лексика
HA yPOKE
Christmas Traditions
Christmas is an annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ. This holiday is celebrated on December 25 in different Catholic countries. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift giving, Christmas music and caroling, an exchange of Christmas cards, church celebrations, a special meal, and the display of various Christmas decorations, including Christmas trees, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, garlands, wreaths, mistletoe, and holly. In addition, several closely related and often interchangeable figures, known as Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season.
And what are the most popular Christmas traditions? Let's start with Christmas dinner. In the past some very strange things were eaten around Christmas. At lavish Christmas feasts in the Middle Ages, swans and peacocks were sometimes served "endored". The flesh was painted with saffron dissolved in melted butter and the birds were served wrapped in their own skin and feathers, which had been removed and set aside prior to roasting. Around Victorian times another traditional Christmas feast was roasted goose or roasted turkey. In Victorian times, most Londoners would have been familiar with the "goose club", which was a method of saving to buy a goose for Christmas. Goose clubs were popular with working-class Londoners, who paid a few pence a week towards the purchase of a Christmas goose. The week before Christmas, London meat markets were crammed with geese and turkeys, many imported from Germany and France, although some were raised in Norfolk, and taken to market in London. The birds were walked from Norfolk to the markets in London. To protect their feet the turkeys were dressed in boots made of sacking or leather and geese had their feet protected with a covering of tar. Nowadays, the starter is probably going to be prawns or smoked salmon. The main course is more than likely to be turkey, often free-range and the bigger the better, although goose has been making a bit of a comeback, and for the vegetarian in the family it is a nut roast, this is normally served with potatoes (roasted, boiled, mashed), vegetables, roasted parsnips, and stuffing with gravy and bread sauce. This is usually followed by Christmas pudding; a rich fruit pudding served with brandy sauce or brandy butter. Christmas cakes are also very popular. And what can we say about mince pies? Mince pies were often known as Christmas
pies, they were banned in the seventeenth century but eventually came back into existence after the Restoration. They are made with mincemeat - which doesn't contain meat at all. The sweet, rich and fruity pies that we are now accustomed to developed early in the twentieth century when the meat content was removed for good and now the "mincemeat" is a mixture of dried fruit (raisins, sultanas, candied peel, etc.,) apples, spices, sugar and suet, often moistened with brandy or sherry, and baked in small pastry cases.
The next tradition is a Christmas card. People all over the world are fond of Christmas cards. They became popular in Victorian England and they were mostly homemade and given to loved ones. Nowadays most people buy their cards and they are sent before Christmas Day. People also use them to decorate their houses.
There is also a very interesting tradition: carols. Christmas carols have their roots in medieval England, when minstrels traveled from castle to castle, today they would be called carollers. In addition to this, poor people in England would go wassailing; they would bring their mugs to the door of rich houses hoping for a share of the wassail bowl. The drink in the bowl was called lambswool. It was a brew of hot ale with sugar, eggs, spices and roast apples floating in it. Today carollers generally collect money for charity.
Of course, the main Christmas tradition is a present. It can be a homemade present or you can buy it. People usually give these presents to their relatives and friends. They show love and respect.
Christmas trees are an integral part of the Christmas decorations in most British houses. Although it was always traditional to bring evergreens into the house the Christmas tree is another tradition borrowed from Germany, where it is said that German Martin Luther was the first person to decorate a tree with candles and bring it indoors to show his children what stars looked like at night in the forest. It didn't become popular in Britain until the nineteenth century, when Queen Victoria's husband Prince Albert introduced the custom from Germany. Nowadays we can't imagine Christmas without Christmas trees.
Christmas crackers have been a part of the traditional British Christmas since
1847, when almost by accident, Tom Smith invented the cracker. They are used to decorate the table at dinner. Now people use them to entertain and to enjoy themselves.
Of course we shouldn't forget about mistletoe. Mistletoe was considered sacred
HA yPOKE
by the people of ancient Britain. The Druid priests used it in their sacrifices to the gods. It was believed to have magical properties. People who met under a tree bearing mistletoe were forbidden to fight, even if they were enemies, and anyone who entered a home decorated with mistletoe was entitled to shelter and protection. Mistletoe may even have been part of Druidic wedding ceremonies. In eighteenth century England mistletoe was credited, not with healing power, but with a different kind of magic. It was the magic element in the kissing ball, a special decoration used at Christmas parties. A kiss under the mistletoe could mean deep romance or lasting friendship and good will.
The next tradition is a holly. Holly, with its dark green spiky leaves and red berries, was also believed to have magical powers and the ability to drive demons away. Now people use it to decorate their houses too.
Christmas traditions vary from country to country. Elements common to many countries include the lighting of Christmas trees, the hanging of Advent wreaths, Christmas stockings, candy canes, and the creation of Nativity scenes depicting the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas carols may be sung and stories told. The sending of Christmas cards, the exchange of Christmastime greetings, observance of fasting or special religious observances such as a midnight Mass or V espers on Christmas Eve, the burning of a Yule log, and the giving and receiving of presents. Along with Easter, Christmas time is one of the most important periods on the Christian calendar, and is often closely connected to other holidays at this time of year, such as Advent, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, St. Nicholas Day, St. Stephen's Day, New Year's, and the Feast of the Epiphany.
Today people respect these Christmas traditions and try to follow them to create a fun, magnificent, and magical Christmas.
Tasks
1. Find Christmas words.
g c a r o l i n g y
i e h g a r d r a u
f l o r s l a n d i
t e l m i s t l e e
a b l w t s e o t o
t r y r e a t h i c
y a t i o n t m u a
d e c o r a w q a d
t h o t m t i o n s
2. Choose an answer.
1. In Victorian times these clubs were popular with working-class Londoners. a) goose clubs b) turkey clubs c) Christmas clubs
2. These small items became popular in Victorian England and they were mostly homemade and given to loved ones.
a) presents b) cards c) mistletoes
3. You give them to your parents and friends during Christmas. They show love and respect.
a) decorations b) presents c) Christmas trees
4. It was considered sacred by the people of ancient Britain. a) card b) Christmas tree c) mistletoe
5. People thought that it would help to drive demons away. a) mistletoe b) holly c) turkey
3. Find the missing word.
1 ._may even have been part of Druidic wedding ceremonies.
2. Christmas_have their roots in medieval England, when minstrels
traveled from castle to castle.
3 ._pies were often known as Christmas pies.
4. The Druid priests used mistletoe in their sacrifices to the_.
5. Mistletoe may even have been part of Druidic_ceremonies.
4. Circle the odd word out.
1. Cards, presents, turkey, crackers.
2. Mince pie, vegetables, goose, garlands.
3. Carollers, Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas.
4. St. Nicholas Day, Christmas cards, St. Stephen's Day, New Year.
5. Prince Albert, Tom Smith, Santa Claus, Martin Luther.
5. True or false.
1. Nowadays, the starter is probably going to be prawns or smoked salmon.
2. Mince pies were often known as Christmas pies; they were banned in the sixteenth century but eventually came back into existence after the Restoration.
3. Christmas cards became popular in Victorian England.
4. The Christmas tree is a tradition borrowed from France.
5. Christmas crackers have been a part of the traditional British Christmas since 1843.
Answers
Task 1.
g c a r o l i n g y
i e h g a r d r a u
f l o r s I a n d i
t e l m i s t l e e
a b l w t s e o t o
t r y r e a t h i c
y a t i o n t m u a
d e c o r a w q a d
t h o t m t i o n s
НА УРОКЕ
Gift, caroling, celebrate, decoration, holly, mistletoe, wreath, Christmas, garland. Task 2.
1.a 2.b 3.b 4.c 5.b
Task 3.
1. Mistletoe
2. Carols
3. Mince
4. Gods
5. Wedding
Task 4.
1. Turkey
2. Garlands
3. Carollers
4. Christmas cards
5. Santa Claus
Task 5.
1. True.
2. False
3. True
4. False
5. False
Sources:
http://www.learnenglish.de
https://en.wikipedia.org
http://www.celebratingholidays.com
А.Г. Сперанская
Сведения об авторе: Сперанская Анна Геннадьевна, учитель английского языка, ГБОУ гимназия № 1636 «НИКА», Москва E-mail: kopeykina_anna@mail.ru Ключевые слова: Christmas, Christmas traditions.
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