DECEMBER

 SCOTLAND

Ce mois-ci, c'est en Ecosse que les élèves de la 4eme6 vous emmènent et vous parlent de sa capitale Edimbourg, de William Wallace et de son monument, des Highland Games et du Festival d'Edimbourg, de l'acteur charismatique Kevin McKidd et de trois animaux de la faune typique, le chat sauvage, le chien Shetland et la vache des Highlands. Bonne lecture.

A CITY

The city of Edinburgh

The city is built on volcanic hills, each providing a different perspective on the city. It is dominated by its castle whose foundations date back to the 7th century, but it is from the 11th century that was built this royal residence before becoming a formidable fortress in the 16th century. Edinburgh was surrounded by walls in the 15th century.

After the defeat of Flodden (1513) against the British, the citizens of the town decided to build a second preventive enclosure named the “Flodden Wall”.
Its mayor is Donald Wilson.
The city lost its political importance but remained an important economic and cultural center.

In addition to the Castle, Edinburgh has many interesting places such as the Royal Botanic Garden, the Saint-Gilles cathedral( Presbyterian), the National Gallery, Charlotte Square, the Scott monument or the Royal Museum of Scotland.

The Palace of Holyrood (Holyrood Palace) is the official residence of the Queen when she stays in the city. Districts of the old and new city have been classified World Heritage by UNESCO since 1995.
The Scottish Parliament (in Scottish Pàrlamaid na h-Alba) is the legislature of Scotland, sitting in the Holyrood area of Edinburgh. Parliament, which is often referred to as Holyrood, includes 129 members democratically elected for a term of four years, according to a mixed system. This parliament is important
because it is the first step towards their independence they are still claiming.

NATHAN BEVIERE

CANNESON GAETAN

MONUMENTS

CREATORs:Christopher & Jason                                                        4°6

The William Wallace Monument

The William Wallace monument(Wallace Monument or National Monument) is a tower atop AbbeyCraig ,a hilltop near Stirling in Scotland.It commemorates William Wallace ,a Scottish hero of the thirtennth century .The tower was built thanks to a fundraising campaign and thanks to the resurgence of Scottish partriotism in the nineteenth century. In addition to pubic subscription, it was partly funded by a number of foreign donosr includin the Italian patriot Guiseppe Garibaldi. Completed in 1869, the building due to John Thomas Rocheadde was built in sandstone in aVictorian style .

FAMOUS PEOPLE

WILLIAM WALLACE

He was a Scottish knight born in 1272 and he was executed in August 23^rd , 1305 in London. He guided his people against the occupation of the English King Edward I of England. William Wallace seemed to be a person of the people. The Wallace family was of minor nobility, offspring of Richard Wallace, he was a land owner and vassal of one of the first members of the Stewart family. His first battles took place in Ayrshie.

Historians often rely on “blind Harry” notes, written around 1470, about two centuries after the birth of Wallace.

William Wallace received his education from his uncle Argheil.
At the time of the birth of William Wallace, the King of Scotland Alescander the third had reigned for 20 years on tScotland. Alescander died falling from a horse and from a cliff, none of his children survived him.So the English king thoought he could tale the Scottish crown.
William Wallace spent some time in France and reappeared in Scotland around 1303-1304 when he resumed his life of rebel and outlaw. He started a rebellion that led Scotland to its independence under the rule of Robert the Bruce. William was betrayed but Scottish nobles and was executed as a traitor in London.

CECiiLE                                                                                         LAURaa

CINEMA

KEVIN McKIDD

Kevin McKidd is a Scottish actor and was born and raised in Elgin, where he studied at the Seafield Primary School. He is married to Jane Parker and father of two children, Joseph and Iona.
His nationality is British.

He was part of the Moray Youth Theatre troupe before beginning his studies. When he went to university to study engineering, he joined the troupe on the campus. He abandoned his studies to engage in full-time acting. He played in films as diverse as Trainspotting or Kingdom of Heaven.

He joined television fiction in 2005 to embody Lucius Vorenus, a Roman soldier in the series Rome. This series chronicles both the events leading to the fall of the Roman Republic and the birth of the Roman empire, as seen through the eyes of their protagonists, and the lives and adventures of two soldiers of the thirteenth legion, legionary Titus Pullo and centurion Lucius Vorenus, who are witnesses of these things, and sometimes even influence them.

He will then play the rôle of Dan Vasser in Journeyman in 2007, this series will be canceled at the end of the first season. Subsequently, he appeared in Grey's Anatomy. He joined the team of doctors at the end of season 5, as Major Owen Hunt. His contract has-been extended, he became a regular character in the series. This series features a medical team in a fictional hospital in Seattle: Seattle Grace Hospital. The title refers to Meredith Grey.

He also starred in Percy Jackson and the lightning thief for the cinema.

Tiffany & Cassandra

SPORTS

Highland Games

The Highland Games are sporting events that take place throughout the year in Scotland and other countries, whose aim is to celebrate Scottish culture, and especially cultural heritage, sports and Highlands. Some aspects of the games have become emblematic of Scotland, this is particularly the case for parades pipers, participants dressed in kilt, and showdowns. The most famous are probably the tug (tug O'War English) Toss the Caber (throwing a tree trunk measuring between 5 and 6.5 meters to land perpendicular to the ground) . While some trace the tradition of Highland games to the eleventh century and King Malcolm III of Scotland, playing in their current form was developed in the nineteenth century during the Victorian period, after the Clearances.

Although focused on competitions of bagpipes, drums-majors, Highland dancing and showdowns, the Highland Games are also the shows and exhibitions related to different aspects of Scottish traditional culture, and particularly Gaelic language.

The Main Activities are:

* Send in the air in front of you and a very heavy and long trunk, the trunk must make a full turn and the end held in the hand must fall more in line as possible after the other has landed (the Caber).
* Send a stone as far as possible
* Send a hammer as far as possible (16 or 22 pounds)
* Send a weight at the end of a chain as far as possible (28 or 56 pounds)
* Send in the air over top of a bar placed a very heavy (56 pounds)
tug, tug of war in English (tug of meaning fire)
T* he sprints and middle-distance races (as in the movie "Chariots of Fire")

Alexandre Ducourty

Joey Barre  

ANIMALS

1. Three Scottish animals

dog

wildcat

cow

The Scottish Wildcat

Large, tabby tail and hairy piercing eyes, the wild cat in Scotland is the only native cat from the forests of Britain to live in their natural environment. It is always elusive and if by chance you see one, it will be a memory to cherish wildlife throughout your life.

The identity of the cat is no doubt when you see one. Despite a strong resemblance to a large tabby cat, the wild cat has a look (and looks amazing) that will make your hair stand on end.

Breeding wild cats with domestic cats sometimes possible so that the genes of some cats living in the wild Scottish can be mixed. But there are differences in skull shape. If you really want to see one in the flesh, there will be perhaps a captive one at the Highland Wildlife Park near Kingussie. The discretion of the beautiful feline at night is perhaps one of the reasons that made it difficult to observe. Host of forests and their edges, he lives in Europe, Asia and Africa. The domestic cat, a little smaller, descends from African populations.

The Shetland Dog

This is a dog friendly, intelligent, very attached to his master. Its temperament is "Affectionate and responsive towards the owner, reserved towards strangers, never nervous." The Shetland is indeed a small sheepdog, with the qualities of a shepherd alongside his master. This is a sweet dog, making it a good companion for children as for adults!

The Shetland Sheepdog can sometimes be stubborn, and when it has decided not to do something, it's better not to insist. This is a dog that does not support violence, even verbal. Abused, he becomes quickly depressed and unhappy. Never lay a hand on him, never shout.
This dog loves to live in contact with his teacher and nature.
As a working dog, the Shetland Sheepdog is active. However, due to its small size it will become accustomed to a small garden, enjoying walks and family outings. It is also a lovely pet inside the house: it adapts and knows how to stay calm.

The Sheltie has a keen intelligence and a great ability to learn which makes it suitable for many disciplines: Agility, Jumping, Flyball, Herd, and many other dog sports. Life expectancy is 12 to 15 years.

It's a solid and robust dog. Elegant, it does not demand despite his long hair, a lot of maintenance. A brush once a week except during moulting when his coat needs a little more attention.

The Highland Cow

Originally from the North West of Scotland these small rustic cows corresponded well to the needs of that region.
These are cows whose birthplace is in rigorous and wild areas of Scotland and therefore very resistant to harsh climates, with large temperature differences and disease.

Thanks to their double thickness of hair, they are resistant to extreme cold and snow. The bottom layer helps protect from the cold and the top layer, coated with oil slids rain on their coats. They consume less energy to live and there is no need to bring extra food. These are the breeds of cows that eat more varieties of flora.

They give birth alone and easily. Beautiful calves are already very strong and developed. The mothers defend them with a highly developed maternal instinct.

The Highland cow, whether male or female, wear beautiful pairs of horns that can be up to 1.10M scope.

Since 1987, Highland cows (Highlands of Scotland) are present on the site. They are responsible for grazing meadows. These ecological lawnmowers maintain the grass.

Grazing is very extensive, which allows you to leave in the pasture areas that will be covered and some shelters a varied fauna and flora.

CIRCUS

International Festival in Scotland

The International Festival of Scotland is a festival that has taken place in Scotland since 1947.

It takes place during the second half of August and the first week of September.

The "Tatoo" holds a military parade to the rhythm of drums and bagpipes every night in August, on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle.

During this period, you can watch many quality shows.

Troupe dancing, orchestras, musicians, actors ... visit each year Edinburgh for the festival.

In August, Edinburgh, Scotland's capital is transformed into a true artistic festival.

The festival fever is at its climax until the last glow of the Festival fireworks in early September.

The main attraction of this festival is the many shows of the street artists: jugglers, fire-eaters, clowns and acrobats.

For example, the diabolo jugglers.

The diabolo appeared in China over 4000 years ago.

It was then called "kuen-gen ', composed entirely of bamboo, had openings that allowed it to whistle when rotated.

Sellers are allowed to sell more goods attracting huge crowds from the whole world over.

Leyla and Florine