¡Felíz Día E!

Today is "El Día E" which is a day dedicated to the celebration of the Spanish language (español). The holiday has been fervently promoted by el Instituto Cervantes in the weeks leading up to today, with many Spanish-speaking celebrities appearing in videos discussing their favorite Spanish words. I decided to post the video featuring the writer Boris Izaguirre because as it turns out we have the same favorite Spanish word!!! Murciélago means "bat" (as in the flying rodent, not baseball bat). I remember laughing the first time I heard the word-- so many syllables needed to replace a one-syllable word in English! It is a beautiful word though, and as Izaguirre notes it contains all the vowels, meaning it has something for everyone! Check out similar videos and more information related to El Día E here.

Please leave a comment below about your own favorite Spanish word!

Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez

This painting by Diego Velazquez is called Las Meninas. It is perhaps the most well-known painting of any Spanish-speaking artist. It is considered groundbreaking for the period (mid-17th century) and even today in that it demonstrates a very complex sense of perspective.

Can you explain why the viewer might be considered the subject of this painting?

What else is unusual about this work?

What are some details that stand out to you and why? Look closely!

Read more at Diego Velazquez on Wikipedia and share any details that you found interesting or helped you to understand the painting.

Attaque 77 Arrancacorazones

Attaque 77 is a rock group from Argentina. This song was popular when I was living in Santiago, Chile (it came out in 2005, I think). I really like the song and the video.
Unfortunately, I could not find an HD version of this clip.

 

What do you think the title means? (Hint: look up the words "arrancar" and "corazón".) What do you think about the song and/or the video? Are there any lyrics that you were able to understand or that you have a question about? What stands out to you?

Bailan sin César

31 Minutos is a Chilean television show for kids. It's kind of like Sesame Street in that it is educational and promotes positive social values (and there are puppets!). Its target audience is perhaps slightly older and the humor is more sophisticated, however. In fact, there are many jokes that teenagers and adults will appreciate much more than its younger viewers. I was first introduced to 31 Minutos from a Chilean friend while living in Spain and this was the very first video he showed me. It's still my favorite!

It helps to understand that the title "Bailan sin César" is a play on words. It can read "Dance Without Caesar" or "Dance Without Stopping" since the name César (Caesar) and the word cesar (to stop) are pronounced almost exactly the same.

Tell me what you think about the video. Are there any Spanish words or phrases that you were able to understand? Do you think you learned any new words or phrases from watching this? Was there something that made you laugh?