9. Make a project work “The Republic of Belarus”.

Customs and Traditions of Great Britain

1. Study the following words.

amateur – любитель

bonfire – костер

bowler hat – шляпа-котелок

particularity – характерная черта

superstition – суеверие

be renowned for – известный

blow up – взрывать

сelebration – празднование

deal with – иметь дело с

2. Choose the correct definitions of the given words.

1. Generation

a) a general or broad statement by inferring from specific cases

b) all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively

c) the branch of medicine or social science dealing with the health and care of old people

2. Custom

a) a traditional and widely accepted way of behaving or doing something that is specific to a particular society, place, or time

b) the protective care or guardianship of someone or something

c) the action or process of taking something

3. To deal with

a) to break promises

b) to punish severally

c) to give your attention to something, and often solve a problem

4. Superstition

a) excessively credulous belief in and reverence for the supernatural

b) provision with something needed or wanted

c) observation and direction of somebody’s work

5. To blow up

a) to gain happiness or satisfaction by achieving one's potential

b) to explode or cause to explode

c) to break free from confinement or control

3. Read the text and answer the questions that follow it.

Every nation and every country has its own customs and traditions. Britain is different from our own country. This is natural. In Britain traditions play a more important part in people’s life than in other countries. Englishmen are proud of their traditions and carefully keep them up.

The combination of the words tradition and custom means a usual manner of doing something, a belief of principal, of conduct passed on from generation to generation. Traditions can be subdivided into the traditions dealing with private life, religious holidays, public celebrations, traditional ceremonies and traditional sporting events.

Here are some of the holidays celebrated in Britain during a year.

St. Valentine is the saint of people in love, and St. Valentine's Day is February 14th. On that day, people send Valentine cards and presents to their husbands, wives, boyfriends and girlfriends.

April 1st is April Fool’s Day in Britain. This is a very old tradition from the Middle Ages. At that time the servants were masters for one day of the year. They gave orders to their masters, and their masters had to obey. Now April Fool’s Day is different. It’s a day for jokes and tricks.

October 31st is Halloween; you can expect to meet witches and ghosts that night. Halloween is an old word for “Hallows Evening”, the night before “All Hallows” or “All Saints’ Day”. On that one night of the year, ghosts and witches are free. It’s time for fun. There are always a lot of parties on October 31st. At these parties people wear masks and dress as ghosts and witches. Some people make special Halloween lamps from a pumpkin. They take out the middle of the pumpkin, cut holes for the eyes, nose and mouth and put a candle inside the pumpkin.

There are lots of Christmas and New Year traditions in Britain. For example, it’s Christmas Day. In Britain the most important meal on December 25th is Christmas dinner. A 21st-century British Christmas dinner is a roast turkey with carrots, potatoes, peas, Brussels sprouts and gravy. There are sausages and bacon too. Then, after the turkey, there’s Christmas pudding.

December 26th is Boxing Day. Traditionally boys from the shops in each town asked for money at Christmas. They went from house to house on December 26th and took boxes made of wood with them. At each house people gave them money. This was a Christmas present. So the name of December 26th comes from the boys’ wooden boxes. Now, Boxing Day is an extra holiday after Christmas Day.

1. What does the combination of the words tradition and custom mean?

2. What do people do on St. Valentine's Day?

3. What is a 21st-century British Christmas dinner?

4. Who went from house to house on December 26th and took boxes made of wood with them?

5. What does the name of December 26th come from?