DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

    The festival of  San Fermín  (or  Sanfermines , in  basque language   Sanferminak ) in the city of  Pamplona ( Navarre ,  Spain ), is a deeply rooted celebration held annually from 12:00, 6 July, when the opening of the fiesta is marked by setting off the pyrotechnic  chupinazo ,   to midnight 14 July, with the singing of the  Pobre de Mí . While its most famous event is the encierro, or  the running of the bulls , the week-long celebration involves many other traditional and  folkloric  events. It is known locally as  Sanfermines  and is held in honor of  Saint Fermin , the co-patron of Navarre. Its events were central to the plot of  The Sun Also Rises , by Ernest Hemingway , which brought it to the general attention of English-speaking people. It has become probably the most internationally renowned  fiesta  in Spain. Over 1,000,000 people come to watch this fes...

The Queen's Birthday - 85 facts you should know about The Queen The Queen will celebrate her 89th birthday today by attending the traditional Royal Maundy Service at Westminster Abbey. Below of 85 facts you should know about the Queen.  The Sovereign's birthday is officially celebrated by the ceremony of Trooping the Colour on a Saturday in June. Early years 1. The Queen was born at 2.40am on 21 April 1926 at 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair, London. 2. She was the first child of The Duke and Duchess of York, who later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. 3. At the time she stood third in line of succession to the throne after Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII), and her father, The Duke of York. But it was not expected that her father would become King, or that she would become Queen. 4. The Princess was christened Elizabeth Alexandra Mary in the private chapel at Buckingham Palace. She was named after her mother, while her two middle names...

    On the first Thursday of July and the previous Tuesday every summer, the  Ommegang  lights up the magnificent of Brussels. History     The secular setting stages the glorious and majestic procession in Brussels of Emperor Charles V Guests of honour sit at the delicately worked windows of the Town Hall to watch the reconstitution of this historical meeting from the beautifully decorated balconies. The Prince of Orange, who would become William the Silent, many ladies in waiting, city councillors, the emperor's bulldog and other hounds, his fal conry train with ladies carrying skittish birds perched proudly on their hands--all accompany the Emperor. Accompanied by his son Philip, Crown Prince of Spain and Duke of Brabant, and his sisters Eleanor, Queen of France and Mary of Austria, Queen of Hungary and Regent of the Netherlands. This majestic pageant strides along the proud façades that once housed the guilds and the elegant archite...