BiCortex Serviços de Idiomas

In honor of , we want to give a big shout out to Clare Powles, from our Finance team, who won November's "Reward & Recognition" award! 🎉She was nominated by her colleagues for her fantastic work, and we 100% agree: She deserves it!🏆

Thanks for all you do, Clare!

Moving to New York City?📌If you've got kids, you'll want to check out this article we wrote for our friends at NYC Navigator on schooling options and how the right support makes ALL the difference for expat kids.🎯

Read the article here:https://bit.ly/4abQl2h

Big thanks to Patricia Chaban for the collaboration!

Did you know that Serbian Orthodox Christmas, known as Božić, is celebrated on January 7th? That means that their Christmas season extends to next week‼️(Based on the Julian calendar) One unique Serbian Orthodox Christmas tradition is the arrival of the položajnik, a person chosen to bring Christmas blessings to the home. 🏠

➡️The položajnik is typically a family friend or a relative who arrives early in the morning on Christmas Day.🌅

He enters the house, gives the head of the household a festive greeting, and blesses the home by offering prayers for the health and prosperity of the family! This tradition is symbolic of welcoming Christ into the home.✨

However, the festivities actually begin on Christmas Eve, which is January 6th, with a custom called Badnjak.

The Badnjak is a young oak tree 🌳or a bundle of oak branches that is ceremoniously brought into the home and placed by the fireplace.

The tree is symbolic of the wood of Christ's manger. This act marks the beginning of the Christmas festivities and is often accompanied by prayers for peace and prosperity in the coming year.🙏

Cheers to happy endings and to new beginnings!✨Wishing you and yours a great New Year's Eve & a bright, prosperous 2025!🎊

We love hearing good things from our clients -- it's the best kind of Christmas gift!🎁👇

It's "Fun Fact Friday!" Christmas has come and gone for most of the world, but not for everyone! Most cultures celebrate during the entire month of December, but some cultures take a LOT longer to enjoy the festivities!

In the Philippines, Christmas celebrations start as early as September, making it the longest holiday season in the world.🎄

This extended celebration is deeply rooted in Filipino culture, and here’s why:

❇️ The "Ber Months" Tradition: Filipinos embrace the "Ber months" (September to December) as the start of Christmas. As soon as September arrives, homes, malls, and public spaces are filled with decorations, Christmas carols, and the iconic parol (star-shaped lanterns). 🌟The early start symbolizes a season of hope and joy.

❇️ Family Reunions: Christmas is a time for families to come together, especially those with members working abroad. Starting the season early gives people more time to prepare, reunite, and enjoy the holiday together.✨

❇️ Spiritual Preparation with Simbang Gabi: Filipinos participate in Simbang Gabi, a nine-day series of pre-dawn Masses leading up to Christmas. This tradition is a way for Filipinos to spiritually prepare for the holiday, with the belief that completing all nine Masses brings blessings.🎁

❇️ Celebration of Faith, Family, and Community: The extended Christmas season reflects the country’s strong religious faith, love for family, and sense of community. 😍 The holiday season is a time to spread joy and positive energy, bringing people closer together.

For Filipinos, Christmas is more than just a holiday—it’s a time to reflect, celebrate, and cherish the bonds of family and faith. 🎄

🌟From all of us, to all of you!🌟 Wishing each one a special time with family and friends as 2024 comes to an end. We are thankful for the many cultures and traditions represented by the BiCortex team, as well as those represented by our clients and friends!🌍

Whatever your language, whatever your tradition, we wish you peace, love, and happiness!🥰

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Christmas is days away, and if you know us, you know we like to have fun!😍Here's a screenshot from last week's virtual team Christmas Party. Maggie Williams led us in a Christmas Quiz to test our holiday knowledge!✨

Kudos to our BiCortex Christmas Experts, ranking as follows: 🏆

❇️1st Place - Tia Braham
❇️2nd Place - Marie Tyler
❇️3rd Place - Tanja Milosavljevic

Maybe we're biased, but we're pretty sure our team is the best! 😃

Have a wonderful week of celebrating with family and friends!

Happy holidays from the entire BiCortex crew! 🎄We wish you and yours a wonderful holiday with family and friends, full of love, light, and laughter!✨

Back during the pandemic, immigration processes quietly changed in a big way.💡One major change was that apostilles – the mechanism for certifying a document so that other countries will recognise it – went digital‼️

In the middle of an immigration process and confused? Don't be. Overwhelmed? No need.👈

✅ It's true that tackling apostilles is not for the faint of heart, but we're here to help. In fact, we recently wrote an article for our friends at Centuro Global on all-things e-Apostille -- it's a great overview.

From Paper to Pixel: How e-Apostilles are Transforming Immigration Processes

Here's the link: https://bit.ly/3Vbyt0V

Check it out!