Celebrations and Festivals

  1. Vocabulary Expansion: Start by learning and expanding your vocabulary about celebrations and festivals. Important words to know include ‘fiesta’ (party), ‘celebración’ (celebration), ‘festival’ (festival), ‘desfile’ (parade), ‘fuegos artificiales’ (fireworks) and ‘costumbres’ (traditions).

  2. Understand Different Celebrations: Famely explore different Spanish-speaking cultures and their unique celebrations such as ‘las Fallas’ in Valencia, ‘la Tomatina’ in Buñol, ‘la Feria de Sevilla’, ‘el Carnaval de Barranquilla’ in Colombia, and ‘el Día de los Muertos’ in Mexico.

  3. Familiarise with Key Phrases: Get conversant with common phrases and sentences that you might need. For example, ‘¿Cómo se celebra…?’ (How is…. celebrated?), ‘Normalmente, mi familia y yo celebramos con…’ (Normally, my family and I celebrate by…), ‘Mi fiesta favorita es…. porque…’ (My favourite festival is…. because…)

  4. Describe Traditions: Practice how to explain what happens during these festivals. For instance, ‘Durante las Fallas, la gente construye figuras enormes y desfilan por las calles’ (During las Fallas, people build huge figures and parade them through the streets).

  5. Giving Opinions: Be ready to express your thoughts about various festivals and celebrations. Useful structures could be ‘En mi opinión, creo que…’ (In my opinion, I think that….), ‘Me parece que….es muy emocionante/ interesante/ divertido’ (I think that….is very exciting/ interesting/ fun).

  6. Comparing Celebrations: Practice comparing Spanish festivals with those in your own country by using comparison phrases such as ‘al igual que’ (just like), ‘a diferencia de’ (unlike), and ‘sin embargo’ (however).

  7. Past Experiences: Learn how to talk about a festival or celebration you have attended in the past using past tenses. Example: ‘El año pasado, fui a…’ (Last year, I went to…).

  8. Future Plans: Besides the past, you should also be able to discuss future plans related to celebrations. Useful phrases include ‘Me encantaría ir a…’ (I would love to go to…).

  9. Use Visual Aids: If possible, use pictures of famous Spanish festivals to help you remember key vocabulary and enhance your descriptions. It is a great way to make your Spanish more vivid and engaging.

  10. Practice: Finally, just as with any other language skills, constant practise is key. Practice by writing essays, doing verbal presentations, and engaging in conversations about the topic.