What a Wonderful Window: November 2005

What a Wonderful Window

A window opened over Estonian, Irish, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese and Turkish schools

This is the window where / The voices of our childhood meet

This is the window where / A kingdom of tenderness and tolerance begins

And together, holding hands, / We build

An alfabeth of peace and hope (Domingos Santos)

Monday, November 21, 2005

Friendship (Portugal)

We live like rivers with no return
Fearful of overflowing our banks
Yet we hide in our bottom
Precious faces we find
Who brighten up our journey
- That's why they never leave,
Those we keep in our bosom.

But if some day
The waters shall get sullen with homesickness
remember that with eyes
Fingers
Silences
And words
We turn friendship
Into a poem.
(Domingos Santos)

S. Martinho (Portugal)

[image in eb1-n6-amoreira.rcts.pt]
(Our kids are working on the translation of the poems they wrote in portuguese)

11th. November, S. Martinho Day (Portugal)

Who has been São Martinho?

He was a brave Roman soldier, born in the 4th century, in Panónia – a province of the Roman Empire, nowadays Hungary and he was on duty in the city Amiens, in Galia.
In a freezing and windy winter day, he met a beggar, wearing old and torn clothes, shivering with cold, who asked him for alms.
Martin was wrapped up normally for that time if the year: he was wearing a red cloak, one of those usually worn by roman soldiers and he had nothing to give him.
So, he took out his sword, cut his cloak into two pieces and handed one to the beggar. At that moment all of a sudden, the clouds and the bad weather were gone. It looked like summer. It seemed God’s reward to Martin for his good action.
That is why, at this rime of the year and although being autumn, the weather improves for about three days. This period is known as S. Martin’s summer.

How do we comemorate that day?

In Portugal, chestnuts are roasted, “magustos” take place and the new wine is tasted.

What is a “magusto”?

It’s a party in which chestnuts are roasted and a social entertainment is held.
How do we prepare the chestnuts to roast?

we moisten them (not necessarily, but it helps the salt to stick);
we slash one by one (to shred);

we put salt;

we spread some sweet herbs (it gives a very good taste);

we put them in a stove (or in a tray in the oven) or traditionally in the heat of a bonfire.

How long do the chestnuts take to be ready?

Approximately a quarter of an hour.

What are chestnuts?

They are the fruit of the chestnut-tree. The chestnuts are in the tree protected by a ball full of thorns which is called a “burr”.
When Autumn arrives, the burr opens up and lets the chestnut fall on the ground.

Information:
Before potato appeared in Europe, in the 17th century, and spread all over, chestnuts were the basis nourishment, specially in the countryside.
They can either be boiled, roasted, used to make puree or sweets.

Wednesday, November 09, 2005