11. CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS
I. Fill in the gaps with the words given:
The First Christmas Cards
recognised
plea
top
founder
embossed
prominent
hand
bottom
folded
themes
The first ……………1…….commercial Christmas card was produced in England in 1843 by Henry Cole, the
…………2……….of the Victoria and Albert Museum. It was a ………….3……….-coloured print showing a
family scene flanked by scenes of Christmas charity. This was inscribed with the words: "A Merry Christmas
and a Happy New Year to You" with space at the ……….4……..to put the name of the recipient and at the
………..5……………for the name of the sender.
However, it was not until the 1860's that the Christmas card as we know it came into being. Initially these were
small cards with a simple greeting set within an ………..6………..border. However, as the demand for
Christmas cards grew, the cards became larger and more elaborate. ……….7………sheets of white paper were
ornamented and turkeys, fireside scenes, plum puddings etc. became popular……..8…….
By 1880, the popularity of Christmas cards was such that many ………..9………..artists of the time had their
work reproduced in this form. It was also the year that the familiar 'Post early for Christmas'
………….10………..was issued for the first time.
The History of the Christmas Tree
current
sweets
depicted
preventing
gingerbreads
decorating
damage
performed
evergreen
indoors
Although it is generally agreed that the Christmas tree in its …………1………form came from Germany in the
early 19th century, the tradition of ………2………a tree to mark winter celebrations dates back hundreds of
years to Roman times, when they used to decorate ……3………trees with small pieces of metal to celebrate
Saturnalia.
In medieval times the 'Paradise Play' was ……….4………every year on 24 December. This ……….5……..the
creation of Man and the fall of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden.
The first mention of decorated trees being taken ……….6……came in 1605 in Germany - a country with a
long Christmas tree history! The trees were initially decorated with fruit and ……..7…….together with handmade objects such as snowflakes and stars. German Christmas Markets began to sell shaped
………..8………and wax ornaments for people to hang on their tree.
Artificial trees were invented in the 1880's in a bid to try and stop some of the …………..9………..being
caused to real trees due to people lopping the tip off large trees, thus ………….10………..the trees from
growing any further.
II. Fill in the correct words into the gaps.
1) Hello, my name is
. But I may also be called
.
2) I come through the
3) My
of the house.
wait on the roof.
4) I have lots of
5) I put them under the
for the children.
.
6) The children in Britain like to hang up a big
7) Sometimes they decorate the room with a
8) In some rooms I also find a
near the fireplace.
.
.
9) I like to come to houses where children have put a
.
III. Two employees are talking about plans for the Christmas office party. Fill in each gap in
their conversation with one word only:
A: So, have we organized everything?
B: Let’s go through the last points again. The ………..1……….from St. Mary’s will sing Christmas
………….2..………….before the dinner. They’ll be arriving at 6 p.m.
A: Great! On the tables there’s going to be one Christmas ……….3………….for each employee. One of
them will have the weekend winter ………….4………..inside. It’s a trip for two people to Rome.
B: Very romantic! What about Christmas decorations?
A: Well, we’ll have a tree, of course, which will have fairy ………5…………, not real
……………..6………., because of what happened last year. Do you remember the fire?
B: How can I forget?
A: I’ve also ordered some echo-friendly ………….7………..to hang on the tree, which I hope is as pretty
as the old material.
B: As long as it’s gold.
A: It is. One thing that will be missing from this year’s party is that awful traditional drink made of milk or
cream and sugar.
B: You mean …………..8………. . Yeah, we’ll just have mulled wine and soft ………9……….
A: There’s one thing we haven’t decided on yet. What ……..10…….will we be donating to this year? I
think we should give all the money to the school in Africa again.
B: Sounds good to me. We’ll announce it at the end of the Christmas party.
IV. Choose the correct answer:
1.
Which greeting do many Americans now use at Christmas? Do you know why?
a. Happy Holidays!; b. Happy Hogmanay! ; c. Happy Boxing Day!
2.
In some British companies, people who work together put their names in what and each person
picks out one name. They have to keep the name a secret from anyone else and buy a small gift for that
person. This is called:
a. Secret Santa; b. Santa’s Lottery; c. Rudolf’s Raffle.
3.
When do people sing the Scottish song “Auld Lang Syne” which means “times gone by/ old time
ago”?
a. On Christmas Eve; b. On Christmas Day; c. On New Year’s Eve.
4.
In the U.K. and the U.S., what do you have to do if you stand under a green plant with white
berries at Christmas?
a. Eat some Christmas cake; b. Buy everyone a drink; c. Kiss someone.
5.
In the US, companies often send out a basket of luxury items, usually of expensive food, vintage
wine and small gifts, to their clients. What is this called?
a.
A Christmas stocking; b. A Christmas hamper; c. A Christmas do.
6.
What is the customary Christmas dessert prepared with 13 ingredients and that every member of
the family should take turns to stir from east to west with a wooden spoon?
a.
The Christmas pie; b. The Christmas pudding; c. The Christmas cake.
7.
Which of these is not a Christmas carol?
a.
Little Town of Bethlehem; b. Oh, Christmas Tree; c. Little Town of Glory; d. Oh Holy Night.
8.
What do the Poles traditionally drink with their Christmas Eve meal?
a.
Mineral water; b. Vodka; c. Kompot; d. Tea.
9.
At what time on the 24th December do the Poles eat their special festive meal?
a.
When the first star appears in the sky; b. When the lady of the house calls them; c. After the first
carol-singers visit them; d. The same time as usual, 7 p.m.
10.
Two of the three wise men who visited baby Jesus were traditionally known as Melchior and
Caspar. What was the name of the third wise man?
a.
Melchez; b. Balthazar; c. Belteshazzar; d. Azariah.
11.
In many European countries, it is believed that animals have the ability to talk at midnight on
Christmas Eve, but only for a short time. Not everyone can hear them. Who can?
a.
the bad; b. the children; c. the good; d. the poor.
12.
A popular holiday drink served warm with spices:
a.
brandy; b. mulled wine; c. spoiled wine; d. whisky.
13.
Xmas is a common abbreviation of Christmas but from what alphabet does this originate?
a.
Cyrillic; b. Phoenician; c. Arabic; d. Greek.
15. To ring in the New Year in Spain, it is traditional to do what on each chime of the clock?
a. eat a grape; b. take a sip of wine; c. lap your hands; d. light a candle.
16. In the Jewish New Year celebration, what is eaten to symbolize a sweet new year?
a. Apples and honey; b. Chocolate; c. Fruit cake; d. Honey cake.
18. In Italy, what do people do on New Year's Day to bring good luck in the coming year?
a. Go to mass; b. Wear red underwear; c. Eat black-eyed peas; d. All of the above.
19. Why do the Chinese celebrate the New Year by letting off firecrackers?
a. To commemorate departed family members; b. To encourage good luck in the coming year; c. To
scare away evil spirits; d. All of the above.
20. Which Roman god had two faces, one looking back to the old year and one looking forward to the
coming year:
a. Janus; b. Jupiter; c. Juno.
21. In Scotland, what is the name of the New Year festival?
a. Hogwash; b. Hogmanay; c. Hogwarts.
22. In England what is the name of the bell that rings in the New Year in London?
a. Big Ben; b. Big Ban; c. Big Band.
V. Listen to the following songs and fill in the gaps:
1.
Rudolph, the Reindeer
Rudolph, the red-nosed …………
had a very shiny……………,
and if you ever saw……………,
you ……………even say it glows.
………………of the other reindeer,
used to laugh and ………………him names,
they never let ……………..Rudolph,
join in any reindeer ……………………
2.
Then all the reindeer …………………him.
as they ……………..out with glee,
Rudolph the …………….-nosed reindeer,
you'll go …………..in history!
Jingle Bells
…………………through the snow
In a one horse open ……………..
O'er the fields we go
…………….all the way
Bells on bob tails ring
Making spirits ……………
What fun it is to ………… and sing
A sleighing song tonight
Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh
Jingle bells, jingle bells
3.
Then ………………..foggy Christmas Eve,
Santa ………………..to say,
Rudolph with your nose ……………….bright,
won't you guide my …………..tonight?
Let it snow
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh.
A day or two ago
I thought I'd take a …………….
And soon Miss Fanny Bright
Was …………….by my side
The horse was lean and …………………..
Misfortune seemed his lot
We got into a drifted bank
And then we got …………….
Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!
Oh, the ……………………..outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful,
And since we've no ………………..to go,
Let it snow! Let it snow!
When we finally …………………..goodnight,
How I'll hate going out in the …………………
But if you'll really hold me tight,
All the way home I'll be ………………….
It doesn't show ……………..of stopping,
And I've bought some ………………for popping,
The ……………………….are turned way down
low,
The …………..is slowly dying,
And, my dear, we're still goodbye-ing,
But as long as you ……………..me so,
Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!