September 21 is a big day for Argentinean students: they celebrate both their day and the beginning of spring. According to a long-standing tradition, they get together in a park and have a picnic that lasts all day long. Unfortunately, because of the instability of the changing weather, it’s either rainy or chilly but rarely sunny.
Spring in Buenos Aires
Camila O’Gorman is one of the most famous romantic heroines of Argentina. Her ill-fated romance with Father Uladislao Gutiérrez was the scandal of the century. They defied the moral and social conventions of the time and caused a big uproar.
In Argentina, many rural towns grew around railway stations and were mainly named after early settlers. Most towns thrived in the first half of the 20th century and started to decline when rail lines were shut down and services stopped.
Nowadays, although agriculture is still their mainstay, tourism plays a very important role in the local economy as well. City dwellers come to these towns for the day to eat great food, cleanse their lungs with fresh air and relax away from the hustle and bustle of big cities.
Uribelarrea is located about 120 kilometres southwest of the city of Buenos Aires. It was founded in 1890 by Miguel Nemesio de Uribelarrea. The disused train station is now the home of the local police .
In August we have a new Picture Postcards photo theme – everyday people. We’d love to see photos of people where you live – please share them in our Flickr photo group (don’t forget to tag them ‘everyday people’).
This month’s collaborative post was inspired by a conversation between some of our contributors about languages and how much they ‘borrow’ words from one another. Malay has words from English, Turkish has words from French, English has words from Hindi, Spanish has words from Arabic. Not to mention the massive way in which European languages have influenced each other.
So here’s a look at the history and foreign influences of some of the languages spoken by PocketCultures contributors around the world.
It’s a long article, so if you’re interested in a particular country use these links: India, UK, France, Canada, Turkey, Spain, Argentina, Costa Rica, Portugal, Malaysia.
Languages in India are as varied and complex as the country itself. The 2001 census estimated that there were 29 languages spoken by more than a million native speakers, 122 by more than 10,000!
We have 22 ‘official’ regional languages spoken across the country, but no ‘national language’. Hindi is often mistakenly referred to as the ‘national language’, but the constitution lists it as our ‘principal official language’. Where does Hindi come from? Well, it’s a language which evolved from a dialect spoken in northern India during the Mughal period, was influenced by Persian, and is closest to Urdu – the language today identified with Islam!
Argentina is probably better known for her sporting feats, tango or beef than for her films. This roundup of films, while by no means comprehensive, is an attempt to reverse that and, hopefully, to provide a small glimpse into Argentinean culture.
The Secret in Their Eyes (2009 – crime thriller), directed by Juan José Campanella and starring Ricardo Darín, Soledad Villamil, Guillermo Francella. The action of this Academy Award winner is set in the present interspersed with continuous flashbacks to the 1970s. This thriller is about unrequited love, an unsolved crime, an unfinished novel and the political situation in Argentina in the seventies. My favourite scene of all times is the one in the football stadium. (more…)
Picture Postcards: Colours of Argentina
The Netherlands – a country of many names
Bucharest Seen From the Arch of Triumph
From our contributors: week of May 13
Familiarizing the World with Assam.
From our contributors: week of April 23
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