英国历史文化概况Unit 13 H关olidays and Festivals.ppt

,Unit 13,Learning Objects,After learning the unit, students should be able to: Be familiar with the British holidays and festivals. Retell the traditional celebrations of British holidays and festivals. Compare the differences between British holidays and that of their own country.,Main Contents,Text A,Text B,Exercises,Text A Holidays and Festivals,Focal Points Religious Holidays Christmas The Boxing Day Easter National Holidays Bonfire Night (Guy Fawkes Night) The battle of the Boyne St Patricks Day Hogmanay The Burns Night Halloween The Eisteddfod,Christmas is the biggest and the most popular British holiday celebrated on December 25th each year to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. People usually decorate homes with evergreen plants Christmas trees and ornaments. They also exchange gifts and Christmas cards. Three typical British traditions on Christmas are: the Christmas Pantomime, the Queens speech over the television and radio, and the Boxing Day.,Christmas,It is a typical British tradition celebrated on the day after Christmas. People used to give Christmas gifts or money to their staff or servants on this day. And now they mostly do shopping, pay visits, enjoy eating or just relax.,Boxing Day,This festival occurs in the spring, which commemorates the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the most important Christian festival for many church-goers. The Easter egg, originally a Christian symbol of new life, is the main symbol of Easter for most people. Rabbits and chicks are also animals traditionally associated with Easter.,Easter,Bonfire Night (Guy Fawkes Night) It is a truly English holiday celebrated in November. It originates from the 1605 Gunpowder Plota plan to blow up the British Parliament, kill the Protestant King and replace him with a Catholic king. People celebrate it by having public bonfires and fireworks. A straw effigy called the “Guy” (one of the conspirators Guy Fawkes) is thrown on the bonfire. The biggest Bonfire Night celebration is held in Lewes.,The battle of the Boyne,The Catholic King James II was forced off the throne in 1688. William of Orange, affectionately known as King Billy, was invited to take the throne and James was driven into exile. With the help of the French and the Irish-both Catholic nations-James tried to retake the throne but his forces were defeated by King Billy on the banks of the Boyne River in County Kildare, now a part of Ireland (Eire).,St Patricks Day,It is on March 17 each year, when northern Irish Catholics celebrate the birthday of the patron saint of Ireland, St Patrick. The shamrock is a popular symbol to wear on St Patricks Day, and it is also considered very lucky to wear something green.,Hogmanay While most British people welcome the coming of the New Year with parties, in Scotland, New Year's Eve called Hogmanay (31 December)-is the major winter celebration, and overshadows Christmas (called Yule in Scotland), which is a very quiet affair. How Hogmanay is celebrated varies throughout Scotland, but one widely practiced custom is “first footing“. There is a superstitious belief that the first person to cross the threshold of a household in the New Year can bring luck and prosperity: the appearance of a young, preferably dark haired and handsome man is considered particularly lucky. First footers often bring a bottle of spirits, alcohol, a lump of coal or a peat as a gift and are given a “dram of whisky“ as their reward.,The Burns Night,It is a celebration by Scottish people on the evening of the birthday (25 January) of Scottish national poet Robert Burns. People celebrate it with suppers of haggis and whisky and Burns poems are recited throughout the evening.,Halloween,It is a Scottish festival celebrated on 31 October each year. Communion with the dead, mischief, fortune-telling and masquerades are common practices. Some of the other customs are “turnip lanterns” for children and girls using magic spells to see into the future.,The Eisteddfod,It is a popular festival of music-making and poetry-writing in August each year to celebrate the Welsh culture and language. During the festival, competitions are held to find the best choirs, translators, essayists and poets. The highlight is the crowning of the two bards who have written the best poems of the festival.,Text B Easter Day,Easter is a Christian festival that celebrates the resurrection (rising from the dead) of Jesus Christ, Son of God. Easter Sunday falls sometime between March 22 and April 25. It falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following March 21.,Origin,It would have been suicide for the very early Christian converts to celebrate their holy days with observances that did not coincide with celebrations that already existed. To save lives, the missionaries cleverly decided to spread their religious message slowly throughout the populations by allowing them to continue to celebrate pagan feasts.,Meaning,For Christians, Easter is a celebration of Christs divinity and an affirmation of their faith. It celebrates the miracle of his resurrection and the prophecies of the Old Testament, which foretold the coming of a messiah.,Easter eggs are special eggs that are often given to celebrate Easter or springtime. The egg is a pagan symbol of the rebirth of the Earth in celebrations of spring and was adopted by early Christians as a symbol of the resurrection of Jesus.,From the earliest times, the egg was a symbol of rebirth in most cultures. Eggs were often wrapped in gold leaf or, if you were a peasant, colored brightly by boiling them with the leaves or petals of certain flowers.,Today, children hunt colored eggs and place them in Easter baskets along with the modern version of real Easter eggs - those made of plastic or chocolate candy.,The Easter Bunny is not a modern invention. The symbol originated with the pagan festival of Eastre. The goddess, Eastre, was worshipped by the Anglo-Saxons through her earthly symbol, the rabbit.,The Easter Bunny, the creature brings baskets filled with colored eggs, candy and sometimes also toys to the homes of children of Christmas, as they both bring gifts to children on the night before their respective holiday.,Exercises,Decide whether the following statements are true or false. 1. ( ) Britain is mainly a Christian country. ( ) Easter is the biggest and best loved British holiday. ( ) Christmas Pantomime is one of the three Christmas traditions which are particularly British. ( ) The Queen gives New Year message to her realm over the television and radio each year. ( ) Boxing Day involves the sport of boxing and has something to do with the Boxer uprising in China.,( ) The Queen's Birthday is officially celebrated around Buckingham Palace on the second Saturday in June. ( ) The biggest Bonfire Night celebration is held in London. ( ) St Patrick's birthday is celebrated on March 17 each year. ( ) In Ireland, New Year's Eve called Hogmanay (31 December) is the major winter celebration. ( ) Scottish people all over the world celebrate their most beloved National poet, Robert Burns by holding a Burns Supper on the evening of his birthday (25 January).,II. Discussion questions. 1. Discuss the differences between Christmas and Easter. 2. Retell the origin of Easter Day. 3. Search for the respective Easter traditions in different countries. 4. Which holiday or festival can be equal to Easter Day in China? Why? 5. Do you often celebrate Easter Day in China? Which holiday do you often celebrate in China?,Thank You!,