Sunday, 16 November 2025

16th November 2025

International

Day for Tolerance

At Escola Básica H.C., students from the 7th year classes have built a

Tolerance Tree with messages written on the tree leaves.

Students from the 8th and 9th years have worked on calligrams and

also wrote messages about this date. The messages can be seen on the

Tolerance Wall - Different but Equal!

They all did great!
Congrats to all of them.

Check here Tolerance Day 16-11-25

Tuesday, 11 November 2025

Remembrance Day

11th November 2025

"Every year people across the UK come

together to remember those who have died

in wars across the world.

Remembrance Day marks the day World War One ended - at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, in 1918. It is also known as Armistice Day.

Ceremonies also take place on the second Sunday in November - this is known as Remembrance Sunday.

This year Remembrance Sunday falls on 9 November.

Why do we mark Remembrance Day?

Remembrance Day began as a way to commemorate the end of World War One.

In the autumn of 1918, Germany was losing the war, and asked for an armistice, or end to the fighting.

At 11am on 11 November 1918, the armistice began.

The following year King George V asked the British public to observe a silence at 11am - to remember the moment the guns fell silent.

It became known as Armistice Day - a day to remember the end of WW1 and to remember the lives lost.

Today Armistice Day is used to remember all the people who have died in all wars since.
This year also marks 80 years since World War Two ended, in 1945. (...)

Why do people wear poppies?

From the end of October through to November, you may start seeing people wearing poppies and see poppy wreaths at memorials in towns and villages.

During World War One much of the land in France and Belgium that was fought on was churned up and destroyed by battle.

But one of the first plants to reappear were delicate red poppies, which grew on the soil and rubble.

The poppy became a symbol of loss and of hope - a reminder of the sacrifice made by those who died in war and hope for the future.(...)"

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/cn51g5dw35no

(It should not be forgotten)

"In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae
"In Flanders Fields" was first published on December 8, 1915 in the London magazine Punch.
It was written during the First World War by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae who was inspired to write it on May 3, 1915, after presiding over the funeral of friend and fellow soldier Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, who died in the Second Battle of Ypres in the Flanders region of Belgium.
McCrae performed the burial service of his friend himself, where he noticed how poppies quickly grew around the simple graves of those who died.
The next day, he composed the poem while sitting in the back of an ambulance at an Advanced Dressing Station outside Ypres. This place has since become known as the John McCrae Memorial Site.

Wednesday, 5 November 2025

5th November 2025

Guy Fawkes

Guy Fawkes Night: remember, remember the 5th of November

On the eve of the 5th of November, the people in the UK go out onto the streets to light a bonfire and burn an effigy of ‘Guy Fawkes’. This is followed by the setting off of magnificent fireworks to celebrate.

But, the question is, why do they celebrate?

‘Guy Fawkes Night’ originated in 1605, after the so-called ‘Gunpowder Plot’. At that time in British history, the ruler of the Kingdom changed after Queen Elizabeth I. died and King James I. became the new King. The country was split by religion, and the Catholics had hoped that with the new King their lives would become easier – but things didn’t quite work out that way. Thirteen men were especially frustrated with the situation and resorted to using violence. Under Robert Catesby, they came up with a plan to blow up the Houses of Parliament and kill the King in doing so.

On the night of the 5th of November, they managed to sneak thirty-six old wooden barrels of gunpowder into a cellar beneath the houses of Lords. Guy Fawkes was the person in charge of guarding them.

Even today there are still some mysteries surrounding this event, such as a rumoured letter from one of the men involved in the plot to his friend, warning him not to go to parliament on that day. The letter was forwarded to the King, and he ordered a thorough search of the whole building. Guy Fawkes was caught in the cellar with the gunpowder and arrested that night. He was later interrogated and executed with the other twelve revolters who plotted against the King.

On that night, the 5th of November 1605, the English people lit bonfires to celebrate that the King was well and had survived the gunpowder plot.

This tradition is continued to this day and is called ‘Guy Fawkes Night’ or ‘Bonfire Night’. An interesting fact is that the effigy of Guy Fawkes is burned annually in bonfires all over the UK, except in York where the community refuses to celebrate Bonfire night – because Guy Fawkes went to school there, the people of York thought it would be inappropriate.

If you’re living abroad in the UK, be mindful of Guy Fawkes Night as it is really important to a lot of English citizens. On the night you can expect to see fireworks light up the sky and great roaring bonfires in every city and village across the country.

Written by Jana Dorozala from EF Academy Torbay