Processions

Tomorrow is the beginning of Lent, a holy time in the Catholic Church. People from all corners of the world travel to Antigua, Guatemala during this time to witness and participate in the stunning processions that take place there. To get a glimpse of these bright, colorful, massive celebrations click here:

http://www.enantigua.com/Galeria/Coleccion.php?sec=32&catId=32&catName=La%20Rese%C3%B1a&idioma=Espanol

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3rd Annual Hispanic Music Festival

Philadelphia's renowned arts center The Painted Bride hosts the 3rd Annual Hispanic Music Festival on March 21st. To sample the music and get all the details check out this link:

http://www.latinfiestainc.com/

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Elmo Learns Salsa

Update 4/13/09: This episode is no longer airing. We will keep an eye out for its return!

Elmo Learns Salsa is currently available for free if you have Comcast On Demand. Look for the Sesame Street episodes in the PBS Kids section of the On Demand menu.

Cascarones

Heads up! Cascarones are coming. Cascarones are hollowed out eggs filled with confetti. On the day before lent (Feb. 25th this year) children in Guatemala smash them on each other heads. Fun! To see some photos of Guatemala's cascarones click here:

http://antiguadailyphoto.com/

Want to make your own? Crafty Chica has a how-to:

http://www.craftychica.com/blogs/projects/2005/03/cascarones.php

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Put on your Dancing Shoes

In a recent post entitled Perspective on Birth Culture adult adoptee told parents they should immerse themselves in their child's birth culture not just their child. Well opportunity knocks. Main Line Night School is offering a 5 week Latin Dance class so put on your dancing shoes. Here's the link:

http://mainlineschoolnight.org/CourseStatus.awp?&Course=09SDA22094

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Diversity in Schools

Academics? Proximity? Extracurriculars? Diversity? How to pick a school? The Anti-Racist parent discusses how to make decisions about schooling.

http://www.antiracistparent.com/2009/02/09/dear-arp/

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The Grammys

This Sunday the recording industry's annual Grammy awards take place. If you have been thinking about incorporating some Latin music into you home here's the scoop. There are 8 different Grammy categories for Latin music. They are:

1. Best Latin Pop Album
2. Best Latin Rock Or Alternative Album
3. Best Latin Urban Album
4. Best Tropical Latin Album
5. Best Regional Mexican Album
6. Best Tejano Album
7. Best Norteño Album
8. Best Banda Album

If you go to the itunes store you can listen to clips of all the Grammy nominees. Just click the Grammy's icon on their homepage and then click "see all nominees". The Tropical Latin albums will warm you up on this cold February day!

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Kudos to Helping Mayan Families

BRAG member Julie H. and her group Helping Mayan Families received kudos in the Mayan Families January newsletter. Julie's group participated in medical programs, veterinarian programs, and holiday programs this past December. Yeah Julie! To read the newsletter click here:

http://community.icontact.com/p/mayanfamilies/newsletters/mayanfamilies/posts/mayan-families-newsletter-for-january

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The Guatemala Times

The Guatemala Times is an online news outlet (in English) that strives to be " the most creative online media organization about Guatemala in the World." They cover culture, science, the environment, archeology, technology and more...Check 'em out:

http://www.guatemala-times.com

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