Spanish-American Institute
Student Club Newsletter
215 West 43 Street
Times Square, New York 10036-3913 voice: 212.840.7111 fax: 212.719.5922 www.sai2000.org info@sai2000.org
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SKYPE: StudentClub
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March, 2011 |
Vol. 7, No. 2 |
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March roars in like a lion and goes out like a lamb (a baby sheep)--an old English saying. Spring starts March 20. Daylight Saving Time (DST) Spring forward, Fall behind! DST
begins Sunday, March 13 at 2am. Before you go to sleep on
Saturday, March 12, set your clocks ahead one hour.
DST moves an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening to save
energy. Enjoy an extra hour of
daylight until Fall when we move clocks back an hour.
New York City: A City of Immigrants
New York City is truly a city of immigrants. Did you know that NYC has over 180 different culture groups speaking 116 or more different languages? The Urban League, an African-American group, has a saying: “We all came over in different ships but now we are all in the same boat.” St. Patrick’s Day celebrates not only the Irish presence in America but also that of the many immigrant groups who have contributed to this country’s history. St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) St. Patrick’s Day originated with the immigrant Irish who came to the USA in large numbers from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s. The Irish came to escape famine (starvation from lack of food), poverty, and British oppression (unfair or cruel treatment) in Ireland. According to legend, St. Patrick (d.
461) drove all the poisonous snakes out of Ireland. Irish opponents of the British often wore
green in tribute to their saint, St. Patrick.
The shamrock,
a green cloverleaf, became a national symbol.
In attempting to stamp out resistance,
the British forbid the Irish from wearing green. This is the origin of the expression, the Wearing of the Green. Many New Yorkers wear
something green on St. Paddy’s Day—green clothes, green flowers, or green
hats. Many also say that: “Everyone’s
at least a little bit Irish on St. Patrick’s Day.” The Wearin’ O’ The Green (excerpt) Oh! Paddy dear, and did you hear the news
that’s going round, The Shamrock is forbid by law to grow on Irish ground. No more St. Patrick’s Day we’ll keep, his
colors can’t be seen, For there’s a cruel law against the wearing
of the Green. I met with Napper Tandy*, and he took me by
the hand And he said ‘How’s poor old Ireland and how
does she stand?’ She’s the most distressful country that
ever yet was seen, For they’re hangin’ men an’ women for the
wearing of the Green. *Napper Tandy was an Irish revolutionary hero (d. 1803). The Shamrock, An
Irish Symbol of Good Luck. Some believe that a shamrock with four petals or a four-leafed clover
represents good luck. What are some symbols
of good and bad luck in your culture?
Do you believe in luck?
250th St. Patrick’s Day Parade
(March 17)
The Parade marches up 5th
Ave. from 44th-86th St. Irish groups march at the head
of the Parade followed by different Irish clans (social groups, tribal divisions) in their
colorful plaids (cloth pattern of
crossed lines and squares—each clan
has a plaid pattern of its own). Bands, Irish musicians, and other marchers
reflect Irish culture and honor immigrant contribution to the United
States. Over 150,000 people march each
year in NYC. March is Women’s History Month:
The 2011 theme of Women’s
History Month in the US is Our History Is
Our Strength. Look for books in the Spanish-American
Institute Library that celebrate women’s accomplishments and potential. |
March in New York—For Free: So much to see and do in New York City--a lot of it for free. Check out the Spanish-American Institute Student Club Bulletin Boards for more information about free or low cost museums, concerts, immunizations, skating, gyms, etc. Write to clubnews@sai.2000.org with suggestions or comments. Dedicated to the art,
history, technique, and technology of the moving image in all its forms—film,
TV, optical art, etc. in a stunning new renovated space. Free admission Fridays, 4-8pm. 35 Avenue at
37 St., Astoria, Queens. Check website or Institute bulletin boards
for directions. Museum
of the Chinese in America (MOCA). FREE Thursdays, 11am-9pm. See Chinese
Puzzles: Games for the Hands and Mind. 215 Centre St. betw. Howard and Grand one block
north of Canal St. N,R,Q,J,6 trains to
Canal St.
Wednesday
weekly after-work fiesta with live
music, 6-9pm,
El Museo del
Barrio, 1250 5th
Ave. at 104th St. #6 train
to 103rd and walk east to 5th Ave. Live Jazz at Jazz Café, Manhattan School of Music, 7:30-10:00pm, March 14, 15, 23, 28, 29. Broadway and 122nd. St. M4 or M104 bus; #1 to 116th St. and walk north on Broadway to 122nd St. Japan Fashion Now to April 4 and His and Hers to May, Museum at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology). Daily except Sun. to 5pm. 7th Ave. @27th St. Walk from the Spanish-American Institute or take 1,C,E,F,V,N,R trains to 23rd or 28th St. stops. Bye, Bye Kitty!!! Between Heaven and
Hell in Contemporary Japanese Art opens March 18 at Japan
Society. 333 E. 47th
St. near 1st Ave. 4,5,6,7,S
to Grand Central and walk east. Ensemble ACJW, Julliard
School of Music,
Thurs. March 10 at 8pm. Free
tickets at the Box Office starting 2/24 or arrive early for standby. W. 65th St. between Broadway and
Amsterdam Ave. #1 train to 66th St. or A,B,C,D,E,1 to 59th.
St./Columbus Circle and walk north. Burnt Sugar and Others,
Thurs. March 10 and Daorum, Thurs. March 24 at 8:30 pm. Lincoln Center Rubenstein Atrium., music in one
of NYC’s newest public spaces. Broadway between 62nd and 63rd. 1 train to
66th St., 1,A,B,C,D to Columbus Circle and 59th St. The Big Apple Why is NYC
sometimes called the Big Apple? In the
1920s, a NYC reporter supposedly heard New Orleans racetrack workers refer to
the City as the “Big Apple.” Soon
after, jazz musicians began to use the term to refer to NYC and Harlem as the
jazz capital of the world. The jazz musicians of the 1930s and ‘40s put the phrase “The Big
Apple” into more or less general circulation. |
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