Multicultural Club Christmas Newsletter

Coláiste Bríde

December 2021

THE LANGUAGE CORNER

Every week our multicultural club meet to discuss all things language and culture.

This is a fantastic opportunity for all members of our school community to highlight their own cultural identity. This month our students had the opportunity to learn some Filipino, Igbo and Russian. Here, two of our 1st Year students describe their experiences learning a new language and also why they feel it is important to focus on multiculturalism in the school community. One of our 6th year students, who facilitated the language workshops as part of the Multicultural Club, also gives us her view on teaching new languages and her experience of this.

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The Language Corner

Coláiste Bríde

December 2021

Learning another language is important. It can help you in many ways. You learn about one of the most important elements of a country's culture. Going to the multicultural club can teach you a little bit of new languages and open your mind about other cultures around the world. The Multicultural Club is interesting, you learn some phrases and the simplest words in other languages as well as a bit of culture on the country. We learned a bit of Russian last time, we learned how to say "Hello"(Привет-Privet), "Bye"(Пока-Poca) and "My Name Is ___"(Меня зовутMenia Zovut)

Sophie Tapiz, 1st Year, Rang Maebh.

Teaching Russian in our Multicultural Club

I like learning new languages because I nd it cool how vocabulary works in other languages. It’s also very nice to learn new words if I go to an area I know how to introduce myself. I nd it fascinating to learn about cultures too and would love to try their food. There’s so much in the world to learn about but I feel that learning languages is the most important thing about countries.

You can make new friends and improve you language more. I liked the Russian class because I can talk some Russian and loved the reaction of everyone trying to talk Russian. I like the Multicultural Club because its in the morning and you could just come on in and have fun learning new languages.

Luka Kaminskaite, 1st Year, Rang Macha.

I really enjoyed teaching Filipino as I got the opportunity to share my knowledge about my country to the rst years and teach them the basics of the language.

Through my powerpoint I also got to show them di erent pictures of Philippines and the di erent islands, festivals and traditional clothes we have, and overall it was really exciting to teach people about my country and language as I have never done this before. It was a great opportunity to educate people about my culture and I felt proud speaking my own language.

Aoife Garcia, 6th Year, Rang Conn.

Make sure to follow us on Twitter @cbmulticultural

Feel free to visit our Multicultural Club on Thursday mornings at 8.15am in T9. Learn about language and culture.

Everyone is welcome.

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The Language Corner

Learning Igbo in our

Multicultural

Club

Coláiste Bríde

December 2021

A Focus on Culture Many of our Coláiste Bríde students are multilingual.

Laetitia Ajavon, one of our 5th year students, tell us about the Éwé language, one of the languages that she speaks at home. Éwé is a member of the Atlantic-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family spoken in southeast Ghana and Togo. Di erent sources trace the original homeland of Éwé to di erent locations: Oyo state in Nigeria, Tado and Notse in Togo, and Ketu, now a Yoruba town in Benin. According to Éwé legends, Ketu was the original homeland of the Gbe-speaking people.

The population of Togo is made up of about 30 ethnic groups, many of whom are immigrants from other parts of western Africa. The groups indigenous to Togo live in the north and southwest.

The Éwé who emigrated from Nigeria between the 14th and 16th century, form the major ethnic group. Groups who emigrated from present-day Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire since the 17th century include the Mina (Ga and Ané), the Ga-Dangme.

The o cial language is French in Togo, although it is not widely spoken outside of business and government.

Widely spoken indigenous languages belong to the Niger-Congo language family and includes Éwé in the south and Kabiye in the north.

Éwé is a language of wider communication in Ghana where it is spoken by 2.25 million people as a rst language and by another half-million people as a second language (Ethnologue).

MINA/ÉWÉ SIMPLE EVERYDAY PHRASES

Hello or Good morning: Bóju (like French Bonjour but without the r) How are you: O Fãõ or leko Fõ do My name is: Nkonye ye……

Welcome: Woézo Yes: e (ehhh) No: Awo Please: Medekuku

By Laetitia Ajavon, 5th Year, Rang Ronán.

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The Language Corner

The language is used in everyday activities, such as at markets and in areas of traditional culture and religion. It is taught in primary and secondary schools throughout the country. It is also used in print and electronic media.

Togo Éwé is spoken by 862,000 people as a language of wider communication in Togo (Ethnologue). It is the predominant language in the southern part of the country where it is taught in primary schools. It is used as a lingua franca by speakers of di erent languages in Central Togo. It is also used on the radio and television, as well as in newspapers.

Dialect

Éwé has three distinguishable dialects. Most of the di erences the dialects have to do with phonology. All dialects are mutually intelligible. The written language is based on Aŋlo spoken along the coast between the mouth of the Volta River and Lomé.

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Coláiste Bríde

Festival Celebrations

Diwali Diwali is a light celebration. It is one of the biggest and grandest festivals celebrated mainly in India. It’s a festival commemorated to mark joy, victory and harmony. It is one of the Hindus’ most cherished festivals. It is traditionally observed in the months of October and November. It is commemorated because it was on this day that Lord Rama, his wife Sita, and brother Laxman returned to their realm after destroying the monster Ravana after a 14-year exile. People begin cleaning their homes and adorning them with paper cuttings, fairy lights, candles, and garlands about a week before the event. On Diwali, everyone buys new clothes, exchanges sweets, and prepares meals for the destitute. People use clay lamps and candles to illuminate their homes in the evening.

Diwali is a festival dedicated to Lord Ganesh and Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth. In their homes, children light recrackers and sparklers. This festival is a huge hit with everyone. It provides everyone joy and happiness. Diwali is known as the “Festival of Lights” because the entire planet shines brightly on this day. As a result, the festival provides me joy, and it is my favourite!

Senthya Uddin - 5th Year, Rang Aisling.

The Language Corner

December 2021

Hanukkah

Hanukkah or Chanukah is the Jewish Festival of Lights. The festival begins on the 25th day of Kislev and is celebrated for eight days. In the western calendar Hanukkah is celebrated in November or December. The word Hanukkah means rededication and commemorates the Jews' struggle for religious freedom.

The festival reminds Jews of a time over 2,000 years ago, when the Jews won a battle against the Greeks to practice their religion freely.

The Greeks had banned all Jewish rituals. King Antiochus tried to make Jewish people bow down in front of a statue of him that had been put in the Jewish temple, and pray to Greek Gods, but they refused.

A small group of Jews called the Maccabees fought against this and, after a three-year war, they won. However, their Jewish temple had been destroyed.They cleaned and repaired the temple. Then, to celebrate the victory, an oil lamp was lit in it.There was only enough oil to burn the candle for one day, but miraculously it burned for eight days.This is why the Hanukkah festival lasts for eight days and why light is really important in the celebration.

Hanukkah is a great time for eating delicious food. Some dishes have special meaning, such as latkes (which are a kind of potato fritter), pancakes and doughnuts.This is because they are fried in oil and so, by preparing and eating this food, Jewish people remember the miracle of the oil lasting eight days in the temple.

I hope everyone has an amazing Hanukkah and enjoys their time with their families.

Nirzaara Nashir - TYD

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Coláiste Bríde

Christmas around the World

December 2021

With the school holidays approaching some of our students tell us how they spend the holiday

Polish Christmas

Polish Święta Bożego narodzenia są obchodzone 24 grudnia każdego roku. Tego dnia rano dzieci ubierają choinkę a rodzice przygotowują kolacje.

Kolacja składa się z 12 potraw, które symbolizują 12 apostołów. Głównie daniem są ryby ponieważ nie można spożywać mięsa przed narodzeniem Jezusa.

Wysuszone łuski rybne są dzielone między rodziną. Każdy z rodziny wkłada po jednej łusce do portfela z nadzieją na przypływ gotówki przez cały rok.

Jedno miejsce przy stole pozostawiamy puste dla zbłąkanego wędrowca. Tego dnia nie jemy nic prócz kolacji. Siadamy do kolacji, kiedy pierwsza gwiazda pojawi się na niebie co symbolizuje gwiazdę betlejemską która prowadziła trzech królów do miejsca narodzin Jezusa. Przed kolacją modlimy się i dzielimy opłatkiem. Po kolacji rozpakowujemy prezenty i śpiewamy kolędy.

Polish Christmas is celebrated on the 24th of December every year. On that morning children decorate the Christmas tree while adults prepare dinner. The dinner consists of 12 separate dishes.

The main courses are sh which symbolises the non eating of meat before Christs arrival.

The dried scales of sh are shared among the family. Each family member places a sh scale in their wallet or purse which hopefully brings money into their possession. A free place setting is left on the Christmas table. This tradition is a re ection on those who are not so well or homeless and may need a place to call and be fed. On that day no other food is consumed before the traditional dinner. We start dinner when the rst star appears in the sky. This symbolises the guidance for the Three Wise Men on their path to nd our Lord.

Before dinner prayers are said and every member of the family takes a piece of holy bread, sharing that amoung themselves and wishing best things to each other, for the year ahead. After dinner presents are exchanged and we sing Christmas carols.

Christmas as a Bengali person Bangla Ami ekta bangali, muslim meye ar muslim manush Christmas korena karon ita haram amar der jonno. Toh, ekta huzur amader somproday tikeh building bhara kore. Adamstowneh takeh, ar onek manush zai. Ita ekta islamic utshop kotai bangali manush islamic khota sone ar kup moja kabar kai. Suto bachara bhaire jai dhurd diteh ar khelte. Ami ar amar bhandobi khota bholi ar onek hash kori. Jokhon ami mah le jayna, ami Christmaser mejaje jai, ar candy cane (mint amar posondo), christmas cracker kineh ar christmaser ghan dhe. Christmaser shomai amar priyo.

As a Muslim, Bengali person we don’t celebrate Christmas. So, someone from our community on Christmas day books a hall somewhere in Adamstown and we have our own gathering there. It’s an Islamic event where many people from the Bangla community gather together to listen to Islamic talks and eat delicious food. The little kids go outside to run around and play, and my friends and I have a good time by hanging out. At times when I don’t go, I get into a Christmas mood and buy some candy canes (Mint is my favourite), some Christmas crackers and enjoy some Christmas music. The Christmas vibes are always amazing.

By Senthya Uddin, 5th Year, Rang Emer.

By Laura Jurasek - 3rd Year, Rang Lorcán.

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The Language Corner

Christmas around the World

December December 2021 2021

With the school holidays approaching some of our students tell us how they spend the holiday

How I celebrate my Christmas

My name is Peace, and my parents are from Nigeria. I am in 5th Year in Coláiste Bríde.

I'm going to tell you how I spend my Christmas Christmas is a big event and it's when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

So much happens during this season and it's such a fun time. Firstly, in church, we do a lot of fun activities. We do a nativity play on the birth of Jesus, and a carol service.

We have a Christmas party where we eat, dance, watch lms share gifts and many other fun things. Secondly, sometimes my family and I go to a family friends house and celebrate Christmas there. We eat a lot of good food like jollof rice, plantain, eba, fried rice, etc. Christmas is the time when we spend time with the people we love.

Christmas Greetings Wesołych Świąt - Polish Linksmų Kalėdų - Lithuanian Priecīgus Ziemassvētkus - Latvian Gwyliau hapus - Welsh ‫ کرسمس کی تعطیالت مبارک ہو‬- Urdu ‫ اجازه سعيده‬- Arabic Maligayang Pasko - Tagalog, Filipino Naimbag ng Paskua - Ilocano, Filipino Весела Коледа и честита нова година! Bulgarian Frohe Weihnachten- German Blunyã na wõ - Éwé Gëzuar Krishlindjet - Albanian Crăciun fericit - Romanian Shubo Bhorodin- Bangala Feliz Navidad- Spanish Joyeaux Noël - French Jai Noelle - Congolese Nollaig Shona duit - Irish Heri ya Krismasi na Mwaka mpya- Swahili Veselé Vánoce-Slovakian Cчастливого рождества- Russian 圣诞节快乐！- Chinese ბედნიერ შობას გისურვებთ - Georgian Chúc Giáng sinh vui vẻ - Vietnamese

Finally, during the Christmas season, we love to give back to the less fortunate as God gave Jesus Christ to us. We give vouchers to the community (to people who need then), and make shoeboxes. Hope you have an amazing Christmas and enjoy the holidays.

Happy holidays.

Peace Audu. 5th Year, Rang Aisling.

A shapa - Twi

메리 크리스마스 - Korean

Our Multicultural prefects would like to wish you all

a restful and peaceful holiday.

See you all in 2022

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The Language Corner

Coláiste Bríde