Практический курс разговорного английского языка

Ex. 2. Answer the questions:

1. What are the origins of Halloween?

2. Why does modern Halloween get the paraphernalia of the evil spirits?

3. What are common Halloween traditions? How did they start?

4. What does a legend say about the jack-o-lantern?

5. Do you approve the communities that ban Halloween?

6. Have you ever been to Halloween parties? How was it?

GUY FAWKES’ DAY.

Ex. 1. Read and translate the text.

In Britain, November 5th is the anniversary of the arrest of Guy Fawkes. On that day in 1605, he was discovered in the cellars of the               Houses of Parliament, where he had laid a great pile of wood and thirty-six barrels of gunpowder. He intended to blow up the building during the opening of Parliament by the King.

Guy Fawkes’ Day has become Britain’s main fire festival. Models of Guy Fawkes, stuffed with fireworks, are burnt on bonfires throughout the country. The celebrations in some towns are famous. In Lewes, for example, the six Bonfire Societies march through the town with drums and torches, before setting fire to huge bonfires on the outskirts. In the mid-nineteenth century, when immense fires were lit in the heart of the town, and lighted tar-barrels were rolled through the streets, the danger of fire was very great. Even today, the possibility of riots has forced the town to close its pubs on November 5th. There is something very violent about the emotions which are released on this occasion. It is a reminder that in pre-Christian times, the New Year was celebrated on November 1st, and fires were lit on hill-tops to purify the people and the land, and to defeat the powers of evil, which were then at their strongest.

Ex. 2. Discuss the following:

1. The origin of the celebration.

2. How Guy Fawkes’ Day is celebrated today.

3. The past and present dangers of Guy Fawkes’ Day.

4. Ways in which it might help community feeling.

5. Its excitement or entertainment value.

6. How you could make money out of the celebration.  

THANKSGIVING.

Ex. 1. Read and translate the text.

Every year on the fourth Thursday of November the people of the United States pause to express their gratitude for the bounty and good fortune that they enjoy both as individuals and as nation. Thanksgiving Day is a legal holiday, observed everywhere throughout the US and in US territories, as well as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Customarily, the President of the US issues a proclamation of Thanksgiving Day, and the governors of many of the 50 states often add their own messages.

Although Thanksgiving is one of the most popular holidays in the US, the ideas of setting aside a day to express gratitude for good fortune did not originate in this country. In ancient time many peoples held special festivals in the autumn to give thanks for bountiful harvests.

Since most of the settlers who came to America probably had known some form of thanksgiving day in their homelands, it is not surprising that they transplanted this custom to the New World. The first thanksgiving day service in what was to become the United States was the one held on August 9, 1607, by colonists after their two ships had reached one of the Georges Islands off the Maine coast.

The first permanent English settlement in America was founded at Jamestown, on the James River in Virginia, also in 1607. After the tobacco introduced there in 1612 proved to be a successful crop, plantation settlements, or “hundreds” – an early British designation for area smaller than counties – sprang up elsewhere along the banks of the James. As early as December 4, 1619, the settlers at one of them - Berkeley Hundred – set aside a day to give thanks for the survival of their small company.

Although the Berkeley thanksgiving was probably the first full celebration of its kind by colonists in the New World – “the first official” thanksgiving is a term favoured by some – it was another thanksgiving, which took place in Plymouth Colony in 1621, that set the pattern for present-day observances. After landing on the bleak New England coast in 1620, the Pilgrim band had endured tremendous hardships.

During the winter of 1620 about half the 101 passengers of the Mayflower died. But those who survived persevered. In the spring and summer of 1621 they constructed a number of wooden houses, and with the aid of Squanto, a Pawtuxet Indian, they planted and cultivated fields of corn and barley. In the fall the Pilgrims gathered a rich harvest, and Governor Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving.

The first Pilgrim thanksgiving probably occurred some time in the middle of October 1621. Governor Bradford “sent four men fowling, so they might in a special manner rejoice together after they had gathered the fruit of their labour.” According to Bradford’s history of Plymouth Plantation, the hunters brought back a “great store of wild turkeys,” and to this were added lobsters, clams, bass, corn, green vegetables, and dried fruits.

The Pilgrims invited Massasoit, the chief of Wampanoag tribe, to share their feast. Massasoit enthusiastically agreed to attend the celebration, but when he unexpectedly brought along 90 companions the Pilgrim settlers feared that the natives would consume their entire winter larder. Fortunately, however, Massasoit recognized their difficult position and sent his hunters into the forest. They returned with five deer, and the feast began.

For three days the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag shared the bountiful feast. The militia under the leadership of Captain Myles Standish drilled and fired their muskets and cannon to entertain their guests, and in turn the Wampanoag delighted their hosts with demonstration of their traditional dances. The group also competed in foot races and other athletic contests.

Thanksgiving has always been a day on which families come together for a sumptuous dinner – just as the Pilgrims in Plymouth enjoyed “a great store of wild turkeys,” many Americans now feast on the domesticated descendants of these birds. Dressing, sweet potatoes, squash, creamed onions, and cranberries generally complement the turkey, as does a vast array of other culinary attractions. Pumpkin and mincemeat pies are the favoured desserts of the day, with Indian and plum pudding as close seconds.

Many special events are held on Thanksgiving and the following weekend. It is traditionally a period for professional and college football games, some nationally televised.   

Ex. 2. Answer the questions:

1. What holiday is the Thanksgiving?

2. When and where were the first thanksgiving services held?

3. Why did the Pilgrims proclaim the day of thanksgiving?

4. How did the Pilgrims celebrate The Thanksgiving Day in 1621?

5. What are the features of the modern Thanksgiving Day?

CHRISTMAS.

Ex. 1. Read and translate the texts.

Christmas traditions

Christmas is a religious holiday. It is a day on which Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a happy holiday. Families come together to share their happiness, attend church, and exchange gifts. In the days before Christmas, parties are held in schools, offices, factories, and clubs; stores are crowded with shoppers.

Cities and Towns in the United States sparkle with bright lights and decorations. Churches, homes, schools, shops, and streets are decorated with Christmas trees, colored lights, Santa Claus and his reindeer, and nativity scenes showing the stable where Jesus Christ was born. Store windows display gifts and Christmas scenes.

Families prepare for this holiday weeks before. They make special foods. They make and buy gifts and wrap them with bright paper and ribbons. They choose a tree and then decorate it with ornaments and lights. Houses are decorated with wreaths of holly, evergreens, and mistletoe. Christmas Cards are sent to friends and relatives. Children hand up stockings to receive gifts from Santa Claus.

So, there are many different Christmas traditions. A lot of them actually come from different countries. People celebrate them every year but they don't realize where the traditions come from.

Speaking of trees most people today have Christmas trees at Christmas time in their homes. You'll see them in stores, buildings not just in America, all around the world people celebrate the Christmas Tree. And the origin of this is completely Christian.

There are several interesting legends that go along with the Christmas tree. One is that on the night of Christ's birth all trees around the world blossomed and bore fruit. That's why we decorate our trees with balls and things that represent fruit.

Another tradition says that all trees went to the manger when Jesus Christ was born where there was tiny evergreen that was crowded into the back and couldn't see past the larger trees and so stars actually came down and settled on the tiny tree and baby Jesus smiled at it.

Sometimes we also hang tinsel on our trees and tinsel comes from the leg­end that there was a woman and her children who were decorating a tree. At night a spider came down and spun webs from bough to bough on a tree and because it was such a precious family and poor, Jesus honored them and he honored the woman by turning the webs of the spider into silver. And that's how we get our legend of put­ting tinsel on the tree.

All of us like to get cards, and we like to send cards to people, especially at Christmas time. This happened around 1846. There was  a man named Henry Coal and he sent some cards to some friends, some very small little visiting cards, saying, who he was and 'Have a nice Christmas!' with a little colored design on them. A man named Joseph Krender was a publisher and just 16 years later this became a wide-spread in many different styles for people to buy and send via mail to their friends and the relatives.

Another tradition is to hang stockings on a fireplace if you live in a home which has a fireplace. You hang large stockings there and when you wake up Christmas morning they are filled with goodies, little toys, gifts and things like that. This actually comes from Saint Nicholas (San­ta Claus). This Saint Nicholas was a real per­son in Asia Minor who heard about three beautiful girls whom their father was going to marry to old men as they had no dowry. So at night he went to their home where they had hung their stockings by the fire place to dry after washing them. He drops some gold coins down the chimney and instead of falling into the hearth where the fire is, they actually fell into the stockings which were hanging there. And it became a tradition from then on that people would hang stockings and have gifts put in them.

Mistletoe which is a little greenery leaf, people usually hang over the door or doorway and when they walk under it they are supposed to kiss each oth­er because it's a tradition that once you get under the mistletoe you have to kiss whoever is under it with you.

Santa Claus, of course, is one of the most famous figures at Christmas. He's called many things around the world and in some places he's called "Father Christmas", in Russia he's called "Ded Moroz". So we have many differ­ent names for him. It comes from a tradition of a real man who was a priest in Holland named Saint Nicholas. He was actually the bishop in Asia Minor. There were more churches named after him then any other apostle. Many Dutch sailors met this man named Saint Nicholas and they carried reports back to Europe of his generosity. He was always so good to children and other people. And so they started the tradition in Holland where the people would receive special presents on December 6th. The tradition is that he was a bearded Saint who would ride around on a white horse carrying gifts for good children and birch branches for bad children. The German is "Sant Nicolas", and a Dutch is "Santer Class" and so when you put all these together you can see how in English they get "Santa Claus" but it's also harder to see how the saint became a jolly chubby character who really doesn't have anything to do with being a saint any more at all. All this happened when the Dutch actual­ly settled New York which at that time was called "New Amsterdam." And they repre­sented when they celebrated a "Santer Class" as they called him as a man with a very broad brimmed hat and a long Dutch pipe and a long churchly robe which they then replaced with breeches, short pants which were common in America at that time.

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS AROUND THE WORLD.

Christmas in Australia

Christmas in Australia is often very hot. Whereas the northern hemisphere is in the middle of winter, Australians are baking in summer heat. Some Australians and, particularly tourists, often have their Christ­mas dinner (midday) on a local beach. Other families enjoy their day with a picnic. If they are at home, the day is punctuated by swimming, playing cricket out in the backyard and other outdoor activities.

The warm weather allows Australians to enjoy a tradition which commenced in 1937. Carols by Candlelight is held every year on Christmas Eve, where tens of thousands of people gather in the city of Melbourne to sing their favourite Christmas songs. The evening is lit by as many candles under a clean cut night sky. The sky with its Southern-Cross stars is like a mirror. Sydney and the other capital cities also enjoy carols in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

Australians surround themselves with Christmas Bush, a native plant which has little red coloured leaves. Christmas shopping is often done in shorts and    T-shirts. At many beaches Santa Claus arrives on a surfboard, or even on a surf lifesaving boat.

Christmas in Egypt

The Coptic Church is an Orthodox Church and in the Coptic Church Christmas is celebrated on the 7th of December. Advent is observed for forty days, and during this period people are expected to fast, eating no meat, poultry or dairy products .Some people only do this during the last week of Advent.

On the Eve of Christmas everyone goes to church wearing a completely new outfit. The Christmas service ends at midnight with the ringing of church bells, then people go home to eat a special Christ­mas meal known as fata, which consists of bread, rice, garlic and boiled meat.

On Christmas morning people in Egypt and other parts of the Middle East visit friends and neighbours. They take with them kaik, a type of shortbread, which they give to the people they visit and eat with a drink known as shortbat.

Christmas in Iran

Christmas in Iran is known as the Little Feast. For the first 25 days of December, a great fast is observed. It is a time of peace and meditation; a time for attending services at the church. When the fast is over, the feast is begun, for plenty of meat is prepared for the Christmas dinner.

The boys and girls of Iran have never heard of Santa Claus, so they do not ex­change gifts at Christmas. But they do re­ceive new clothes, which they proudly wear all during the happy Christmas week.

Christmas in India

Christians in India decorate banana or mango trees. They also light small oil-burn­ing lamps as Christmas decorations and fill their churches with red flowers. They give presents to family members and baksheesh, or charity, to poor people.

In South India, Christians put small clay lamps on the rooftops and walls of their houses at Christmas, just as the Hindus do during their festival called Diwalli.

Christmas in Japan

Only one per cent of Japanese people be­lieve in Christ. Even so, most Japanese peo­ple decorate their stores and homes with ev­ergreens during Christmas. They enjoy giv­ing each other gifts; this is the part they cel­ebrate.

They have a priest called Hoteiosha who acts like Santa Claus. He brings presents to each house and leaves them for the children. Some think he has eyes in the back of his head, so children try to behave like he is nearby.

Among the Christian Japanese, Christmas is not a day for the family. They do not have turkey or plum pudding, rather the day is spent doing nice things for others, especially those who are sick in hospitals.  

Ex. 2. Answer the questions:

1.      When do people in the USA celebrate Christmas?

2.      What are the symbols of Christmas?

3.      Why do we decorate  Christmas tree?

4.      Are there any legends connected with this tradition? What are they?

5.      Why do children hang stockings on a fireplace on Christmas Eve?                                                     What is the origin of this tradition?

6.      What is the most famous figure at Christmas?

7.      What do know of the origin of Santa Claus?

8.      How do people of different countries of the world celebrate Christmas Russia, Australia, Egypt etc?

NEW YEAR.