Pancake Day♥

In England, the Tuesday before Lent is known as Pancake Day. On that day it is traditional to eat pancakes, toss pancakes and take part in pancake races.

The origin of eating pancakes arose from Christians who observe Lent and wanted to use up all the rich foods in their cupboards before Lent. During Lent eggs, sugar and butter were not allowed so these ingredients were used to make pancakes. 
An English pancake is a thin, flat cake, made of butter and fried in a frying pan.

                                                                  Pancake races.
Pancake races are held all over England. The object of the race is to get to the finishing line first whilst flipping a pancake in a frying pan a pre-decided number of times. The skill lies not so much in the running of the race but in flipping and catching the pancake, which must be intact when the finishing line is reached.
Each contestant has a frying pan containing a hot, cooking pancake. She must toss it three times during the race that starts at the market square at 11.55 am. The first woman to complete the winding 375-metres course (the record is 63 seconds set in 1967) and arrive at the church, serve her pancake to the bell ringer, and be kissed by him, is the winner. She also receives a prayer book from the vicar.

♠Carnival♣

Carnival is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent, in February. 
Carnival typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party.
People often dress up or masquerade during the celebrations.

In England, the season immediately before Lent was called Shrovetide. It was a time for confessing sins with fewer festivities than the Continental Carnivals. Today, Shrove Tuesday is celebrated as Pancake Day.
The largest Carnival in England is Notting Hill Carnival which doesn't derive from Lent and is celebrated in August. It is derived from Caribbean tradition and is a cultural transplant.

Carnivals have sometimes evolved from fairs, but more often from religious events such as Saint’s Day celebrations, Parish Feasts, Wakes and Whitsuntide processions, and also pagan celebrations such as May Day.

❀Valentine's Day!♥

   

Valentine's Day is observed on 14th February each year. St. Valentine's Day began as a liturgical celebration of one or more early Christian saints named Valentinus.

The legend says that Saint Valentine was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry. During his imprisonment, he met a guard's daughter. Before his death, he wrote a letter to her, signed "From your Valentine".

Today, many people celebrate their love for their partner by sending cards or letters, giving gifts or flowers.

Common Valentine's Day gifts are flowers chocolates, candies, peluches.

Valentine's Day is not a public holiday. Government offices, stores, schools and other organizations are open as usual.

The most common Valentine's Day symbol is the heart, particularly in red and pink. HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Describing a picture★

The picture shows a part London, it was just taken in the capital of England and it's a coloured photo.

In the foreground there is a red telephone box, in the background there is the Big Ben.
There are cars on the street and many lights.

The atmosphere is peaceful, but also a little chaotic, because you can imagine people walking and talking.
I really like this photo, also because I love London and one day, when I'll grow up, I wish that I'll live in this spectacular city.

LANA DEL REY.♥

Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, known by her stage name Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. She was born in Lake Placid, New York on June 21, 1986.
She began singing in the church choir when she was a girl.After her uncle taught her how to play the guitar, she "realized [that she] could probably write a million songs with those six chords," and she began performing in nightclubs around the city under various names such as Sparkle Jump Rope Queen and Lizzy Grant and the Phenomena.

On April 25, 2005, a seven-track compact disc was registered under Elizabeth Woolridge Grant with the United States Copyright Office. The application title was "Rock Me Stable" with another title "Young Like Me" also listed.
When she was 20 years old, Del Rey signed a record contract for $10,000 and moved into Manhattan Mobile Home Park, a New Jersey trailer park.

After uploading a few of her tracks to her Youtube channel, Del Rey was discovered and was signed by Stranger Records to release her debut single "Video Games".
Born to Die, her new album, was officially released on January 31, 2012 worldwide, and reached number one in 11 countries.

Lana Del Rey is one of my favourite singers and I love her so much.
I love her songs, so I don't have a "favorite song", but this below is one of those who I prefer:

Hunger Games♥

The Hunger Games is an American dystopian adventure film, based on the novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins.

♥Plot

The nation of Panem consists of a wealthy Capitol ruling twelve poorer districts. 
As punishment for a past rebellion, each district must provide two "tributes" (one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 selected by lottery, the "Reaping") once every year to compete in the Hunger Games; they must fight to the death in an arena.

In District 12, when Primrose Everdeen is chosen in her first Reaping, her sister Katniss volunteers to take her place. Peeta Mellark, a baker's son, is selected as the other district tribute. Katniss and Peeta are taken to the Capitol accompanied by their mentor, Haymitch Abernathy, a past District 12 victor, and chaperone Effie Trinket.

During a TV interview with Caesar Flickerman, Peeta reveals his love for Katniss. She is outraged, believing it to be a ploy to gain favor with Sponsors who can provide gifts during the Games, but discovers Peeta is sincere.

The televised Games begin with the tributes positioned in front of weapons and supplies in and around a structure called the Cornucopia. Katniss ignore Haymitch's advice to avoid the temptation, and barely escapes death in the inevitable melee over the supplies; eleven others are not so lucky.

She tries to get as far away from the others as possible in the forest, but is eventually treed by the Careers. Rue, the District 11 girl, is hiding in a nearby tree and quietly draws her attention to a tracker jacket nest. Katniss drops the nest on her besiegers; the poisonous flying insects kill one and drive the rest away.

After Rue's death, it is announced that tributes from the same District can win as a team. Then Katniss searches Peeta and finds him with a badly infected leg.
Crane eventually unleashes a pack of hound-like creatures, resulting in Thresh's death. Katniss and Peeta flee to the roof of the Cornucopia, where they find Cato, the only other survivor. After a struggle, Katniss wounds Cato with an arrow and Peeta hurls him to the creatures below. With Peeta and Katniss apparently victorious, the rule change is suddenly revoked. Peeta tells Katniss to shoot him. She instead gives him half of the Nightlock (poisonous berries) they collected. Before they can commit suicide, the couple is hastily proclaimed the victors of the 74th Hunger Games.

A B C of friendship.

A FRIEND DOES MOST OF THESE:

Accepts you as you are
Believes in "you"
Calls you just to say "Hi"
Doesn't give up on you!
Envisions the whole of you
Forgives your mistakes
Gives unconditionally
Helps you
Invites you over
Just "be" with you
Keeps you close at heart
Loves you for who you are
Makes a difference in your life
Never judges
Offer support
Picks you up
Quiets your fears
Raises your spirits
Says nice things about you
Tells you the truth when you need to hear it
Understand you
Values you
Works beside you
X-plain things you don't understand
Yells when you won't listen and
Zaps you back to reality

 "A friend is one before whom I may think aloud."
-Un amico è uno di fronte a cui posso pensare a voce alta.

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends"
-Alla fine, noi non ricorderemo le parole dei nostri nemici, ma i silenzi dei nostri amici.

"A friends is not someone who wipes your tears;he's someone who doesn't make you cry"
Un amico non è qualcuno che ti asciuga le lacrime, è qualcuno che non ti fa piangere"

"A true friend is one who overlook your failures and tolerates your success!"
-Un vero amico è uno che trascura i tuoi fallimenti e tollera i tuoi successi!