us about the history of the German language.
History of the German Language
The German language has a rich and complex history spanning over 1,200 years It evolved from the West Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family, alongside English and Dutch. The earliest stage, Old High German (c 500–1050 AD), was spoken in southern Germany and is known through religious texts like the Hildebrandslied. This was followed by Middle High German (1050–1350), during which courtly literature flourished, exemplified by works like the Nibelungenlied
In the Early New High German period (1350–1650), dialects began to stabilize, influenced by the invention of the printing press and Martin Luther’s 1522 Bible translation, which helped standardize the language Modern Standard German developed in the 18th and 19th centuries, influenced by writers like Goethe and Schiller. Today, German is spoken by over 90 million people, primarily in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and it remains a key language in European culture, science, and philosophy.
Lowena Inegbeze, 1 Year, Rang Niamh st Greetings
· Hallo-Hello
· Guten Tag-good day
· Tschüss-bye
· Freut Mich-nice to meet you(informal)
· Freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen-Nice to meet you (formal)
Introductions
· Meine Namen ist- My Name is
· Ich heiße- I am called...
· Wie heißt du?-what are you called Wie geht’s /wie geht es dir-how are you
Festival Celebrations
Hilary, a 6th year student, tells us about All Saints Day in Bolivia, where she grew up.
dearly departed with offerings, prayers and music If the deceased passed away during that same year, a t prepared. A very popular custom is to "make prayer", whic someone (yatiri, musician or a professional to pray) to dedicate a song to the deceased. A lot of business is done around the cemetery, with people (cleaning the mausoleums, praying, playing, singing, etc (flowers, tantawawas, etc )
By Hilary Reynaga, 6th Year, Rang Maebh
Multicultural Celebrations
This year we celebrated Think Languages Day with a Cultural Dress Day, and Ms Moloney’s TY class took part in a language celebration. Also, as part of Presentation Day, we celebrated with a flag parade
On 18 November 2025, students in Coláiste Bríde took part in Think Languages week. This was a great opportunity to celebrate the great diversity of languages and cultures in the school community Under the guidance of Ms Moloney, Transition Years took part in a number of Think Languages workshops. These included a display of dance by learning some ballet, and an introduction to the Russian language
As part of this special day, all year groups were involved in a fantastic display of cultural dress from many different countries around the world This was organised by the Multicultural prefects. Thanks to everyone who was involved and a special thanks to Ms Moloney for facilitating the Multicultural Club
“Presentation day 2025 included lots of moments which helped the school celebrate cultural diversity. The multicultural prefects got a moment to speak to the whole school and guests about our activities, how to get involved as well as of the importance of multiculturalism in society. We organised a culture parade during this segment, where students from all around the world were invited to display their cultural attire, and represent the support which students have for one another by carrying each other's flags"
By Ieva Simutyte, 6 Year, Rang Ferdia th
How I spend the Holidays
What I do at Christmas as a Muslim
Christmas has always been a quiet day for me. I don’t celebrate it because I’m Muslim, but I still enjoy the atmosphere. I just spend the day at home with my family I wake up without rushing and enjoy having no school or plans. The house is calm, and I like the slow start to the morning. Around the afternoon, I scroll through my phone and watch my friends’ Christmas hauls It’s very fun to see what they got and how happy they are. Even though I don’t join in, I don’t feel bad about it or left out. I love feeling happy for them, as most of the time they have told me already what they’ve been hoping for. I have different traditions, and that’s fine with me.
Most of the day, I relax in my room, or watch shows Sometimes I help out around the house, or we cook a meal for dinner. Later, my family and I come together to pray, this is a basic thing all Muslims must do. In the evening, we eat dinner and relax until its bedtime There’s no big event, but I like the calm, winter atmosphere (my favourite season), and the time we spend as a family For me, Christmas is just a simple day to rest, reflect, and enjoy the quiet.
By Fareedah Sulaimon, 5th Year, Rang Fionnula