Dance and Travel

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The 3 Best Places to Visit in Catalonia

Besalu town in Catalonia Catalonia is the Region to which Barcelona belongs, in Spain. Such a region is amazing since it has a combination of mountains, sea and hills with mild temperatures almost all the year. Catalonia's most famous city is Barcelona, however the best places to visit and see are outside the city, deeply embedded in the nature. I have made a list of 3 that you should not miss: Siurana, Rupit i Pruit, and Besalu all of them are small medieval villages immersed in nature at 1 and half hour away from Barcelona. Siurana Siurana is a wonderful medieval town located in Catalonia near to Tarragona city where history and outdoors activities perfectly combine together. The village is known to be the last bastion of Christian recapture in Catalonia. Siurana village Legend tells that the moorish queen Abdelazia preferred to jump down the cliff with her horse rather than being captured by the Christians. Her horse tried to resist in vain, leaving its

Buddha and the Importance of his Positions

Karana Mudra - Buddha Position for warding off the Evil The most amazing trip I've made this year was in Thailand. To understan better Oriental and Southern Asian culture - Lonely Planet Book Guide can help you - you have to know first what Buddhism is and what rappresents there. Buddhism is not properly a religion, but more a philosophy of life. According to wikipedia it is a philosophy gathering a variety of traditions, beliefs and spiritual practices based on original teachings of Buddha. All Buddhist traditions share the goal of overcoming suffering and the cycle of death and rebirth, either by the attainment of Nirvana or through the path of Buddhahood. However, have you ever noticed that Buddha is always rappresented in different positions? Its hands, arms, and gestures changes depending the message he want to give us. Therefore, it is essential to know Buddha's positions to undestant better the Buddhist culture. I was very impressed in the Wat Pho (T

Naples: the Cult of Death and other Supersticious Traditions

Cimitero delle Fontanelle's detail Recently I have been travelling in Naples and I am truly convinced that if you don’t know about Superstition and Cult of Death you can’t really understand the soul of this city. Indeed, Naples traditions' are deeply rooted in both superstition and religion, till a point that they mix together and it is impossible to distinguish them. A great example of this melange is the Cult of Death or the Cult of Skulls. Such a religious practice is connected to the concepts of Christianity and a belief in Purgatory. According to the Catholic Church, Purgatory is a place for souls who have not been completely freed of sin. People believed if the living said prayers on behalf of the souls in Purgatory, they will get favors in return. A child's skull in Cimitero delle Fontanelle How does it work the cult of death in Naples? Let's start from the fact that there are a lot of bones buried under Naples, as a result of Centurie

7 Portuguese Words you can't Traslate in English

As a Portuguese learner and Brazilian culture and music passionate, I couldn’t stop noticing that some words do not have a translation in other languages. In my experience Portuguese language is charming and full of words that hold a tremendous amount of feeling and symbolism. Indeed, Brazilian culture is deeply intertwined with music, rhythm, traditions, and feelings. Some feelings and gestures do not have a translation. Here are my personal list with the 7 most meaningful words in Brazilian Portuguese that simply cannot be translated completely into English. 1 )Saudade Probably the most untranslatable Portuguese word. It is a nostalgic and profound state of melancholic longing for a person, place, a situation or anything that exists. It often carries a repressed knowledge that the object of longing might never return. In English can be expressed with melancholy, longing, or nostalgia. Ex. Que saudade daquela época onde a gente ainda era criança e se divertia com n

Abruzzo a wonderful gem in the Center of Italy

Rocca Calascio Fortress (1450 mt. - L'Aquila province) Have you ever heard about Abruzzo? Probably not! Well, maybe is better you start knowing it. It is a region located in the Center of italy, on the right side of Rome that overlooks the Adriatic Sea. I would define Abruzzo as a complete region from the naturalistic point of view: it has a mountainous area to the west side, which includes the Gran Sasso d'Italia, a coastal area to the east with beaches on the Adriatic sea, all around is green and hills. According to Wikipedia , it hosts 3 national parks and 38 protected nature reserves. Geopolitical map of the Centre of italy What makes Abruzzo special? An Italian diplomat and journalist called Primo Levi described Abruzzo as " forte e gentile " (strong and kind), adjectives that personally I think best describe the Beauty of the region and the Character of its people. Historically, Abruzzo it has always been a poor region, land of shepher

Kizomba or Everybody needs Affection

Kizomba professors dancing at Latin Groove School in Canada Is Kizomba the sexiest dance ever? It is...but just outside Angola. Yes, because Kizomba is dance and a musical genre originating in Angola, a former Portuguese colony and it means "party" in Kimbundu, an Angolan language. Kizomba dance comes from the Angolan Semba and Kizomba music from the traditional Angolan Semba music with the French Antilles Zouk . Why it became famous as "The Sexiest Dance Ever"? Traditionally, the dance involves two people in a close embrace with their torsos touching. One dancer - usually a man - leads and the other follows in a slow walk, stepping backwards and forwards, and drawing a circle with their movements. This is enhanced by movements with the hips. This is how it looks in Angola: Concurso de Kizomba em Angola 2016 Winners Semba and kizomba were danced in family settings, at large parties called kizombadas. Mothers can dance with their sons, a fat