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Dominican Republic Holidays – La Quinceanera

To the outside world, La Quinceanera may not be as big a celebration as other Dominican Republic holidays and they are right. This does not mean though that this is less celebratory. What makes La Quinceanera a special event is that it happens all year round, more private maybe, but just as important.

Here is why.

In many countries, when a girl reaches 16 years old, the girl has approached womanhood. celebrated, well yes, but not as grand. In Spanish influenced countries, 15 or quince is the right time. It is the transition from being a child to a marriageable age. The celebration starts with the most important component, the thanksgiving mass or the misa de accion de gracias. The thanksgiving mass closely approximates a wedding where the girl will march the aisle flanked by godparents, dressed in full length fancy dress, a matching headdress and sits on the foot of the altar conducted in her honor. As many as seven maids of honor and chamberlains form part of the entourage selected among close family and friends. At the end of the mass, commemorative favors are passed to those in attendance and the girl deposits her bouquet at the foot of the Virgin Mary.

After the mass the partying begins.

The party is as opulent as the resources of the parents allow, although several padrinos and madrinos are usually invited to sponsor the dress, the band, table favors, the venue, the bar and other multiple expenses incurred in the celebrations. Visitors to one of the Dominican Republic holidays observing or invited to these celebrations will find out often that the opulence is often so grand compared to most birthday bashes in most countries. Here we are speaking of birthday cakes with decorations to match the celebrant’s dress and which might require removing the door from its hinges if the cake is to be brought inside the celebration hall.

All throughout the celebration, a raucous cumbia, salsa and banda tunes dominate. These stop only when the celebrant and her number one escort dance the obligatory waltz. Usually, when the parents are well heeled, a viaje follows the celebrations where the celebrant travels to European destinations.

Not every girl wants to celebrate her quinceanera in a spectacular fashion, in the manner that not all brides want a spectacular weeding. The tradition, though, is to please the parents and to have a celebration as much as resources allow. No matter, the purpose of the celebration is to remind the girl what the celebration is about and to remind everyone that the girl is now a woman.

If seen from the outside, the quinceanera is a celebration to advertise the daughter to possible grooms of good standing. The origin, however, is suggested to have come from ancient Aztec tribes where the community celebrates the passage from childhood to womanhood. Regardless, this rite of passage is one for those holidays and celebrations that has kept Latino culture and family firmly grounded with the community.

International Day Of Francophonie

…A Gathering Of French-Speaking People From Around The World

The International Day of Francophonie is celebrated every year on March 20. On this day, Francophones from around the world get together as a way of celebrating that “something” that is common to them – the French language.

The inaugural International Day of Francophonie was held in 1998, although the Francophonie organization was actually established 28 years earlier. The organization has its headquarters in Paris, France.

The term “Francophonie” refers to specific areas in the world in which French is spoken. It was coined in 1880 by Onésime Reclus, a French essayist and geographer. The term “Francophone”, on the other hand, refers to a person who speaks French. When not capitalized, the term is a descriptive word, such as in “franchophone region”.

Currently, the organization is headed (as Executive Secretary) by Abdou Diouf, who served as the second President of Senegal from 1981 to 2000. It has 56 member states, 21 of which were original members (i.e., countries that joined the organization in 1970). These are France, Belgium, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Canada, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, Haiti, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Monaco, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Togo, Tunisia, and Vietnam.

Within the next 10 years, 12 more states, communities, or colonies joined the organization as members. These are the French Community of Belgium, New Brunswick, Quebec, Central African Republic, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Guinea-Bissau, Lebanon, Seychelles, and Vanuatu.

The rest of the member states today include Albania, Andorra, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Macedonia, Greece, Guinea, Laos, Moldova, Morocco, Romania, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, and Switzerland.

The organization has three associate members: Armenia, Cyprus, and Ghana. Fourteen countries, meanwhile, are assigned as observers. These are Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Mozambique, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Thailand, and Ukraine.

Other countries with French-speaking regions, but are not members of the organization, are Algeria, Guernsey, India, Italy, Israel, Jersey, Mexico, Syria, and the United Kingdom. In the United States, French is spoken in four states: Louisiana, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. All these areas certainly are considered francophone regions.

It is estimated that there are over 150 million Francophones, more than half of whom live outside France. Understandably because of this, French is a very important language in the world. To emphasize this, French is extensively used in prominent international gatherings as the Olympics, the United Nations, and the European Union.

Through the International Day of Francophonie, French-speaking people from different parts of the world are able to interact, bringing into the meeting diverse traditions and cultural differences. Such instance promotes a culture of tolerance, which, sadly, is lacking in many parts of the world.

Today, the Francophonie organization has several branches that oversee and coordinate activities between and among member states in areas of concern that go beyond the French language and culture. Such areas include worldwide concerns on the economy, science, peace, justice, democracy, human rights, and the environment.

The International Day of Francophonie carries the slogan “Egalité, Complémentarité, Solidarité. This translates to “Equality, Complementarity, Solidarity.

Best Hotels To Stay In Paris During France Holidays

There are thirteen public holidays celebrated each year in France. In addition to these, French schools enjoy five sets of breaks, with at least two of these being two-week periods each.

A holiday is always an opportunity to get away from the boring daily routine of work or school. Choosing France as a vacation destination is always a good idea. The capital city of Paris offers lots of activities during any of the French holidays. Hotels in the city rank among the world’s best.

Here are five of the best hotels in Paris where families can stay and have full enjoyment of their first ever vacation in France:

Apollon Montparnasse:

This hotel was originally built in the 1930s to serve as apartments. Like in most other hotels in France, the rooms here are midsize and are very clean. The rates are likewise very reasonable. Situated in an ideal location in Montparnasse, the hotel lies adjacent to a number of really good restaurants, several shops, grocery stores and bakeries, and the metro. The hotel’s exact address is 91, rue de l’Ouest / street corner Pernety / 75014 Paris.

Bourgogne & Montana:

This is one of the oldest hotels in France, having been built around 1790. It consists of six floors and has small to midsize rooms. The hotel is just a couple of blocks from the Seine and lies across the Palais Bourbon. It is also close to some of the famous landmarks in Paris, such as the Jardin des Tuileries, the Place de la Concorde, and the Orsay Museum. The hotel is located at 3 rue de Bourgogne, Paris, 75007.

Fouquet’s Barrière:

The spacious and luxurious rooms of this hotel are certainly its pride. Their features will make every guest feel important. The services offered in this hotel are considered to be among the best in the whole of Paris. Beside the hotel stands the equally famous restaurant with the same name. The hotel is located at 46 avenue George V 75008 Paris.

Golden Tulip Opéra de Noailles:

This hotel has rooms that offer all the comforts one will certainly look for in an accommodation. Some of the rooms even have their own patios and terraces. Close to the hotel are two of the most popular restaurants in Paris – Le Grand Véfour and Chez Drouant. Faubourg Saint Honoré, famous for its line of department stores and designer shops, is very near the hotel. The hotel is located at 9 rue de la Michodière, Paris, 75002.

Hôtel le Bristol:

This hotel stands close to the French President’s residence – the Palais d’Elysée. It is said that the hotel ranks third among the many luxurious hotels in Paris in terms of glamour and style. Built in 1924, the hotel is famous for its 18th century Parisian facade and for its opulent rooms. It is located at 112, Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré 75008 Paris.

Other hotels you may consider staying at when vacationing in Paris include the Hyatt Regency Paris-Madeleine (located at 24 bd. Malesherbes, Paris, 75008), L’Hôtel du Petit Moulin (located at 29-31 rue du Poitou, Paris, 75003) and Radisson Blu Le Dokhan’s Hotel (located at 117 rue Lauriston, Paris, 75116).