Festivals

FestivalsUnit 14

Festivals Chinese Festivals Lantern Festival The Dragon Boat

Festival Tomb Sweeping Day Mid-Autumn Day New Year’s Day Double-ninth National Day May 1st

Foreign Festivals Christmas Day Thanksgiving Day Mother’s Day April Fool’s Day Valentine’s Day Easter

Pumpkin head

Halloween Masks

The night of October 31st, when it was believed that the spirits of dead people appeared, and which is now celebrated in the US by children, who dress as witches and ghosts.

Halloween

Obon in Japan

ObonA traditional Buddhist festival which

takes place throughout Japan around August 15. At this time, people visit their ancestors' graves, welcome the ancestors' spirits home with food and offerings and then see the spirits off.

In this picture we can see some Japanese women are floating paper lanterns to welcome their past ancestors back home.

The Day of the Dead

In Mexico

The Day of the Dead in Mexico The best way to describe this Mexican

holiday is to say that it is a time when Mexican families remember their dead, and the continuity of life. The celebration usually begins as early as October 18 and continues until November 9.

In this picture, we can see a lady is visiting the resting place of the dead. She has lit some candles and is now placing a bunch of flowers in front of the monument to show her respect for and memory of the dead.

Compare a Chinese festival with a foreign one Name When Who How

Why

Themes How old

Tomb Sweeping Day April 5th

All Chinese around the world Visit their family graves, pull weeds,

sweep away dirt and set off offerings of food and spirit money

To honor past ancestors, celebrate the rebirth of nature, marking the beginning of the planting season and other outdoor activities

Family, nature From the Spring and Autumn Period

Compare a Chinese festival with a foreign one Name When Who How

Why

Themes How old

Halloween October 31 Americans Hold fancy balls, dress up in all

manner of ghoulish costumes; noisily parade around the neighborhood

To keep the living body away from being possessed by spirits of all those who died throughout the preceding year

Superstition, safety, religion From the 1840’s

Sample discussion :A: OK, I will begin. We need to decide what the new holiday will be. I think that the new holiday should be a Peace Day. On this day, no fighting or conflicts are allowed. People learn and talk about peace. The holiday will be celebrated on the second Sunday in January. I think this is the best idea because nothing is more important than peace.

B: That’s a good idea, but I think we should create a Happiness Day instead. If people are happy, there won’t be any wars or fights. We should celebrate Happiness Day on the shortest, darkest day of the winter, because many people feel unhappy when it’s cold and the sun doesn’t shine. People will celebrate by doing something that makes another person happy, for example helping them do something or giving them a card or a small gift. Most important, people should smile and laugh a lot on Happiness Day.

C: I like your ideas, but I would like to suggest something different. Why don’t we have a Friendship to each other, they will be happy and they won’t fight. I think that we should celebrate Friendship Day the first day of every month. If we do this, we will start each month in a friendly way. We can learn about how to make and keep friends and how to solve problems together. People will celebrate Friendship Day by making new friends and spending the day together with their friends.

D: Well, perhaps we shouldn’t be so selfish. Peace, happiness and friendship are important to us, to human beings, but what about the rest of the planet? We mustn’t forget about nature, the environment and the animals. On this day, which we will celebrate on the first day of spring, people will not pollute and they will learn more about nature. We should also plant trees and do something for our animal friends. I think that we will be happier, friendlier and more peaceful if we learn to take better care of our planet. Why not have a Nature Day?

Summary of the festival Mardi Gras

A horn player in the Mardi Gras. In New Orleans, USA, Mardi Gras is celebrated with parades and marching bands playing jazz music. Mardi Gras, or Shrove Tuesday, is the last day before Lent, a period of fasting.

People celebrate Mardi Gras by dressing up in costumes

dress up 穿上正装 , 打扮 You don’t need to ~ for this dinner. I don’t w

ant to go to their wedding because I hate dressing up.

dress up in … 穿…服装打扮 I just love the fun of dressing up in ancient c

lothing. dress up as … 打扮成 The little girl dressed herself up as an angle. be dressed in … 穿 She is always dressed in white.

Summary of the festival

Ramadan is a time of fasting. During this month, Muslims may not eat food during daylight hours. Ramadan is an important month for Muslims.

Ramadan

Summary of the festivalEasterA Christian holy day in March or April when Christians remember the death of Christ and his return to life.

Make the best of sth. -- to accept an unsatisfactory situation and

do whatever you can to make it less bad ( 不爱做的事 ) 好好去做 , 往好里做 We have to ~ the situation. One must learn to ~ a bad job. The girl did not like to wash dishes, but she

made the best of it. Make the worst of Dave was now changing over from making t

he worst of the affair to making the best of it. ( 在困难情况下 ) 不肯做出努力 , 不肯好好干

Sample dialogue:

A: OK, let’s begin . We are going on a holiday together and we have to decide where to go and what to do . Let each of us tell the group where we want to go and why . Can you start, please ?B: Yes . I think that the best way to celebrate is to have dinner at a restaurant and then go singing because we should have some fun. A holiday is a good time to eat together and we all

like singing, so I think this is what we should do. And, if we eat at a restaurant, we don’t have to cook or wash dishes.

D: I agree that we should have fun, but I’m not so sure that going to a restaurant is such a good idea. I think we should stay home and invite our friends and family to dinner. We should spend our holiday at home, with the people we love, not go out to some restaurant. Besides, cooking together is fun and we can make

dumplings and help each other do the dishes.

C: Well, I think we should go on a trip to Mt Taishan and go hiking in the mountain. We don’t have that many chances to go on a trip, so I think we should go now. We would get some exercise and some fresh air, and we would see all the wonderful sights.

A: But that’s too expensive. I like the idea of spending the holiday outdoors, but we don’t have to travel that far. The buses

and trains are going to be crowded, anyway, and we won’t be able to enjoy the trip. Why don’t we go to the park and have a picnic. If we have a picnic, we can enjoy a good meal and nature at the same time, and we may meet some interesting people. It’s not as expensive as traveling or going to a restaurant, and it’s more fun than staying at home. B: Well, let’s see. I want to go to a restaurant, you want to have dinner at home, you want to go on a trip and you want to have a picnic in the park. So, we all want to eat, right?

Fast reading 1. What is the text about? The title of the text THE BIRTH OF A

FESTIVAL, so we can guess that the text will describe how the festival was created and explain how, why and when it is celebrated.

We know that festivals are usually celebrated at a certain time of the year and that people usually do special things (like giving gifts, lighting candles, eating certain foods, etc), so I can guess that the text will tell us about such things.

2. What is the festival described in the passage ?

Kwanzaa. It is a seven-day festival celebrating the culture and history of African Americans.

3. How can African Americans have a long history while the country itself is a young one?

The British brought slaves from West Africa into the American colonies in the early 17th century, more than a century before those colonies gained their independence from Britain.

Read and do the following exercises 1. From the first paragraph, we know Kwanzaa

is different from Christmas because ____. A. Kwanzaa is younger and less known B. Kwanzaa has a longer history C. Kwanzaa comes after Christmas Day D. Kwanzaa is celebrated only in Africa2. “They chose the word because there are

…” (para.2) The underlined part refers to _______

A. Kwanzaa B. a festival C. Swahili D. a language

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3. In African first-fruit festivals, people used to do the following except _____

A. give thanks B. harvest their crops C. try to be with their family D. celebrate their history and culture.4. According to the seven principles mention-

ed in the text, people should not _______. A. be independent B. respect their ancestors C. change any of the old traditions D. help to develop their own industry

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5. Why did people choose to celebrate Kwanzaa between Christmas and New Year’s Day?

A. It’s just a coincidence ( 巧合 ) B. Because they didn’t celebrate Chri

stmas. C. Because people wanted to make it fr

ee from business. D. Because they wanted to combine th

e three holidays into a longer festival

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6. “… in that way we keep our culture alive” (the last paragraph). What does the underlined part refer to?

A. to create a new festival B. to celebrate history and culture C. to create new festivals every year D. to celebrate a festival and change it

a bit√

Read again and do Exx(BD, P11)

1. Why did people create Kwanzaa? People created the holiday so African

Americans could celebrate their history and culture.

2. Many festivals around the world are celebrated around the same time. Why do we celebrate these festivals at these times?

Many holidays celebrate the arrival of a new season or a new harvest.

3. Compare Kwanzaa with the Chinese Spring Festival and Christmas. In which way are they similar and in which way are they different?

All three reunite families. Christmas and Kwanzaa also bring together friends and members of the community. Spring Festival is tied to the lunar calendar while Christmas and Kwanzaa are fixed dates. Christmas is both a religious and popular celebration while Kwanzaa also honors a specific group of people.

Main idea of each paragraph Para.1 Kwanzaa is a festival of reflection

and anticipation for African Americans.

Para.2 Kwanzaa is a young holiday. In a

popular African language, it means first fruit and celebrates the new year.

Para. 3 The festival is based on seven important

principles, or ideas. Para. 4 When and how is the festival celebrated. (From Dec.26 to Jan.1st. People celebrate it by

lighting a candle each day and discussing one of the seven principles.)

Para. 5 Festivals not only celebrate history but also

add to our cultural traditions for future generations.

Kwanzaa

Most harvest festivals are______. Kwanzaa

is a new one _________ ancient traditions. This seven-day festival was ______ in the 1960s by _________________ in the ______ _________. Kwanzaa __________ the year's harvest in Africa. Fruit, vegetables, and corn cobs are placed on a special mat. This is a time for the African-American family to learn about the __________ of their African __________ and about their _________ and ____________. ____________ , black, green, and red, are lit during the Kwanzaa festival

ancient.honoring

startedAfrican Americans United

States celebrates

traditionsancestors languagesways of life Seven candles

Language Points: 1. Kwanzaa is a seven-day festival

celebrating the culture and history of African Americans.

1) seven-day (compound adj.) the tenth five-year plan a three-leg table 2) celebrating = which celebrates … Similar structure: the week following Christmas Day

2. The African first-fruit festivals had many things in common:

If two or more things have something in common, they have the same characteristic or feature.

If two or more people have something in common, they share the same interests or experiences.

To my surprise, I found I had a lot in common with this stranger.

Their methods have a lot in common (with each other).

3. People would get together to celebrate their harvest; people used to give thanks for their harvest and for life,…

Would & used to Would – 情态动词、 “过去常常” , 与 use

d to 意义相近，所不同的是 would 后一般跟动态性动词，而 used to 还可跟状态性动词。 He would come to my home for help whe

n he had any trouble. (= He used to come …)

But: He used to be a worker. He would be a worker.

4. The festivals were a way to celebrate history and culture, as well as the new year.

Note --- No articles are used before history and

culture 一般说 , 表示概念性或科学性的抽象名词前不用冠词 . 但如果带有限制性的后置修饰成分 , 应该使用定冠词 . American history The history of America

5. as well as The structure is used when we want to

mention another item connected with the subject we are discussing.

She published historical novels, ~ a non-fiction study of women in Britain.

It is in his best interests ~ yours. Wearing the right shoes and clothes ~

being fit can make all the difference.

6. We must do as much as we can to make our community better and more beautiful.

as … as one can(=as…as possible) 尽某人所能 He will drive as carefully as he can to avoi

d any accidents. He ran as fast as he could in the race and

finally got the 2nd place. Will you please be back as soon as possi

ble so that you will have more time to exchange views with the experts?

7. Since Kwanzaa is a time for learning as well as joy, people celebrate it by lighting a candle each day and discussing one of …

Light – lit; lighted Lighted is used especially as an

attributive adj. e.g. a lighted candle/lamp/match But: He lit the candle. The candles were lit.

As soon as the ____ candle was brought in, it soon ____ up the little room.

A. lighted; lit B. lighting; lighted C. lit; lighted D. lit; lit Each day & every day Each day 强调在一定天数中的每一天 , 重个体 Every day 指天数不确定的情况下的每一天 ,重全体 Such things do not happen every day. It rains each day this month.

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8. Each time we celebrate a festival it changes a little and in that way we keep our culture alive.

Each time / Every time + clause 每次… Don’t look up the word in the dictionary ever

y time you come to a word or phrase you don’t know.

Each time he came back to his hometown, he found it changed a little.

The moment + clause 一…就 (= as soon as) I promise you can have the magazine the m

oment I finish reading it.

Harvest Festivals

Onam in India

Chu Suk in Korea

The Mid-Autumn Festival

What is each paragraph about? Para.1 Harvest festivals in Africa Para.2 Harvest festival in India – Ona

m Para.3. Chu Suk is a kind of harvest fe

stival in Korea Para.4. Chinese harvest festival – The

Mid-Autumn Festival Para.5. Harvest festivals are still popu

lar all over the world

Read and answer the following questions 1. Why do people celebrate harvest festivals? To give thanks for the year that has pas

sed and for the harvest and to welcome the new season.

Different festivals have different themes, such as the Onam festival with its flowers and the story about the king and Chu Suk which also celebrates our ancestors.

What is the story behind Onam? An ancient king was so beloved b

y his people that the gods became jealous and sent him away. To keepthe people from being too angry, the gods allowed the king to return once a year to celebrate Onam with his people.

Compare the festivals described in the text. What are some similarities and differences?

Similarities: They are all harvest festivals; they all cele

brate life and they all have special foods and ways to celebrate.

Differences: They are celebrated at different times; On

am is based on a story; during Chu Suk, people visit their ancestors’ graves.

Language points 1. It is likely that people have celebrated … Likely – adj. 很可能的 1) be likely to John is likely to go to the beach tomorrow. It is therefore possible to say not only what

the weather is like at present, but also what is likely to happen in the next day or two.

2) It is likely that … It is likely that he is in trouble now. It’s quite likely that a decision will be made

before the end of the year.

Likely /possible /probable 都作 “可能的”解 从意义上讲 , likely 所表达的可能性比 po

ssible 强 , 但比 probable 弱 , 表示某种行为的发生或状态的出现是预料中的 . The sky is clear, so it’s not ______ to r

ain this afternoon. A. doubtful B. likely C. certain D. rarely

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2. Almost every culture has some kind of harvest festival.

Some – used to mean a person or thing, when you do not know or say exactly which ( 某个 , 某种 )

She was hunting for some book that she had lost.

There must be some mistake. Some day he will get his scholarship. For some reason, they didn’t come.

3. All across Africa,… get together for festivals around harvest time.

4. …, people celebrate a new harvest with days of dancing and offering fruit to their ancestors and gods.

5. The boats used are beautifully painted and decorated with flowers of all colours.

6. …,there is a similar festival in May. John and I have similar taste in sport. My computer is similar to Tom’s. A is similar to B.

7. People arrange races, games and dances to give thanks to the rice gods.

give thanks to sb. for sth. Please give my thanks to your father fo

r his kind help. 8. People visit the graves of their ances

tors to show their respect. Show respect/ love for … Show interest in … 9. When the visit to the graves is over,

10. …, on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar

11. From Thanksgiving in the West to the Mid-Autumn Festival in the East, the yearly festivals represent our love for family, friends and life.

Symbol, signal & sign Symbol – sign,mark,object etc looked upon

as representing sth. 符号 ; 象征 Blue is a symbol of peace. The Cross is the symbol of Christianity. Signal – 信号 , 暗号 , 警告 Traffic signals ( 交通信号 ) A red light is usually a signal of danger. Sign – 记号 , 符号 Mathematical signs; 表 “告示 , 牌示” , 侧重用图画、文字表达的告示、图示；还可表“迹象、征兆” Dark clouds are usually a sign of rain.

Why are these festivals spreading around the world?

Festival Where

Why

Who

Christmas Europe, the US, also

sometimes in China People like the story about

Santa Claus; businesses like to make money by selling Christmas things

Christians, mainly, but also people who simply enjoy the festival

Why are these festivals spreading around the world?

Festival Where

Why

Who

Spring Festival China, other Asian countries,

also Europe and the US People like the colorful

celebration and the rich tradition; Chinese people live all around the world

Chinese people, mainly, but also people who simply enjoy the festival

Why are these festivals spreading around the world?

Festival Where

Why

Who

Ramadan The Middle East, Northern

Africa, also Europe, Asia and the US

People like the ideas behind the festival; people are interested in Islamic culture

Mainly Muslims, but also people who simply enjoy the festival

Integrating skills(1) Questions on page 13 1. We can do a lot of things or organize

some activities that improve or protect the environment, for example cleaning up the school yard, picking up trash, planting trees etc.

There are several similar festivals or days in China that are devoted to the environment and helping people in the community, e.g. tree-planting day and Lei-Feng Day

5. What do you think “A Day On, Not A Day Off!” means?

To have “a day off” means to stay at home from work for a day, usually to relax. A “day on” means that although an American doesn’t work that day, they should do something serious to honour the man for whom the holiday is given.

It is not a time for us to rest, but a time to think about and do something important and great.

1. Earth Day is a celebration of life and our planet. It is a reminder that we need to care about the world we live in and that we should learn to respect life and nature.

地球日是为了纪念生命和我们星球 ,并且提醒我们要关注我们所生活的这个世界 , 要学会尊重生命和大自然 .

2. The festival honours both the living and the dead.

the + adj. – used to talk about a class of people or things

The old/young/rich/poor/wounded Jim is like his father both in appearanc

e and in character. The young should respect the old and t

he old should care about the young.

3. People give sugar skeletons to each other as gifts.

4. It is not a sad day, but rather a time to celebrate the cycle of life.

not …but rather … used to say that someone does not do something but does something else instead ( 不…而… )

这不是一个哀伤的日子 , 而是一个纪念生命轮回的时间 . The committee does not deal with open

ing up the village, but rather discusses the problem of pollution.

5. Our friends will play tricks on us and try to fool us.

Play tricks on sb./ play a trick on sb. Don’t play tricks on me -- I want to know

the truth. That was an unfair trick to play on her. 6. If a person is taken in, … take in – 收留 ; 理解 , 领会 , 明白 ; 欺骗 ;包括 , 涉及 He’s a clever talker – and good at taking

people in.

Don’t be taken in by products claiming to help you lose weight in a week.

Mrs. Brown is considering taking in students next year.

We could hardly take in what was be being said.

The study of physics takes in many different subject.

I take in a daily paper and a monthly magazine.