Holidays, customs and traditions

In spite of the changes that have taken place since the last century, many of Britain's as well as Ukrainian's traditional customs are strongly alive. Many of them have deep-rooted beliefs and fears of our primitive forebears, others have religious meaning.

In the Christian church Christmas is the day on which the birth of Christ is celebrated. Many of the Christmas customs have a non-Christian origin. We decorate our houses at Christmas time and New Year with evergreens - emblems of undying life - just as our pagan forebears did to ensure the fertility of the crops in the forthcoming year. The custom of bringing and decorating a Christmas or New Year tree was a medieval German tradition, which is followed nowadays in many countries.

On the Sunday before Christmas many churches hold a carol service where special hymns are sung. Carol singers are wandering along the streets and collect money.

There are a lot of traditions connected with Christmas and New Year. Perhaps the most important one is the giving of presents. Family members wrap up their gifts and leave them at the bottom of the Christmas tree to be found on Christmas morning. In Great Britain children leave a long sock or stocking at the end of their bed on Christmas Eve hoping that Father Christmas will come down the chimney during the night and bring them presents. The family sits down to a big turkey dinner followed by Christmas pudding.

In Ukraine Christmas dinner consists of twelve dishes, a traditional Ukrainian Christmas dish – ‘kutya’ is among these.

Easter is a holiday in Christian church, commemorating the Resurrection of Christ. In Ukraine it is customary to dye eggs at Easter. These eggs symbolize new life. They are given as presents together with Easter cakes - ‘paskas’, specially baked pastries.

In Great Britain people celebrate the idea of new birth by giving each other chocolate Easter eggs which are opened and eaten on Easter Sunday. Easter Monday is a holiday and many people travel to the seaside for the day or go and watch one of the many sporting events, such as football or horse-racing.

The American traditions of celebrating religious holidays are generally the same as those in other nations which observe them. But besides them there are some holidays which have American origin. The first is Independence Day. 4^th of July which is the American nation’s birthday. It honours the day in 1776 when the Declaration of Independence, which cut the ties with Britain and established the United States of America. On this day each city or town organizes its own ceremony– a parade, speeches by public officials and evenings fireworks displays.

Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the last Thursday of November to commemorate the first settlers who reached the continent on board “Mayflower” in 1620. After a two-month voyage they landed at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts. During their first winter over half of the settlers died of hunger or from epidemics. In the spring, with advice and help from the Indians, with whom they lived in peace, the settlers planted corn. When, finally the fields produced a rich harvest they decided to celebrate it. Today, families gather together for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. This consists of the food served at the first Thanksgiving: roast turkey, and cranberry sauce, plus sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie.

NOTES:

deep-rooted beliefs	глибокі вірування
primitive forebears	первісні предки
undying life	невмируче життя
to hold a carol service	правити службу
at the bottom of the Christmas tree	під ялинкою
Resurrection of Christ	воскресіння Ісуса Христа
pagan	язичницький
cranberry sauce	журавлиновий соус

Ex.7. Give the English equivalents to the Ukrainian word combinations from the text.

1) страхи первісних предків, 2) символізувати, 3) загортати подарунки,

4) оспівувати, 5) середньовічний, 6) гарантувати родючисть,

7) Воскресіння Ісуса Христа, 8) язичницький, 9) різдзвяний гімн,

10) гарбузовий пиріг, 11) саджати кукурудзу, 12) державні діячі,

13) поселенці, які досягли, 14) розірвати зв’язок, 15) журавлиновий соус,16) зазвичай, 17) у підніжжя , 18) невмираюче життя,

19) глибокі вірування, 20) проводити службу, 21) смажена індичка.

Ex. 8. Read the following sentences and decide if they are true or false.

Use: You are mistaken, the text says... , You are quite right., As far as I know, etc. .

1. The dates of religious holidays coincide in Ukraine and English – speaking countries.

2. In Great Britain it is customary to dye eggs at Easter.

3. The family sits down to a big turkey dinner followed by Christmas pudding.

4. The 4^th of July is a national holiday in Great Britain.

5. Thanksgiving Day was established to commemorate the landing of the first settlers in Plymouth.

6. The Americans enjoy having roast turkey and pumpkin pie on Independence Day.

7. The way of celebrating Christmas is the same in Great Britain as in Ukraine.

8. The Americans hold parades on their main holidays.

9. Children are given candies after singing carols at Easter.

Ex.9. Fill in the blanks with words or word combination from the text.

1. Many of them have __ ___ beliefs and fears of our primitive ____.

2. After supper carol singers ___ along the streets and collect money.

3. We decorate our houses at Christmas time and New Year with ___ _ __just as our forebears did to ensure _____ of the crops in the

forthcoming year.

4. Family members ____ up their gifts and leave them _ __ ___ _ the

Christmas tree.

5. Easter is a holiday in Christian church, ______ the Resurrection of

Christ.

6. Declaration of Independence ,which___ __ ___ with Britain and

____ the United States of America.

7.Thanksgiving Day is celebrated to commemorate the first settlers who _____ the continent _ ____”Mayflower”.

8. The settlers who didn’t die from hunger during the first winter in America ___ __ __and finally gathered a rich _____.

Ex. 10. Answer the questions.

1. What kind of holiday is Christmas?

2. How do people decorate their houses at Christmas time and New Year?

3. How do the Ukrainians/the British celebrate Christmas and Easter? What is in common and what is different in celebrations?

4. What does Easter commemorate?

5. What do Easter eggs symbolize?

6. What American celebrations do you know?

7. When was the Declaration of Independence proclaimed in the USA?

8. Why is Thanksgiving considered to be a state holiday?

Ex.11. Say what you have learned about:

1. The religious holidays in Ukraine.

2. The religious holidays in Great Britain.

3. The celebrating of Independence Day in the USA.

4.The history of Thanksgiving Day.

Ex.12. TALKING POINTS

1. What is your favorite holiday? Why?

2. What traditions do you regard as the most important in your family?

3. Why do people in western countries celebrate Christmas on December

25th and the Ukrainians on January 7th?

4. What other Ukrainian celebrations do you know? Are they connected

with pagan beliefs or Christianity or some other events?

5. How does your family celebrate Easter /Christmas?

6. In what way do you usually celebrate holidays?

Ex.13. Speak on the topic Customs, traditions and holidays.