Tag Archives: festivals and celebrations

Seachtain na Gaeilge 2024

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Imeachtaí-Events – Bhí clár iontach againn i mbliana, chun Seachtain na Gaeilge a cheiliúradh…a mhaireann 17 lá, Márta 1ú-17ú!

We had a great programme of events this year, to celebrate Seachtain na Gaeilge (Irish Language Week)…which actually lasts for 17 days, March 1st-17th!

An Mháirt 5 Márta/Tuesday 5th March – Seachtain na Gaeilge 2024 got up and running with our Tráth na gCeist/Quiz. The teams were made up from QUB students, staff and guests who enjoyed our Eolas Ginearálta/General Knowledge Quiz! Maith sibh a chairde! Well done everyone!

An Chéadaoin 6 Márta/Wednesday 6th March – Lá ag an phictiúrlann/Day at the cinema, hosted in the wonderful surroundings of the QFT, saw close to one hundred pupils from the local Gaelscoil (Irish-Medium School), Scoil an Droichid, visit us to watch Puffin Rock Agus Na Cairde Nua.

Tarrac, kept the audience captivated for the afternoon in the QFT, as QUB students, staff, and members of the public came together to watch the acclaimed Irish Language film on the big screen.

An Déardaoin 7 Márta/Thursday 7th March – In Oidhreacht Ghaelach Bhéal Feirste (Belfast’s Gaelic Heritage), Dr. Fionntán de Brún guided us bilingually around campus, with an informative and enjoyable ‘walk and talk’. Dr. de Brún explored the linguistic origins of our local place names and the crucial role that the Irish language plays in their meanings.

An Mháirt 12 Márta/Tuesday 12th March – Nuala Ní Scolláin, owner of Ióga le Nuala, guided us through a relaxing and energising Yoga session, as gaeilge (in Irish)! Go raibh míle maith agat, a Nuala! (Thanks very much, Nuala!)

An Chéadaoin 13 Márta/Wednesday 13th March – Rith/Siúil Spraoi (Fun Run/Walk) gave Irish language enthusiasts a chance to get their steps in, and also use their Irish with other gaeilgeoirí (Irish speakers).

An Déardaoin 14 Márta/Thursday 14th March – Chuir muid deireadh le Seachtain na Gaeilge 2024 le Comhrá-thon! (We brought Seachtain na Gaeilge to a close with a Comhrá-thon!)

From early morning to late afternoon, the conversation – as well as the tae agus caife (tea & coffee) – was flowing, ending in a céilí (music session) agus cóisir (party)!

Beatha teanga í a labhairt! (The life of a language is in the speaking of it!)

Happy Holi

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Holi, or the festival of colours, is a religious occasion considered the second biggest Hindu festival after Diwali, generally celebrated by people from the north of India. It marks the beginning of spring after a long winter and signifies the triumph of good over evil. To those who celebrate, may your Holi be full of colour, love and happiness!

While we would like to hear how the celebration is to take place in Queen’s community this year, we want to invite you to read the post from Ying, on her last year’s experience of joining this celebration with her Indian friends at Queen’s.

Holi: A Festival of Colours and Joy
Celebrating Holi at Queen’s

Seachtain na Gaeilge 2024

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Irish Language and Cultural Celebrations @Queen’s
Ceiliúradh Teanga agus Cultúrtha @Ollscoil na Ríona

The Language Centre team are delighted to invite you to join us in celebrating SEACHTAIN NA GAEILGE 2024.  All events below are open to all QUB students and staff and are free to attend.  If you would like to attend any of these events, please do register so that we can monitor registration numbers.

Tuesday 5th March: 12.30pm-1.30pm

Our Tráth na gCeist/Quiz gets Seachtain na Gaeilge underway here at Queen’s. Questions will be General Knowledge and will be asked as Gaeilge/in Irish. Teams will be provided with an Irish speaker, if required. Places are limited, so please book early.

Registration

Wednesday 6th March: 10.00am
Scoil an Droichid will celebrate Seachtain na Gaeilge with us, as they visit the QFT to enjoy the Irish Language version of ‘Puffin Rock And The New Friends’.

Wednesday 6th March: 2.30pm
Acclaimed Irish Language film, Tarrac, comes to the QFT as part of Seachtain na Gaeilge 2024. This film is subtitled in English and is Rated 15. Seating is limited, so please book early.

Registration

Thursday 7th March: 12.30pm-1.45pm
Dr. Fionntán de Brún, Professor of Modern Irish in Maynooth University and Award-winning Creative Writer, guides us on a bilingual walk & talk around Queen’s and the surrounding area, exploring the history behind our local place names.

Registration

Tuesday 12th March: 12.30pm-1.30pm
Yoga Instructor, Nuala Ní Scolláin, guides us through a Yoga class…in Irish! Suitable for all levels of Yoga and Irish! Very limited spaces.

Registration

Wednesday 13th March: 1.00pm-2.00pm
We are teaming up with Queen’s Campus Run during University Wellbeing Week for a Run/Walk…in Irish! Get your steps and your ‘cúpla focal’ in one go! Choose your own distance…and pace!

Registration

Thursday 14th March: All day (9.00am-4.00pm) ‘Comhrá-thon’ is a day-long conversation…in Irish! We invite you to join us as we keep the conversation flowing throughout the day @Junction Café.

‘Comhrá-thon’ will conclude with our ‘Ciorcal Comhrá’, where we invite everyone for refreshments, music, and chat as Gaeilge/in Irish!

Email mark.harte@qub.ac.uk with your preferred 30-minute slot and the names of those taking part.

Registration

Happy International Mother Language Day

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This annual observance, which takes place on 21st February every year, is a celebration of cultural and linguistic diversity.

This afternoon, our Language Centre team joined the celebration of multilingualism at the launch of a new Staff Network for Promoting Linguistic Diversity & Minority Languages. This well-attended event is a wonderful celebration of a belief in the power of language to connect people. Preserving, respecting and learning languages is so important for building tolerance and empathy in our divided world.

Language – A Bridge; Not a Barrier!

Don’t forget that registration opens for our Spring term courses on 1st March, via our Language Centre Website.

Celebrating World Arabic Language Day

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Happy World Arabic Language Day!

As the world commemorates World Arabic Language Day on December 18th, we are pleased to have Wejdan, a PhD student who speaks Arabic as her native language, to reflect on the richness of the Arabic language.

My name is Wejdan, and as a proud Saudi, the Arabic language is a source of identity, which serves as a foundation of Saudi culture and heritage. Arabic is poetic and has been cherished for centuries, with a rich literature, science, philosophy, and religion history. It is a language that exhibits diversity in dialects and accents across Arab countries. Saudi Arabia is home to several dialects, reflecting the country’s diverse geography and cultural heritage, making Saudi Arabia so vibrant and captivating.

You will notice a palm-shaped bookmark in the photo. This palm is a symbol deeply rooted in my culture, representing generosity and hospitality. It serves as a reminder of the values we hold dear as Saudis and the warm welcome we extend to others.

In my pursuit of embracing cultural diversity and expanding my language skills, I have recently joined the Language Center activities. I am excited to start this journey, exploring other languages like Japanese. The book in the photo above is an Arabic handbook to learning the Japanese language, exemplifying the bridge between cultures and the pursuit of knowledge.

Let us appreciate the power and beauty of the Arabic language together. World Arabic Language Day is such a chance to promote cross-cultural exchange and understanding.

Learn Arabic, attend cultural events, discover traditional arts and crafts, and interact with Arab people.

Sign up for a Language Centre course

Click here to visit the Language Centre website for more course information and registration.

Registration will close on Thursday 11 January at 5pm and classes will commence week beginning Monday 15 January. We recommend that you register early to avoid disappointment.

International Volunteer Day

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Happy International Volunteer Day!

On Monday 4th December, one day before the International Volunteer Day (5th December), The Language Centre invited students and staff members to join in the celebration of the day, with a particular information session on the Queen’s Chinese New Year Celebration programme for 2024.

Students and staff members, international and domestic, are all welcome to join us and be more engaged in the preparation for the development and delivery of events and activities that can bring together to enrich our proposed programme. The CNY Celebration Programme, as part of the overall Celebrating Cultural Diversity at Queen’s scheme, currently contains a number of events in collaboration with the iRISE (BAME and International Staff Network), The Graduate School, The Student Experience Team, and the Chinese Student Society at Queen’s.

We are pleased to make it inclusive as such and extend our welcomes to new partners and contributors. In particular, we are pleased that Chinese Student Society has made tremendous effort to bring the branded CNY Gala back to the stage (Saturday 3rd February), and that the Student Experience Team and the Graduate School are joining forces in facilitating the student-led CNY Fair (Thursday 8th February). Please mark the dates in your calendar and keep an eye on our further updates in the future.

We particularly welcome students and staff members to volunteer at our events, in a variety of forms including being an assistant, a performer, a host, a speaker, etc. Two student volunteers, Xinxin WANG and Tianpeng YAO, were also invited to share their experience of volunteering both at Queen’s, including serving last year’s CNY celebrations, and else where. They encouraged all new comers to embrace such a brilliant opportunity to not only enrich their life experience but also enhance their soft skills such as team work and coordinating ability, apart from their academic study and literacy.

How to join us?

For those who are interested in being part of our programme preparation team, please sign up via scanning the QR code or clicking the button below. We aim to discuss with you regarding your proposed ideas and plans of contribution to the Programme.

Volunteering

We really look forward to the many spectacular events to bring to Queen’s another festive atmosphere after the Christmas-New Year break.

Continue reading →

LC-iRise Social and Wellbeing Event

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The LC-iRise Social and Wellbeing Event, jointly organised by the Language Centre and Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic & International Staff Network, aims to provide staff members and students a space to meet, network, share knowledge, and enrich the intercultural experience.

This event also celebrates the mid-summer season with a taste of the cultures that Queen’s students and staff members brought together. Light lunch will be provided.

Date: Thursday 22nd June 2023
Time: 12:00 – 14:00 
Venue: Junction area, Main Site Tower / Peter Froggatt Centre, QUB

Registration (until 20/06)

Event review

On Thursday 22 June, Queen’s staff and students came together for a social and wellbeing event, jointly organised by the Language Centre and Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and International Staff Network.

The event included traditional Chinese music on the guzheng, a Taiji martial arts demonstration, as well as various stalls showcasing calligraphy (Persian and Chinese), Indonesian culture, Chinese games, and the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival.

QUB News > In Pictures

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Africa Week 2023

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You are all most welcome to join us on Thursday 25th May at 12 noon in The Harty Room, QUB School of Music, when we will be joined by celebrated musician, Eric Bibb. During this lunchtime concert, Eric will perform a number of his popular songs as well as sharing stories from his experiences of playing music and collaborating with other musicians from across the globe.

Eric will be interviewed by Thomas Smith, from the Language Centre at Queen’s. This musical event falls at the beginning of UNESCO Africa week, 2023 and Eric will also be reflecting on the influence of his time in Africa recording and collaborating with local musicians.

This promises to be a wonderful event, and with limited availability, we encourage anyone that is keen to attend to register now in order to avoid disappointment.

This event is free to attend. To register to attend this event, please complete the following form.

Registration Form

World Day for Cultural Diversity

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Happy World Day for Cultural Diversity!

To celebrate this special Day (21st May), The Language Centre and The Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and International Staff Network would like to invite you to view our posts and reports in the past months on a variety of events that were hosted at Queen’s, broadly with the theme of cultural diversity being shined out.

To help us celebrate cultural diversity as inclusive as possible, you are welcome to let us know the various festivals or days of cultural significance to your native culture that are not yet added to the calendar by completing the survey form embedded.

Cultural Diversity at Queen’s Homepage

Attending the Tandem Language Exchange session

The coming TLE session will be on Wed 24th May, at the Training Room 2, McClay Library. Queen’s students and staff members who are looking to get some language practice and intercultural exchange are very welcome to attend it. Sign up now if you have not done so yet.

TLE Registration

Happy World Portuguese Language Day

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Feliz Dia Mundial Da Língua Portuguesa!

UNESCO

About World Portuguese Language Day

The date of 5 May was officially established in 2009 by the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP) – an intergovernmental organization that has been in official partnership with UNESCO since 2000, and which brings together peoples with the Portuguese language as one of the foundations of their specific identity – to celebrate the Portuguese language and Lusophone cultures. In 2019, the 40th session of UNESCO’s General Conference decided to proclaim 5 May of each year as “World Portuguese Language Day”.

UNESCO

On this special day, Isabella Souza McLaughlin, a graduate intern at Queen’s Global Marketing, Recruitment and Admissions, shared with us her thoughts and feelings of having a Portuguese-speaking identity.

English version

May 5th is World Portuguese Language Day. The Portuguese language is widespread with speakers across all continents and is an official language in nine countries, including Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Timor Leste, Equatorial Guinea, Macau, Cabo Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe. Additionally, Portuguese is the most widely spoken language in the southern hemisphere.

My name is Isabella and I am Irish-Brazilian. Being Brazilian, speaking Portuguese is part of my daily life. Speaking Portuguese allows me to communicate with my family and friends in Brazil, watch Brazilian movies, read books and listen to Brazilian music. Not only that, speaking Portuguese further helps me learn and understand other languages as Portuguese is rooted in Latin, alongside Italian, Spanish and French. If you listen closely, you may hear similar words spoken in these languages.

How can you get involved in World Portuguese Language Day? Here are some examples:

1. Learn the language: Here at Queen’s University Belfast, the Language Centre has classes in Portuguese (European) and Portuguese (Brazilian). You will be surprised to discover how many words you already know in Portuguese! Such as: Olá, tchau, cobra, açaí, mosquito, samba.

2. Visit a Portuguese-speaking country: If you visit Brazil, with its beautiful nature and delicious food, you will be enchanted by Brazilian culture.

3. Watch movies and listen to music from Portuguese-speaking countries.

Portuguese version

5 de maio Dia Mundial da Língua Portuguesa. O português é uma das línguas que se expandiu no período colonial europeu. Hoje é a língua oficial de 9 países divididos entre Europa, América, África e Ásia.

O maior expoente em termos de extensão territorial e número de falantes é o Brasil. Além disso, é a língua mais falada no hemisfério sul. Porém, o idioma tem status oficial em Angola, Moçambique, Guiné-Bissau, Timor Leste, Guiné Equatorial, Macau, Cabo Verde e São Tomé e Príncipe.

Meu nome é Isabella, sou natural da Irlanda, filha de mãe brasileira e portanto o português faz parte do meu dia a dia, pois em casa minha mãe fala português, também meus tios do Brasil e amigos. Gosto de ler livros, assistir filmes e ouvir música brasileira. Falar português ajuda muito a aprender e entender outros idiomas, pois tem origem no latim, italiano, espanhol e francês, se prestar atenção veremos muita semelhança em palavras nesses idiomas.

Portanto comemorar esse Dia Mundial da Língua Portuguesa é aprender e se surpreender com as palavras conhecidas como: olá, tchau, cobra, açaí, mosquito, samba… Visitar o Brasil com sua beleza natural e sua culinária deliciosa é encantar-se não só com as palavras é também conhecer através de filmes e músicas a riqueza de um país encantador.

Isabella’s Graduation Photo | Photo credit: Isabella

Learning Portuguese at Queen’s

To find more information on learning Portuguese languages at Queen’s, please click the links below: