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Ninot
The Fallas ( ca-valencia, Falles; es, Fallas) is a traditional celebration held annually in commemoration of Saint Joseph in the city of Valencia, Spain. The five main days celebrated are from 15 to 19 March, while the Mascletà, a pyrotechnic spectacle of firecracker detonation, takes place every day from 1 to 19 March. The term ''Fallas'' refers to both the celebration and the Falla monuments (''Falla'', singular; ''Fallas''/, plural) burnt during the celebration. A number of towns in the Valencian Community have similar celebrations inspired by the original Fallas de Valencia celebration. For example, the bonfires of Alicante or the Fiestas de la Magdalena in Castellón de la Plana. The Fallas (''Falles'' in Valencian) festival was added to UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage of humanity list on 30 November 2016. Each neighbourhood of the city has an organised group of people, the ''Casal faller'', that works all year long holding fundraising parties and dinners, usually ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bonfires Of Saint John
The Bonfires of Saint John ( ca, Fogueres de Sant Joan, es, link=no, Hogueras de San Juan, gl, Fogueiras de San Xoán, ast, Fogueres de San Xuán, pt, Fogueiras de São João) are a traditional and popular festival celebrated around the world during Midsummer, which takes place on the evening of 23 June, St. John's Eve. It is customary in many cities and towns in Spain; the largest one takes place in Alicante, where it is the most important festival in the city. The biggest celebration in Portugal is held in Oporto, where it is known as the Festa de São João do Porto. In South America (former Iberian colonies), the biggest celebration takes place in the northeastern states of Brazil, where it is known as Festa Junina. The bonfires are particularly popular in many Catalan-speaking areas like the Valencian Community and Catalonia, and for this reason some Catalan nationalists regard 24 June as ''the Catalan nation day.'' History The festivals of Midsummer's Eve ( St. John's E ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Falla Monument
A Falla or monumento fallero is an artistic monument, usually large (three to twenty meters in height, sometimes higher) composed of figures called ''ninots'', which typically encircle one or more bigger central figures, called ''remates''. The fallas are placed in the streets during the Falles, Falles festival in Valencia (Spain), and in other towns with festivals inspired by it. The monument usually deals with a satire, satirical subject connected with recent news or public controversies, and is covered in posters with words, verses and statements of a humorous nature. The monument is made with combustible materials (cardboard, wood, paper, clothing, expanded polystyrene, etc.) which are then burned in the streets after being on show for a few days. Origin and evolution In medieval Valencian the word ''Falla'' named the torches that were placed on top of watchtowers. This word is derived from Latin ''Facula'', torch. In the ''Llibre dels fets, Llibre dels feits'', it is stated ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the Province of Valencia, province of the same name. The wider urban area also comprising the neighbouring municipalities has a population of around 1.6 million, constituting one of the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, major urban areas on the European side of the Mediterranean Sea. It is located on the banks of the Turia (river), Turia, on the east coast of the Iberian Peninsula, at the Gulf of Valencia, north of the Albufera lagoon. Valencia was founded as a Roman Republic, Roman colony in 138 BC. Al-Andalus, Islamic rule and acculturation ensued in the 8th century, together with the introduction of new irrigation systems and crops. Crown of Aragon, Aragonese Christian conquest took place in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the United States. He previously served as a U.S. senator from Illinois from 2005 to 2008 and as an Illinois state senator from 1997 to 2004, and previously worked as a civil rights lawyer before entering politics. Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. After graduating from Columbia University in 1983, he worked as a community organizer in Chicago. In 1988, he enrolled in Harvard Law School, where he was the first black president of the '' Harvard Law Review''. After graduating, he became a civil rights attorney and an academic, teaching constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004. Turning to elective politics, he represented the 13th district in the Illinois Senate from 1997 until 2004, when he ran for the U ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenager, singing at open mic nights and acting in school plays. She studied at Collaborative Arts Project 21, through the New York University Tisch School of the Arts, before dropping out to pursue a career in music. After Def Jam Recordings canceled her contract, she worked as a songwriter for Sony/ATV Music Publishing, where she signed a joint deal with Interscope Records and KonLive Distribution, in 2007. Gaga had her breakthrough the following year with her debut studio album, ''The Fame,'' and its chart-topping singles " Just Dance" and " Poker Face". The album was later reissued to include the extended play ''The Fame Monster'' (2009), which yielded the successful singles " Bad Romance", " Telephone", and "Alejandro". Gaga's five suc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George W
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he previously served as the 46th governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000. While in his twenties, Bush flew warplanes in the Texas Air National Guard. After graduating from Harvard Business School in 1975, he worked in the oil industry. In 1978, Bush unsuccessfully ran for the House of Representatives. He later co-owned the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball before he was elected governor of Texas in 1994. As governor, Bush successfully sponsored legislation for tort reform, increased education funding, set higher standards for schools, and reformed the criminal justice system. He also helped make Texas the leading producer of wind powered electricity in the nation. In the 2000 presidential election, Bush defeated Democratic incum ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shrek (character)
Shrek is a fictional ogre character created by American author William Steig. Shrek is the protagonist of the book of the same name, a series of films by DreamWorks Animation, as well as a musical. The name "Shrek" is derived from the German word ''Schreck'', meaning "fright" or "terror". In the films, Shrek was voiced by Mike Myers, and in the musical, he was played principally by Brian d'Arcy James. On May 21, 2010, Shrek received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. In June 2010, ''Entertainment Weekly'' named him one of the "100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years", placing 15th. Fictional biography Shrek is a large, green-skinned, physically intimidating ogre with a Scottish accent. In ''Shrek Forever After'', however, it is revealed that he is much smaller than the average ogre. Even though his background is something of a mystery, according to ''Shrek The Musical'', it is revealed that on his seventh birthday, Shrek was sent away by his parents, b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a percussion mallet, to produce sound. There is usually a resonant head on the underside of the drum. Other techniques have been used to cause drums to make sound, such as the thumb roll. Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years. Drums may be played individually, with the player using a single drum, and some drums such as the djembe are almost always played in this way. Others are normally played in a set of two or more, all played by the one player, such as bongo drums and timpani. A number of different drums together with cymbals form the basic modern drum kit. Uses ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oboe
The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A soprano oboe measures roughly long, with metal keys, a conical bore and a flared bell. Sound is produced by blowing into the reed at a sufficient air pressure, causing it to vibrate with the air column. The distinctive tone is versatile and has been described as "bright". When the word ''oboe'' is used alone, it is generally taken to mean the treble instrument rather than other instruments of the family, such as the bass oboe, the cor anglais (English horn), or oboe d'amore. Today, the oboe is commonly used as orchestral or solo instrument in symphony orchestras, concert bands and chamber ensembles. The oboe is especially used in classical music, film music, some genres of folk music, and is occasionally heard in jazz, rock, pop, an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dulzaina
The dulzaina () or dolçaina (/) is a Spanish double reed instrument in the oboe family. It has a conical shape and is the equivalent of the Breton bombarde. It is often replaced by an oboe or a double reeded clarinet as seen in Armenian and Ukrainian folk music. Many varieties of the dulzaina exist in Spain. In the Valencian Community, it is known as a ''dolçaina'' or ''xirimita'' and is accompanied by a drum called the ''tabalet''. The Catalan variety of the dulzaina is called a '' gralla'', and the Basque variety is called a ''bolin-gozo''. The term ''dolçaina'' was introduced into Catalan in the 14th century from France (the ancient word was "douçaine"). In the region of Aragon, especially in the town of Huesca, the dulzaina is played along with ''gaitas de boto'', regional bagpipes, and sometimes drums. The instrument was first introduced in Spain through Arabic people. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polystyrene
Polystyrene (PS) is a synthetic polymer made from monomers of the aromatic hydrocarbon styrene. Polystyrene can be solid or foamed. General-purpose polystyrene is clear, hard, and brittle. It is an inexpensive resin per unit weight. It is a poor barrier to oxygen and water vapour and has a relatively low melting point. Polystyrene is one of the most widely used plastics, the scale of its production being several million tonnes per year. Polystyrene can be naturally transparent, but can be colored with colorants. Uses include protective packaging (such as packing peanuts and in the jewel cases used for storage of optical discs such as CDs and occasionally DVDs), containers, lids, bottles, trays, tumblers, disposable cutlery, in the making of models, and as an alternative material for phonograph records. As a thermoplastic polymer, polystyrene is in a solid (glassy) state at room temperature but flows if heated above about 100 °C, its glass transition temperature. I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
