Topic: Holidays
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Grade: 11 th
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Time period: 45 minutes
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Overall Objectives:
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Students will be able to
present New Year’s traditions in three countries.
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Language objectives:
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Students will be able to
make conjectures, sort the information, expressing opinions, agreeing and
disagreeing.
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Civic education
objectives:
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Students will be able to
know someone else better, describe New Year’s traditions in three countries.
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stage
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activity
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resources
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Warm-up (7 minutes)
New Year survey
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Handout 1
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Activity 1
(15 minutes)
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Teacher gives a text on
holidays. Students work in groups of five in preparing a poster on the traditions
in the country.
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Handout
2
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Activity 3
(8 minutes)
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Each group makes
presentations
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Categories are print to
help make the presentations. (handout 3)
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Activity 4
(8 minutes)
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Teacher hands out a paper
with true false questions. Students read and mark true and false. Then read
them out aloud. When the answer is incorrect, teacher asks student to find
the place in the text to show the answer.
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Handout 4.
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Activity 5
(5 minutes)
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Write a letter to Santa Claus;
fill in the blanks of this letter.
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Handout 5
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Closure
(2 minutes)
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Teacher asks students
what they have learned.
Students answer:
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Handout 1.
QUESTIONS
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STUDENT’S ANSWERS
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Q. 1.
Do you spend
New Year at home?
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Q. 2.
What songs do
you sing?
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Q. 3.
What time do
you go to bed on New Year?
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Q. 4.
Do you visit
friends?
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Q. 5.
Do you watch
any films on New Year?
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Q. 6.
(own
question)
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Handout 2.
China
The New Year celebrations in China hold
an entire history of its own. Once, there used to live a giant beast with the
name of Nian, who used to swallow many human beings with a single bite. The
natives find one weak spot in the beast. They came to know that beast gets
afraid of the red color and loud noises. Since then, they started burning
firecrackers and using red color in order to keep the giant beast scared. Since
they got themselves liberated from the giant beast's scare and conferred
themselves with a new life, they started celebrating the day as GuNian (Pass
over the Nian) or New Year day.
In China, there is no one fixed day of the New Year, and thus the date changes every year. It is celebrated in accordance to the Chinese calendar, which is a blend of the solar and lunar calendar. The Chinese New Year starts with the appearance of new moon and carries on for the next 15 days ending on the full moon day. Each day of the 15day celebration has some specific customs which are strictly followed in China.
In China, there is no one fixed day of the New Year, and thus the date changes every year. It is celebrated in accordance to the Chinese calendar, which is a blend of the solar and lunar calendar. The Chinese New Year starts with the appearance of new moon and carries on for the next 15 days ending on the full moon day. Each day of the 15day celebration has some specific customs which are strictly followed in China.
Preparations for the hew year begin
a couple of weeks before the big day. According to the traditions, this is the
time to clean the house from top to bottom to get rid of all the bad luck
gathered in the previous year. And after the new year comes, you cannot sweep
during the first days otherwise all the hew luck will sweep away! One more
tradition is making banners and decorations special for the New Year. Before
the start of New Year celebrations, every family in China decorates their house
with different kinds of Chinese decorations. Red and gold are lucky colors for
the Chinese, red symbolizes vitality of life and happiness, gold represents
wealth and prosperity. Food must be prepared ahead of time, all knives must be
put away. Using a knife during the first days of the new year “cuts off” all
the good luck for the coming year. The markets offer all sorts of “lucky
plants” and flowers for the house and people. These
are some of the most popular: orange trees, mandarin trees, lucky bamboos,
branches of cherry blossoms. The New Year celebrations can only begin after
paying respect to the ancestors. On New Year’s Eve, people will go to the
temples and pray for good fortune for the New Year.
Po Woo
is a tradition followed in the country on the 5th day of Chinese New
Year celebrations. It is a Chinese custom to welcome the God of Fortune. People
strictly restrict from visiting friends and relatives on this day, as it is
believed to bring bad luck to both the parties. From 6th-10th
day, people visit their family and friends and also go to temples to pray for
good luck, health and fortune. Inviting relatives and friends over the dinner
is a major part of Chinese New Year in China. From the 10th-12th
day of the celebrations, the Chinese people invite their near and dear ones and
serve different kinds of traditional Chinese food. Another Chinese New Year
custom is gifting money to children. The elders of the family put some money in
a red envelope and present it to the kids. The closing ceremony not only includes
lantern festival but also lion and dragon dances, acrobatics, performances. People
buy themselves new clothes (preferably red), get haircut and decorate their
hoses. All past financial dues are preferred to be cleared with the beginning
of New Year. Also, red envelopes with some money inside it are given as
presents to young children, unmarried adults and parents. Traditionally, the
money should be an amount of an even number (excluding number 4 in any form),
and the money should be in new bills.
France
France started celebrating New
Year on January 1 since the year 1852. The country previously celebrated it on
March 25. New Year in France is better known as Jour des Étrennes. It is
celebrated on January (according to the Gregorian calendar) with great pomp and
show. Jour des Étrennes is one of the oldest festivals celebrated all over the France.
People are highly excited to say goodbye to the old year and welcome the coming
year, they go and meet their friends and families, to celebrate the special day.
The celebration of New Year in this country is marked by the observance of a
set of customs. New Year traditions are believed to bring in good luck for the
coming year and drive away the evil spirits. The New Year holiday in France
ends on January 6 with the ceremonial cutting of a special type of festive cake
called la galette des rois. The French call New Years Eve la saint-Sylvestre.
On this day, they host a special New Year feast called le Réveillon, which
consists of dishes like pancakes, foie gras (flavored duck or goose) and
champagne. French believe this special dinner brings prosperity to the house.
The two-day New Year's parade
as organized in Paris is another popular celebration. Thousands of local people
along with foreign visitors as well as special artists, singers, dancers, and
performers march and perform through the procession, which goes through various
streets. It mostly goes through
Chantilly on 31 December and reaches Trocadero under the Eiffel tower on
January 1st. Grand parties are also a major
highlight of the celebrations in the country.
However, New Year celebrations
as made out in France are more of a private affair, and less of a social
affair. People prefer to have house parties with only close friends and
families invited. A special dinner for the day is prepared, and a ball called as
une soirée dansante is organized. The evening saw people celebrating and
welcoming the New Year with cheerfulness and festive mood. Apart from partying
hard, wishes are made, and gifts are shared with near and dear ones. It can be
a New Year card, special cookies, cakes, or any of the propitious goods. New
resolutions and kisses are also exchanged along with happy wishes. French love
to dine with their loved ones on the New Year’s Day, the celebrate each and
every moment with high festive spirit and mood. Along with partying hard,
French love the tradition of gift giving. Entertainment and excitement are the
two key words that define celebrations in this country.
Going on a cruise ride on the occasion of New
Year is increasingly becoming popular in France. A cruise ride on the New
Year's Eve, and the idea of welcoming New Year in the middle of an ocean or sea
makes it an extraordinary and unforgettable moment.
There
is another important tradition of Poisson d'avril, a French word which means
April fish. The tradition begins in the post period, when January 1 was
officially declared as the New Year's Day. Since that time, anyone who does not
follow the same is considered to be a fool or an April fish. People started
planning pranks around them by sending them fake party invitations and New Year
presents. In the present time, the tradition has developed as a fun and
entertainment time for young children in France.
USA
New Year's Day falls on January 1
and marks the start of a new year according to the Gregorian calendar. The
start of New Year's Day, at midnight, is heralded by fireworks, parties and
special events, which are often televised. Many people make New Year's
resolutions. These are usually promises to themselves that they will improve
something in their own lives. Government offices, organizations, schools and many
businesses are closed in the USA on New Year's Day. Public transit systems do
not run on their regular schedules. In general, public life is completely
closed down.
A common symbol of New Year's Day is
Baby New Year. This is often a white male baby dressed in a diaper and a hat.
According to mythology, Baby New Year grows up and ages in a single year. At
the end of the year, he is an old man and hands his role over to the next Baby
New Year. Other symbols of New Year's Day are spectacular fireworks exploding
over landmarks and clocks striking midnight as the year begins.In the US, New Year is a declared public holiday and everyone is
eagerly waits for the celebrations.
New
York is the main attraction during the Christmas and New Year. You can expect
people from all corners of the world joining to enjoy the festive mood.. The Times Square in the New York City hosts several events.
Many people love watching these programs broadcasted on the television with all
their family and friends. The streets are decorated with lanterns, flashlights,
and colored papers. When the ball reaches the ground, the New Year has
begun. People shout "Happy New Year!" They throw tiny pieces of
colorful paper into the air. They dance. They sing a traditional New Year song
of friendship called "Auld Lang Syne." (The work by 18th-century
Scottish poet Robert Burns, the song literally means "old long ago). The
first New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square took place in
nineteen-oh-four. Three years later, a New Year's ball was dropped from the top
of the building for the first time. The ball has been dropped every year except
for two years during World War 2. In nineteen-forty-two and
nineteen-forty-three, crowds still gathered in Times Square. They observed a
moment of silence. After that, bells rang from a vehicle in Times Square. At the stroke of midnight all the Americans shares
kisses and express their New Year greetings. It is believed that when you kiss
it wades off the veil spirits and purifies the new beginning.
Many Americans follow traditions meant to bring good luck in the New Year. Some
people wear special clothes or eat special foods. Some people create fake
person and placed it outside the home, it is believed that is symbolized last
year. At the midnight, all the elders of the family set the fake on fire. In
some parts of the country, American children and adults still follow an ancient
custom on January 1. They go from house to house singing to friends and
neighbors. In the United States it is believed that black eyed beans are very
lucky. Cabbage is another vegetable that people eat to bring good luck and
money. Asian-Americans sometimes make traditional fortune cookies. These sweets
contain small pieces of paper telling about a person's future. Some Americans
from Spanish-speaking families follow a tradition for the New Year that
involves fruit. On January 1, they stand on a chair and eat grapes.
Handout 3.
History:
Celebration date:
Food:
Traditions:
Clothes:
Songs:
Type of decorations:
Handout 4.
Handout 5.
Dear Santa,
I am writing to let
you know that for New Year I want __________________________(noun).
A really
__________________________(adjective) one, please. Also, my
________________________(adjective) brother keeps stealing all my
_____________________(plural noun) to use for ___________________________(verb
ending in “ing”) so please bring me so more.
I’ve been a really
___________________(adjective) kid this year, except when I
_________________________(past tense verb) the neighborhood cat. But that was
an accident. Otherwise, I always_______________(verb) my (body part) and feed
and walk the family ________________________(animal). While I have you here, I
have always been curious about your __________________________ (plural animal).
How are they able to (verb) and why does one have such a shiny
_________________________________(body part)?
I get so
___________________________________(adjective) whenever I think about Christmas
morning. I promise to be sleeping when you get here!
Sincerely,
_________________________________________(name)
Words:
Firecrackers ˈfaɪəˌkræk.ər ფეიერვერკები
Celebrate /ˈselɪbreɪt/ ზეიმობა;
Tradition [trəˈdɪʃən] ტრადიცია;
Decoration [dɛkəˈreɪʃən] მორთვა,
Luck /lʌk/ წარმატება,
New Years Eve /njuː/
ˈjɪəʳ/ /iːv ახალი წლის წინა ღამე
Firework ˈfaɪə.wɜːk ფეიერვერკი
Herald ˈherəld/ მაუწყებელი,
Resolution [rɛzəˈluːʃən] გადაწყვეტილება;
Custom ˈkʌstəm/ ჩვეულება
Lantern [ˈlæntən] ფარანი;
Fortune ˈfɔːtʃən/ ბედნიერება,
Festive [ˈfɛstɪv] სადღესასწაულო,
Mood /muːd/ გუნება,
Spirit /ˈspɪrɪt/ სული;
Cheerful [ˈtʃɪəful] მხიარული,
Flashlights [ˈflæʃlaɪt] სინათლე