All Saints day is celebrated throughout Spain and in most Latin American countries. These days Spain is a secular country, but this date is still important in Spanish culture. On this day many families, Christian or not, commemorate their ancestors and all their loved ones who have died. Many go to the cemetery to clean and decorate the tombs or niches where they are buried. In all the churches there are special masses, and the cemeteries are filled with colourful flowers. Nichos It’s not a very sad day. It is certainly a day of reflection, but at the same time a celebration of the lives of the dead, even with a bit of humour. People celebrate by eating a sweet known as “saints’ bones” because of their shape and colour. They also make other sweets such as panellets. These are typical of Catalonia and are made with almonds, which are harvested at this time. In the street, you can also buy roasted chestnuts and sweet potatoes. Huesos de santos Panellets Castañas asadas Boniatos In Latin American countries this day is celebrated in different ways. In Mexico it was celebrated before the arrival of the Spanish; that is, it’s a Pre-Columbian ritual. In Pre-Columbian Mexican culture, there was a practice of preserving the skulls of the dead and displaying them during the rituals that symbolised death. These days people make sweets in the shape of skulls, eat “bread of the dead”, and set up altars with candles and offerings such as plates of food. Calaveras mexicanas Pan de muerto These days Halloween is increasingly celebrated, but it is not a traditional celebration of the Hispanic world. Truco o trato

Spain’s national holiday celebrates the “discovery” (although nowadays we recognise that a better term might be “invasion” or a “conquest”) of the Americas and the creation of Hispanic culture. It’s also known as el Día de la Hispanidad (Day of the Hispanic identity), because it is also celebrated in Latin America under various names: Día del Encuentro de Dos Mundos (Chile), Día de los Pueblos Originarios y del Diálogo Intercultural (Peru), Día del Respeto a la Diversidad Cultural (Argentina), Día de la Raza (Honduras, El Salvador). In the USA it’s celebrated as Columbus Day. In Canada it falls on the same day as Thanksgiving. Speaking about Columbus: This statue is emblematic of Barcelona. Strangely, the statue is pointing in the wrong direction, towards the Mediterranean, to the east— and Columbus didn’t set sail from Barcelona.(Statue of Cristóbal Colón in Barcelona) Las Américas By the way, in Spanish “América” often means what people in many other countries call “The Americas” or North, Central, and South America. USA And although this country is often called America in colloquial language, its formal name is Estados Unidos, with the initials EEUU. The letters are duplicated to indicate the plural form. National Holiday To get back to the Fiesta Nacional in Spain: traditionally it includes a military parade attended by the king and other members of the royal family, along with the President and other representatives of the central government, as well as representatives of the autonomous communities of Spain. La Virgen del Pilar In Spain the date coincides with the Fiesta del Pilar, in honour of the patron saint of Hispanidad. This is a statue of the Virgin of Pilar, decorated with flowers, during the celebration of this day in Zaragoza. Happy Party!

Finding employment is always a challenge, especially in a language other than your own. If you need to do it in Spanish, this blogpost will help you write your CV, write a cover letter and get ready for an interview. The CV (curriculum vitae, in Latin; résumé in North America) contains several sections:   Contact information Education Work experience Additional courses or training Skills: for example, languages, computer skills, driving licence, etc. Hobbies or interests: for example, car ownership, teamwork skills, availability to travel, etc. You can use the model at the end of this post as a guide. Note that in Spain the CV includes a photo of the candidate. It’s not obligatory but it’s a very common practice. 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 The cover letter should include:   Name and/or job title and address of the person you are writing to Your full name, address and contact details (telephone, email) Place and date Subject: for example, solicitud de puesto de director/a de marketing Salutation: this should be formal, such as Estimado/a sr./sra. + nombre y apellido/s The main body of the letter: explain why you are applying for this job, and how your education, training and experience make you a good candidate for the position.  You can use some of these phrases in the letter:  Me dirijo a usted para expresar mi deseo de incorporarme a su empresa; Le escribo para expresar mi interés por… Como puede comprobar en mi currículum adjunto,…   Then you can summarise your experience using some of these temporal markers: Recientemente Actualmente En los últimos años Acabo de + infinitivo Don’t forget that when speaking of the past it’s best to use the pretérito perfecto, because this tense is used to describe experiences more closely related to the present (he trabajado, he estudiado, he viajado,…). When you talk about your preferences, interests and feelings try not to repeat the same verb. Here are some expressions that might help you to avoid this. Me encanta/n Me apasiona/n Me parece/n Me molesta/n Me preocupa/n Me pone/n (nervioso/a, de mal humor,…) Me llevo bien/mal con (clientes, compañeros de trabajo,…) Adoro Detesto No soporto No aguanto Formal closing: for example,  Quedo a su entera disposición para cualquier información que necesite. Estoy a su disposición para realizar una entrevista. En espera de sus noticias, le saluda atentamente,… Agradeciéndole su atención le saluda atentamente   Full name and signature You can use the model at the end of this post as a guide. The interview: congratulations if you have made it this far!   Make a good impression: it’s important to be well dressed, preferably not in jeans and T-shirt, and if you have tattoos or piercings it’s better to cover them up. Not all jobs require this level of formality but if you don’t know the company well, it’s best to to make sure that a more relaxed style of dress doesn’t cause a problem. In some jobs you have to wear a suit, and men have to wear a tie.