Jaialdi/ San Inazio, the Basque Festivals in Idaho

Jaialdi is a major Basque Festival held in Boise, Idaho, every five years. Thousands of Basques migrated to the Western states of the U.S. in the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, to work as shepherds or farm labourers in the cattle ranches. In 1987, the first Jaialdi festival began to celebrate Basque heritage in Boise and now it is the largest and most popular festival in the Basque diaspora. San Inazio is a smaller festivity that takes place every year, both events are organised by the Basque Center in Boise.

Jaialdi 2025 runs from July 29th to August 3rd. B1 students can read the article "Drinks and dancing though the decades: Boise's Basque Festival Jaialdi returns this week" written by Jaime Gear on Boise State Public Radio, and they will find interesting expressions like: to chop, an attendee, a [basque] staple, the Gold Rush, a tight-knit [community], a garb, buoyant, to toss, a hay bale. For B2 students, George Prentice's story "Dancing, wagon lifting, chorizo and kalimotxo. Hey Boise, here's your Jaialdi 2025 preview" is more suitable, as the text summarizes a more complex (13':06") radio interview to Lael Uberuaga in "Morning Edition" (C1 level). Some of the expressions in the article are: an overstatement, to skip, to date back [to 1987], a footprint, to stretch, naively, to reconvene, to gather, a vendor, to get underway, an attendee, to ramp up, to dub, herri kirolak, a hay bale, to hoist, an anvil, to be hard-pressed.

If you want further information about Basque culture in Idaho, you can check The Basque Museum and Cultural Center (BMCC) in Boise, which includes Esther Ciganda's The Immigrant All Around podcasts -where Pedro Ciganda's bilingual account of how he picked up English and how he adjusted to the American way of life, is highly recommendable, and the BMCC Oral Histories, a library of interviews to numerous Basque migrants like José Ramón Larrea, or their desendants like Juan Pablo Aramburu who talk about their experiences in the U.S.A. You can also watch a Visit Idaho video about the Basque Block in Boise or another short video from Idaho News 6 about San Inazio 2024, the smaller festival which is held annually.

Finally, C1 students can watch the KTVB report with subtitles below about Jaialdi, where they will find expressions like: a gamut, a thunderstorm, to honour [the culture], to head [to], a closure, to check out, to shape, seating.

Camino de Santiago with Manni Coe

The BBC Radio 4 programme "Ramblings" is broadcasting a series of programmes on "Camino de Santiago" (the Way of St. James) where different routes are explored with different pilgrims, guides and hosts. 

The first episode is called "Camino de Santiago with Manni Coe", an author, guide and walker, who went through a deep emotional journey during the "camino" to overcome a personal trauma and find forgiveness. This programme contains a number of relaxed conversations and some descriptions of the landscape, but, as there are no subtitles and it is quite long (23':50"), it can be recommended for C2 students and above. Lower level students could use the following vocabulary list as a listening guide: chilly, crops, brotherly [love], a foundational [month], Down syndrome, to come up with [an idea], to give up, tough, [his] pace, roles reversed, [to open my] consciousness, the scallop [shell], an insignia, faithful,  a [route] to converge, a pungent [smell], to sprout, moss, a [red] tile, a sleepy [village], a [rain] cover, a [recognized] pilgrimage, the tomb [of Santiago], within your means, an upturn [scalop shell], [to collect] stamps, "compostela" (credential), an up-and-coming [route], a [strong] odour [of cows], to rock up, to wing it, St James' appeal, a hermit, "compostela" (field of stars), to hand draw, to rage [down], a drop [of 40 meters], a [single]-arch [bridge], a steep [peak], stonemasons' [insignia], moss & ivy, lichen, to lean over [the balcony], a vocal [dog], a little hamlet, a [raised] [grain-]storage [building], on stilts, grills, stone pillars, to be brought up [in the Church of England], [my faith] to fall apart, the confession, a [public] forum, trauma, [to be] set [at our house], to come up with [the title of the book], to be groomed, to be abused, a vicar, to press charges, to go to court, circumstantial evidence, earthly [father], skewed, to acknowledge [what happened], [a case] to stand up [in court], rage, guilt, to struggle [to forgive], to release [it], shattered, a breakdown, the ramparts [of the castle], to pick up on [the signs], gay, to blame, [for as long as it] takes, to bring them up, fishhooks, to collapse, a gate, to grab [each other], a stream, to flush [them away], baggage, to shed, a healing [process], not linear, a [continuous] mindset, to catch you off guard, thrilled, to catch up.

Other episodes of the series include "Camino Francés with Maggie McLean"  who is a missioner, a reverend canon and one of the first women who was ordained in the Church of England, and "Living on the Camino de Santiago" with Andrea Abbatemarco, who left his life in Milan to run a hostel for pilgrims on the Sanabrés route. Shortly, the episodes "Camino Inglés with Jannine and Sally", "Arriving in Santiago de Compostela with Sharon, Shirley and friends" and "Camino Memories in Penicuik" will be broadcast.

If you want to watch a short, lighthearted video of "El Camino", you can just click on this BBC-2 clip below:

Catherine of Aragon, Queen Consort of England

Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536), is a household name in England, as her marriage to Henry VIII was the first and the longest in a string of six tumultous marriages, but, the Spanish Infanta is, arguably, less known in Spain, as she failed to fulfil her royal duty bestowed upon her by her father, Ferdinand II of Aragon: to produce an uncontested heir to the English Crown that would embody a solid and lasting diplomatic alliance between the kingdoms of Spain and England in the early 16th century, when France emerged as a common rival.

Catherine's marriage to Henry lasted from 1509 to 1533, when the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Crammer declared Henry's marriage to Catherine "null and void", which allowed Henry to marry young Anne Boleyn -with family ties to France, and undoubtedly contributed to the separation of the English Church from the Roman Catholic Church. Despite the terrible blow to her royal dignity, Catherine never gave up her claim and spent her entire life fighting hard for the right of their daughter, Mary, to be the legitimate heir to Henry's throne. Several authors have recently vindicated Catherine of Aragon as a well-educated and empowered woman, who led the country in military campaigns against the Scots (1513), while Henry was fighting in France, and who fostered bold social reforms in the English court: Catherine was a patron of Renaissance humanists like Erasmus of Rotterdam, Sir Thomas More and Juan Luis Vives, the Spanish scholar who wrote The Education of a Christian Woman, a treatise that "advocates education for all women regardless of social class and ability" -Catherine herself opened several colleges for women when she was Queen consort; she impressed Londoners with contemporary Spanish fashion and she also "started an extended programme for the relief of the poor", which made Catherine a very popular Queen consort in England and abroad, despite her estrangement from Henry.

Next you can find a lesson plan with listening and speaking tasks, key and the script in Word and in PDF formats for C1 students, extracted from the interview that Giles Tremlett gave to Jane Garvey in Woman's Hour (BBC Radio-4) after the publication of his book Catherine of Aragon, Henry's Spanish Queen, back in 2010. Next is the clip with the audio recording (03':45") for the listening task. If you want to listen to the full interview, here is a recording of the whole interview (10':56") without a script. In addition, and just out of curiosity, you can find a review of the book from The Guardian newspaper in Word and in  PDF formats. Some expressions C1 learners will find in the listening task are: to be allocated to [other monarchs], fate, to take something in your stride, dowry, an eating disorder, to fast, to bear [a child], pious, a steely [character], submissive, obstinate.

But the interest in Catherine of Aragon has not waned over the years. Last week, the highly successful discussion programme In Our Time on BBC Radio 4, devoted a brand new episode to Catherine of Aragon: In Our Time, Feb. 2025 with host Melvyn Bragg and a panel of three top academics on Early Modern History: Lucy Wooding, from Oxford University, María Hayward, from the University of Southampton, and Gonzalo Velasco Berenguer, from the University of Bristol. This is a long radio programme (53') which contains very rich language without a script, so, it is recommended for C2 students and for Experts (Ex) or teachers who want to learn about Tudor England and Early Modern Spain. The list of salient words and collocations below can be used as a listening guide for lower level students.

Some expressions learners can pick up from the In Our Time radio programme are: to engage in, formidable [skills], fellow, born to [greatness], a monarch, to lay the foundation, a superpower, the lesser [partner], a throne, a half-sister, resilient, a prime [example], to rally [the troops], [to survive to] adulthood, pious, to betroth [children], [to seek an] alliance, a contested [succession crisis], betrothal, to bolster, a deficient [education], a patron of [humanists], a retinue, pageant, a hood, a gown, pleated, [bands of] cane, to send [him] off, to jeopardize [their childbearing potential], to rake [mercilessly], a maiden, a deeply religious [woman], to consummate [a marriage], dowager [princess], dowry, to be at loggerheads, to befit [a Infanta], in cahoots with [the Queen of England], very vocal, self-assertive, outspoken, to drift, a tussel, her piety, [religious] observant, to fast, Infanta [of Spain], linen, brocade [dresses], a warm and affectionate relationship, to feel warmly to one another, exuberant, athletic, a reassuring [presence], raw, glamour, to joust, joie de vivre, a courtly love [convention], to lay her triumphs at her feet, [to court] mask, to throw off [his disguise], to conduct herself [as Queen], devout, arguably, a relief [army], armour, [to buy] supplies, a bloodied [coat], to sew [banners], domesticated and martial [themes], to push forward [the Spanish] agenda, a beacon [for Spanish interests], wool trade, in a vacuum, to intermarry, weary, a debacle, to stew, the kingdom of Navarre, to add insult to injury, to mutiny, to rebuff [an attempt], an annulment, feisty, to wield [authority], [queen] regnant, to be perturbed, [to become] an issue, more ugly than not, [religious] viability, [not without] precedent, appalling, [royal] dignity, reluctant, more telling, to groom [his illegitimate child], a [royal] bride, a role model, [Spanish] heritage, a treatise, to draw up [a plan of education], to be depicted, her upbringing, a shift, patronage, [to give it a new] spin, the dispensation, double-binding, to dispense [a marriage], determination, to engage with [the best intellects], [to support her] corner, an [intellectual] tussle, Papal [authority], to wrangle [around that], God-given [authority], to take a stand, to be interwoven, scandalous, for the sake of [her daughter], to be vanished, a watershed [moment], a dispute, to have the upper-hand, more poignantly, to repeal [a law], her will, to be addressed, [princess] dowager, discreet life, a manor [house], to command [popular support], to nurse [her daughter], vindictive, a bearing, a cooling [of relations], an uneasy [relation], to gather [support], a moving [letter], a hint [of steel], a concubine, a heartbreaking [sentence], astonishing, appallingly, sense of duty, longevity, regent, to set [the model], uncaring [son], [not a] catch, mean, to pass the buck, to make out, wordy [letters], fury, her misfortunes, he is to blame, a flamboyant [dresser], to offset [the complaints], a [last minute] reversal, a cipher, to quail, [politically] apt, dour, sarcastic, impeccably [dressed], the Field of the Cloth of Gold, a makeshift [city], a [wine] fountain, to herald [lasting peace], an encounter, a wrestling [match], [to go] rough, awkward, to smooth things over, the woodcut, a pomergranate, regalia, a robe, a [queen] regnant.

If you want to watch a video with Catherine's story, you can watch "The Warrior Queen Married to Henry VIII: Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's First Wife" (2023) below, which can be recommended for C1 students.

Diamonds and Rust: Joan Baez and her Relationship with Bob Dylan

Love is the driving force that gives us the extra energy to help and sacrifice for our beloved ones. It is the only feeling that makes sense of the craziest decisions, of selflessness and generosity beyond any rational restraints; love is the the fuel for unstinted creativity.  Yet, love can be bitter and sweet. When you feel your lover takes your sacrifice for granted and no longer makes the effort, when passion is followed by indifference, and bliss by disdain, when you have an on-and-off relationship that seems to be stuck in a dead end street, then "diamonds" become "rust", the metaphor that Joan Baez found to describe her relationship with Bob Dylan after a sudden phone call ten years after their break-up.

"Diamonds and Rust" is a haunting song, one of the best songs ever written, it is a moving song, full of winter sun and chilly shade, but the melody and the words unveil the serenity, the maturity and the power that Joan Baez felt when she revisited her youthful relationship with Bob Dylan. Here you can watch a video without subtitles of "Diamonds and Rust", next you can find a lesson-plan for B2 students with listening and speaking tasks and the answer key (and the same document in PDF). Some interesting words to be found in the song are: damned, a ghost, robin egg blue, lousy, a booth, the midwest, a cufflink, rust, to burst, to stray, the Madonna, on the half-shell, unharmed, a crummy [hotel], to mingle.

If you want some background information about the song, you can check out the post "Stella: 'Diamonds and Rust' by Joan Baez" written by Elaine Irvine on the NPR affiliated radio station KRUI-FM, from Iowa University, which is suitable for C1 students. On BBC Sounds you will also find an excellent radio documentary about the song, Soul Music: Diamonds and Rust, which has no script and can be recommended for C2 students. Finally, the most ardent fans of Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, can read "Diamonds & Rust, Joan & Bob, 1960's - 1980's", a thorough musical and personal biography published in the Pop History Dig, which is recommended for Experts, that is, for students beyond C2 level.

Below you can watch another video of the song with English subtitles and pictures of their relationship:

Marianela Núñez, Ballerina, on Desert Island Discs

 

Marianela Núñez (OBE) is the first ballerina with The Royal Ballet, London. She is the latest guest of BBC Radio 4's renowned programme "Desert Island Discs", where a leading figure of society talks about their life and some of the music that has marked them at different turning points. This interview is particularly fascinating for the passion, laughter & positivity of Nela's emotions all throughout and linguistically, for her command of colloquial oral English, her rich choice of adjectives and intensifiers, and her example as a bilingual role model for Spanish learners of English.

The radio interview is not too complex lexically, but it is quite long (58':46") and has no script, so it is ideal for C2 students to listen to as "extensive listening", while they are walking in the park or doing household chores (see "How and Why to Use this Blog").

 

If you want a list of some key words to use as a listening guide, the following expressions will come up: a todler, to pursue [a dream], to rise through the ranks, the [company] repertoire,  infectious [joy], to grab [the bar], emotional, the opening night, a [new] production, an [extra] buzz, to come down, bouquet, to go along with [that], to sew [shoes], spoilt, ribbons, darning, toes, the dressing room, neat, layers, a shawl, meticulousness, a track, to contain [myself], homesick, [ice in your] veins, this drive, talent, a stay-at-home mum, [to go to] uni, to fulfil [his dream], shaky, extra [energy], gruelling, my bun, a duvet, to shift, [any word won't come] close, a customary [quinceañera], to audition, [to make] a buzz, [main] roles, a [major] shock, to be all over the place, to focus [on that], to mime, Blockbuster [store], snobby, to go up to the roof, vulnerable, a solo [role], bumpy, promotions, [enough room] to fit in, a curtain call, a run [of Don Quijote], foamy, to check on [her], [red] lipstick, to overthink, total [pleasure], incredible, partnership, to give the tools [for that], intense [jobs], a debut, to work out, fiery [people], to stay [really good friends], to call [a role], [part of my heart] stayed there, to reshape [the roles], [to find new] layers, to live through [the COVID pandemic], clichéd, to count on [me], [my] security blanket, a [gas] leak, to pick up the pieces, to give it all, to cast [you] away, to fend for yourself, to be called upon [stage], a hectic [life], my me-time, a rehearsal, an [exquisite] companion, solace, to encapsulate, the audiences.

You can watch Marinela Núñez discussing the current production of "Cinderella" for The Royal Ballet in a short (03':08") YouTube video below:

"Veneradas y Temidas" in CaixaForum Zaragoza

"Veneradas y Temidas: el poder femenino en el arte y las creencias" is a British Museum globetrotting exhibition that opened in London in 2022 as "Feminine Power: the Devine to the Demonic" and has finally come to CaixaForum Zaragoza. 

The exhibition is a 5,000-year, cross-cultural stroll that shows the visitor how femininity has been perceived and represented by different faiths, mythologies and cultures across the world, often in contradictory terms: how women have been worshiped as the embodiment of protection, fertility, purity, gentleness and modesty, but often the very same goddesses have been feared as the epitomes of destruction, vengefulness, lust and wrath. Gender fluidity is also showcased in the exhibit, with artifacts of ancient non-binary deities, who display male and female sexual attributes and can transform into different animals to connect to mortals.  

The British Museum published a number of helpful guides for the teachers and students who are planning to visit "Feminine Power: the Devine to the Demonic", as well as comments by high-profile collaborators like Mary Beard, Elisabeth Day, Bonnie Greer, Rabbia Siddique and Deborah Francis-White, or by current religious communities, like the Bengali Hindu London Durgostav Committee (LDC), or the pagan Children of Artemis.  This kaleidoscope of opinions and materials will certainly sharpen the visitors' eyes to spot crucial details in the figures, and, hopefully, may open their minds to ideas beyond accepted beliefs and truths to prompt meaningful conversations with their companions.  Personally, I would stongly recommend watching a long video with subtitles below (01:11:43) "The curators introduction to the exhibition" -or at least parts of it- where Belinda Crerar and Lucy Dahlsen discuss the artistic and cultural significance of the highlights of the exhibition (note: in "Veneradas y Temidas", the exhibit touring Spain, Kiki Smith's Lilith 1994, has been substituted by Zanele Muholi's Somnyana IV 2015 etc., and John William Waterhouse's Circe Offering the Cup to Ulysses 1891, has not come to Spain). 

C2 students who are planning to visit "Veneradas y Temidas" do not need to watch the whole video, they can just focus on the objects that catch their eye. The language in the video is rich and dense at times, so subtitles and pauses could help to pick up individual words and expressions such as: curator, to display, femininity,a deity, beliefs, faiths, to depict [in Art], bigendered, genderless, to honour [these deities], commonalities and contrasts, to run through [these themes], a [faith] community, a playwright, to prompt [questions], to tune in, to hand back [to Belinda], an artwork, a pioneering [artist], a multi-layered [narrative], sacred artefacts, vulva, to drag, to spin out, the cycle of life, [deliberately] provocative, Abrahamic [narrative], an unapologetically [feminist perspective], second wave feminist, [celebratory] imagery [associated with childbirth], visceral, crude, flexed [knees], labia, a carving, [artworks] on display, lust, emaciated, to trace [the interpretentions], [stories] revolve around, to transcend [gender], a print, Shinto, to stir [the primordial water], to bob [its tail], to embody [natural phenomena], to encapsulate, fiery [temper], to flow [like lava],rough/ polished texture, a dual/ multifaceted [nature], unpredictable, volatile, crossovers [between the sections], [female] agency, nudity, a relief, yuxtapositions, to epitomize the [male] gaze, to cover up, to avert [her gaze], to wield [power], rage, to worship, to underscore [other aspects], to mint [a coin], to honour [Venus], a shockingly [erotic image], [who is] in control [of her power], earthbound, stiff, demonology, to submit [to Adam], to lie [underneath Adam], defiance, to wreak [havoc], cast [from a body], crouched, on all fours, to embellish, temptress, [seemingly] blameless [Adam], to underscore [innate female deviousness, [women's] collusive [responsibility],  courtship, 

a cowherd, evil, esoteric [knowledge], to encapsulate, an icon of [feminist rebellion], to reinterpret, hunched [over], [the male] gaze, assertive [figure], to be tamed, to clutch [the chalice], [to have] the upper-hand, a deceptively [seductive figure], to look down her nose, witchcraft, voyeuristic, Sabbath, to epitomize, lust, to poke fun at, surrealist [artist], folk [belief], [feminity] to imbue [the natural world], to draw on [a standard belief], to transgress, demons, vengeance, an ogre, grief,
a sage, anger, jealousy, to encapsulate, furrowed brows, [emotional] turmoil, despair, annihilation, slaughter, wrath, to be venerated, to offset, to wipe them off [the planet], to rampage, harshness, to dye [beer red], Puja [celebrations], fearlessness, [demonic] hordes, to defeat [demons], enraged, emanations, to confront and overcome [injustice], compassion, to sever [her followers from greed, envy, ego], the Savior, [to guide] the faithful [to salvation], a striking [piece], straws, a shimmering [effect], a pilgrimage [site], straw mosaic, a calligraphy [work], upbringing, unshakeable fortitude, a role model, compassion, canonically, to lessen [her importance], an enlightened [being], goddess [of compassion], perceiver [of sound], genderless, wisdom, to be venerated, embodiment, to overcome [a vice], karma, a [fully meditative] pose, [a subject of] contention, seductiveness, sensuous, alluring, curvaceous, draped [in silks], jewels, nirvana.

C1 learners can read a shorter, easier prologue to Feminine Power written by curators Belinda Crerar and Lucy Dahlsen: "An Introduction to Feminine Power". C1 students will find interesting key words like: a sneak peek, belief, artwork, to shine [a light], femininity, a goddess, annihilation, embodiment, to showcase, primordial, vulva, to grasp, a breast, needleworkers, depiction, a deity, a goddess, a [reddish] hue, fiery[nature], flaming [hair], to flow [down], a rough/ polished texture, dual [nature], a relief, to stare [confidently and confrontationally], a [lion] mount, a tiered [crown], volatile, votive [models], to assert [her equality], defiance, to cast [the image from a real woman], piercing, lifelike, to crouch, on all fours, a [voyeuristic] gaze, to permeate [mythology], to defy [expectations of female submission], empowerment, bulging [eyes], a glyph, slaughter, to withhold [her wrath], to grant [healing and peace], scorching, to set up, garland, severed [heads], fearlessness, compassion, karma, enlightened [being], to fan out, to transcend [gender], androgynous, swiftly, to spring [into action], wrathful emanations.

Today covered the opening of the London exhibition on BBC Radio-4 back in May 2022. C2 learners can listen to the inauguration report with an interview to Elisabeth Day, and they can do a listening comprehension task and check their answers with the key. The list of key words can be used to follow the radio report without a script (these materials were already published on this blog, in the entry "Art and Femine Power"). Some interesting words and collocations in the Today report are: a goddess, a she-devil, a saint, a witch, to be betrayed, a blood-thirsty warrior, divine, demonic, to be installed, a gargoyle, a bronze [sculpture], to crawl, [about] to pounce, attached to [the wall], [female] defiance, [to refuse] to submit [to Adam], the Garden of Eden, happily ever after, to rebel, depiction, faiths and mythologies, a [painted] terracotta, dating [from 500 BC], snake-like [hair], fangs, to stick [her] tongue out, to have [someone] round for dinner, to reassess [things after Me Too], a survivor [of rape], [female] rage, a statement [of power], to be rageful, [to be sexually] assaulted, a male-dominated [industry],an all-boys [club], gratitude, to put up with [a lot of stuff], to range from,

an orgasm [machine], to impress [my bosses], [everyday sexual] harassment, micro-aggressions, an admission price [to being a woman], stepped into [my rage], bulbous [eyes], [to die in] childbirth, to be engaged [in a battle], to long for [children], yearning and shaped [by her lack of children], to open up [about a personal failure], [universal] resonance, my soul, [millennia of] patriarchy, to strive [against that], a cohesive narrative to [this exhibition].

"Vereradas y Temidas: el poder femenino en el arte y las creencias", CaixaForum Zaragoza, December 5th, 2024- March 23rd, 2025.