U3 Celebrations
I. Describe Festivals
Talk About Celebrations
Use the Text Builder on Page 50 to describe your favorite festival. You may refer to the following
passages for some language input.
Spring Festival
The Spring Festival is the first biggest traditional Chinese festival based on the lunar calendar.The Spring
Festival also called Chinese New Year, has more than 4,000 years of history. As one of the traditional
Chinese festivals, it is the grandest and the most significant one for Chinese people and many other Chinesespeaking communities. The Spring Festival is the time for bidding farewell to the old and ushering in the
new. Also it is the time for family reunion, which is equal to Christmas of the West.
It symbolizes the advent of spring which brings hope, new beginning and vitality to the world. The
festival usually starts on the first day of Chinese lunar calendar and lasts for almost half a month, from the
first day to the15th day of the first lunar month. And the 15th day is known as the Lantern Festival. But in
folk customs, two weeks before the festival, the whole country has already been permeated with a festive
atmospherePeople often celebrate this festival from the 23rd day of the 12th month to the 15th day of the
first month according to the lunar calendar Among these days, the Spring Festival Eve and the lunar New
Year's Day the first day of the lunar year, are the peak time.Then, what do Chinese people usually do to
celebrate the Spring Festival?
Spring Festival Eve Dinner
The Spring Festival Eve dinner, a reunion dinner is an extremely important
part in the Spring Festival traditions.
Since Chinese New Year is a time for families to be together, a reunion dinner is quite necessary and
indispensable for all the Chinese people.Therefore, wherever they are, people will do whatever they can to
go home just for this sumptuous feast called “family reunion dinner.” This reunion dinner is more luxurious
than usual and is held on the Spring Festival Eve.On this occasion all the family members of several
generations sit around the tables and enjoy the food together. Dumplings and cold and hot dishes are all
served.Fish is always an important dish which expresses people's best wish for the new year. After the
dinner, all members of the big family often watch together the Spring Festival Gala on CCTV. It is also a
custom that all people stay up late on the Spring Festival Eve, waiting for the New Year’s bell at midnight.
And about10 minutes before the ringing of the New Year’s bell people let off fireworks to welcome the
coming of the new year.
Letting Of Fireworks
Traditionally, people let off fireworks for celebration during the whole Spring Festival holiday. The peak
celebration often comes with cheers, endless firecrackers and fireworks.Firecrackers, along with fireworks,
originated from China. In ancient China, they were used to scare away wild animals and evil spirits. With
the invention of the gunpowder, firecrackers are also used in festivals and big events for a joyful and festive
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atmosphere. In the Spring Festival people let off firecrackers and fireworks for bidding farewell to the old
year and welcoming the new year.
The Red Sea
Red, in Chinese people's eyes symbolizes good luck and happiness Hence, when the Spring Festival
comes red is the main color for the festival because it is believed to be an auspicious color. In the Spring
Festival, many people wear red clothes; every street building, and house is decorated with red; red lanterns
are commonly seen in streets; red spring couplets, paper-cuts and New Year's paintings are pasted on doors;
and kids get lucky money which is put in red envelopesHowever in the eyes of most Westerners, red is a
color associated with blood and it symbolizes cruelty, war, violence and radicalism, such as a red battle (a
cruel battle in which a lot of lives have been lost),to have red hands (to commit a murder),the red revolution
(the radical violent revolution). the red activities (the left-wing radical activities). Some Westerners take red
as an evil omen, stemming from the spirits of bullfighters. So the red flag that bullfighters use to provoke
bulls is considered annoying It also symbolizes danger and alarm, such as the red alert (alarming in
emergency), in the red (in debt) and red ink(deficit). It is said that even David Hawkes, the well-known
sinologist, translated the title of《红楼梦》 into The Story of the Stone in order to avoid the negative and
derogatory meanings the color red might bring to the English readers.
The Mid-Autumn Festival
China, a great, old and unified nation with diverse culture has a lot of traditional festivals all year
round.Those colorful festivals hold a prominent place in Chinese conventions, customs and culture They
have become one of the strongest bonds enhancing the cultural identity and national pride.
The Mid-autumn Festival is the second grandest festival after the Spring Festival in China.It takes its
name from the fact that it is always celebrated in the middle of the autumn.On the day of the Mid-autumn
Festival, the moon is extremely bright and perfectly round. So it is also known as the Moon Festival.It has at
least 1000 years history and can be traced back to moon worship in the Zhou Dynasty. It has been regarded
as such an important occasion that hundreds of poets wrote poems about it.
The Mid-autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the eighth month according to Chinese lunar calendar,
which usually occurs between early September and early October based on the Western calendar. It is
interesting that on almost every Mid-autumn Day the weather is fine and a beautiful full moon is so bright in
the sky. To the Chinese people the full moon is a symbol of family reunion, perfection and prosperity And
family is always the priority in Chinese people's hearts. So, there is the tradition of having a family reunion
on this day that has a special appeal to all the Chinese people. Sons and daughters working far away go back
home on the Mid-autumn Festival and spend time with their family members. That is why the festival is also
known as the“day of reunion” and plays a key role in Chinese peoples life. Besides, the festival also
represents big harvest since different kinds of fruits and crops become mature at that time.
The moon cake is the traditional food of the Mid-autumn Festival. On the Mid-autumn Day, people
sacrifice moon cakes to the moon as an offering and eat them for celebration. It is such an amazing and
wonderful time for Chinese people to enjoy themselves under the silver and romantic moonlight outside
while eating the moon cakes. The flavors of moon cakes vary from place to place in China.Currently, the
most popularized fillings are red bean paste, egg yolk, lotus paste, fruit jams, pork, beef, nuts, coconuts, etc.
The moon cakes, just like the full moon, are usually round, symbolizing family reunion. So, eating moon
cakes can evoke longing for home, relatives and friends. Consequently, Chinese people often send their
relatives and friends moon cakes as festival gifts and wish them a long and happy life when the Mid-autumn
Day is drawing near.
II. Why do we celebrate festivals?
Festivals are celebrated all around the world.They have a wide range of origins such as the seasons of the
year, religions, famous figures, and important events. Every festival has its different customs and unique
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charms.However no matter how different they may seem all over the world the spirit of sharing joy,
gratitude, love or peace is common in all festivals.
Of all the traditional festivals, the harvest festival can be found in almost every culture.This important
agricultural festival takes place after all the crops have been gathered in.People celebrate to show that they
are grateful for the year’s supply of food In ancient Egypt, the harvest festival was celebrated during the
springtime-the Egyptian harvest season. It featured a parade and a great feast with music dancing, and
sports. Today in some European countries, people decorate churches and town halls with flowers and fruit,
and get together to celebrate over a meal.During the Mid-Autumn Festival in China, families gather to
admire the shining moon and enjoy delicious mooncakes.
Customs play a significant role in festivals but sometimes they can change over time. With the
development of modern society and the spread of new ideas some traditions may fade away and others may
be established.One example is the typical Chinese Spring Festival custom of lighting firecrackers to drive
away the evil spirits and celebrate the new year. Nowadays many big cities have given up this custom in
order to avoid air pollution. Another example is Halloween which slowly became an exciting festival for
children, in spite of its religious origins.
Festivals are becoming more and more commercial, with businesses taking advantage of the
celebrations.Online shopping websites and social media apps have made it much easier for the public to
spend more on gifts for their loved ones. Although some believe festivals should not be commercialised,
others believe the increase in spending is good for the economy and public happiness.
Festivals are an important part of society.They reflect people’s wishes beliefs, faiths and attitudes towards
life They are occasions that allow us to relax and enjoy life and forget about our work for a little while.They
help us understand where we came from who we are, and what to appreciate. And if you study festivals
carefully, you may be surprised to find that different cultures actually have a lot in common after all.
Questions:
1. What do most festivals seem to have in common?Why do you think people around the world find these
things important?
2. How do you feel about festival customs that have already faded away?
3. What is the writer’s attitude towards the commercialization of festivals?
4. What are other reasons that we celebrate festivals? Support your argument with sufficient evidence.
Complete the following passage using suitable words from the text. Be sure to use the correct forms.
Today's festivals have a wide _____________of origins including the seasons of the year famous
_____________important events and religions. The _____________festival is one of the most popular
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festivals and is celebrated in many cultures.Customs play a_____________ role in festivals, but they can
change over time.For example, some Chinese cities no longer allow firecrackers during the Spring Festival
as they can increase air pollution. These days festivals are becoming more_____________, with people
spending more money on gifts. Festivals _____________peoples wishes, beliefs, faiths and attitudes
towards life. They are _____________to spend time with family. and to relax and enjoy life.
Think and Share
A family dinner is an important tradition to celebrate Spring Festival. Nowadays, some people choose
to have the dinner in a restaurant, but not everyone is keen on this idea. What do our readers think?
Dear Editor,
We have eaten out for the Spring Festival family dinner for the last three years, and we have enjoyed it no
less than eating at home. I don’t understand why some people refuse to embrace the change.
Can't they admit that the preparations for the dinner are hard work? I really don't think it's worth the effort of
spending so much time preparing for a single meal and then another hour cleaning up the mess after it’s over
We work all year, so why can't one day be about spending time with family and relaxing?
Eating out is a good choice and it has nothing to do with loss of traditions. We still have the dinner with the
same people, just in a different place.The occasion is more enjoyable without all that tiring cooking, and the
dishes taste better!
In my opinion, what or where we eat on Spring Festival Eve really doesn’t matter. Eating out may change
the form of this tradition, but the love between the family members sitting around the table together remains
the same.
Wang Peng
software engineer
Dear Editor,
For this year’s Spring Festival family dinner my son has booked a table at the best restaurant in town, but
I’m a bit unhappy about it.For me it just won't feel like Spring Festival having the dinner out.
When I was a little boy the dinner on the eve of Spring Festival was what I looked forward to most.It was
not only for the delicious food that we seldom got to eat, but for the opportunity to have our whole family
gathered together.I would run around the house, listening to the adults chatting about their year.I'd get under
my mother's feet in the kitchen, watching her make dumplings. She’d put tokens in some dumplings: candies
for a sweet life and peanuts for a long and healthy one.In the evening all of us would sit around the table,
enjoying the food and being together again. We toasted each other, we laughed and the simple, homemade
dishes tasted more delicious than anything cooked by a top chef.
I hope my children and their children will still value our memories of preparing the dinner together.To me，
the process is even more important than the dinner itself.
Liu Yonghui
retired teacher
Think and Share
• Which of the two opinions do you agree with? Why?
• Give a talk about the importance of the Spring Festival family dinner for Chinese peole.
• Organize your talk following the steps below.
• State the importance of the Spring Festival family dinner for Chinese people.
• Explain why it is important.
• Share your personal experience about the family dinner.
• End by summarizing the main points in your talk.
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