高一下册Unit14 Festivals
胡三元
2007.3.13
Brainstorming
festivals of foreign countries
Thanksgiving Day
Easter
Christmas
Chopstics Day
Father’s Day
Carnival
festivals
Mother’s Day
Valentine’s Day
Halloween
Oktoberfest
Fool’s Day
Task1, Pre-unit Activities
T, Find information about the following festivals as much as
possible through newspapers, magazines, related books and
Internet. Before the class teachers hand out the papers to the
students so that they can know more information about the
topic –the reading passage previously.
1,Chinese festivals: the Spring Festival, the Lantern Festival
(Yuanxiao), Tomb Sweeping Festival (Qingming), Dragon Boat
Festival (Duanwu), Mid-Autumn Festival, Double Ninth Festival
(Chongyang), National Day, New Year’s Day, Chinese Youth
Day, Party’s Day, Army’s Day, Teachers’ Day, Tree-planting
Day…
Foreign festivals: Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving Day,
Easter, Valentine’s Day, April Fool’s Day, Ramadan, Day of the
Dead (from Mexico), Bon Odori Festival/ Ghost Festival (from
Japan) (盂兰盆节), Mardi Gras, Kwanzaa
2. Give the following introductions of some
famous foreign festivals.
Mardi Gras
The America's most favorite celebration, and famous Mardi
Gras takes place in New Orleans, Louisiana. Carnival has religious roots
associated with Judeo-Christian tradition. Mardi Gras is set to occur 46 days
(the 40 days of Lent plus six Sundays) before Easter and can come as early as
February 3 or as late as March 9. Known as the "biggest free show on earth",
people there dress up in costumes for these events and enjoy this celebration
by going to public parades where they catch "beads, doubloons, cups, and
trinkets" that are all thrown from floats. They also have private celebrations,
masquerade balls, held by clubs called krewes. The official colors of Carnival
are purple, green and gold, chosen in 1872 by that year's Rex. The colors
have meaning: purple for justice, green for faith and gold for power. King
Cakes are eaten during this holiday.
Valentine’s Day February 14th, Valentine’s Day, is sweethearts’ day, on which
people in love with each other express their tender emotions. People
sometimes put their love message in a heart-shaped
box of chocolates, or a bunch of flowers tied with
red ribbons. Words or letters may be written on the
flower-covered card, or something else. Whatever
the form may be, the message is almost the same —
“ Will you be my valentine?” The symbol of valentine
is a picture with a Heart and Cupid armed with bow
and arrow. Many universities, high or elementary
schools hold a sweethearts’ Ball for the young
students to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
Easter Easter, with its religious character, falls on the first
Sunday after the full moon that occurs on or after March 21st.
Therefore, Easter happens sometimes in March, and sometimes
in April. It commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the tomb where he had lain for three days following his
Crucifixion. His rise after three days indicates that he would
accomplish his promise to rise again from the dead as proof of
eternal life. As Christ’s return to life had occurred during the
season of spring, some of the rites of Spring were still retained.
Therefore, we see that although Easter is based on the events in
the life of Christ, it has been influenced by older traditions. For
example, the custom of dyeing eggs is still very popular among
American children. Originally the egg symbolized fertility for the
ancient Persians and Greeks who exchanged eggs at their spring
festivals. But up to the Christian time, the egg symbolized the
tomb from which Christ rose. For Christian lamb is the symbol of
the sacrifice of Christ and pig the symbol of good luck. That is
why both in Europe and in America, people have lamb and ham
as their main meat on Easter Sunday. In all the spring season,
people enjoy the Easter message of hope, joy and the
resurrection of spirit
Halloween 1,000 years ago, the Celts living in the
Great Britain believed that human is mastered by gods.
They also believe that Samhain, the death god, would
come back to the earthly world with the dead at the night
on October 31. The Celts built bonfires and fired animals
as sacrificial offerings to the death god. Some Celts
were dressed in costumes made from animal heads or
furs, which was the origin of contemporary Halloween
masquerade. The night of the death god was a horrifying
time that signified the coming of winter and was the
beginning of Halloween eve. Today, the religious
meaning of Halloween has been weakened; instead, the
holiday expresses man’s cherishing memory of
Halloween via innovative, ever-changing modern
masquerade.
Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving Day, which originated in
America and was first celebrated in 1621 by the pilgrims of the
Plymouth Colony, is the most typical and true national holiday
of all the holidays observed in the United States of America.
Because of the religious persecution by the established church
in England, the pilgrims left their native land with the purpose
of enjoying religious freedom. They first fled to Holland, and
then sailed to America on a ship called the Mayflower. When
they arrived at Plymouth, Massachusetts, it was November,
1620. The first winter was very difficult for them and over half
of them died because of hunger and illness, hard work and
severely cold weather. In the spring of the next year, 1621, a
friendly Indian named Squants, who had been captured and
released by other English men, came to help them in planting
the corn and fertilizing the soil.
Then Squants brought the Indian chief called Massasoit who also
treated them in a friendly way. With the help of the Indians, the pilgrims
had a bumper harvest that year. They thought the harvest was a kind of
deliverance by God, so they decided to have a day of celebration after
their harvest to express their thanks to God. And they also invited the
Indian chief Massasoit in gratitude and prepared a grand dinner outdoors. The celebration lasted for 3 days. On October 3rd, 1863, Lincoln
issued the first National Thanksgiving Proclamation. Since then it has
been the custom for the President of the United States to Proclaim
annually the fourth Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day. The
Thanksgiving dinner is mainly stuffed with roast turkey, squash and
corn, pumpkin pie and Indian pudding a custard made from corn), etc.
Today, American people have four days for this holiday, although the
first Thanksgiving lasted three days. One is probably surprised to find
the uniformity in the holiday scene of every family, wherever one goes
in the United States. People go back home to enjoy the reunion of their
family at the arrival of Thanksgiving Day.
Christmas Christmas Day, which is the greatest of the Christian
festivals, falls on December 25th on which Christian people believe
Jesus Christ was born, although no one can tell the exact date of
his birth. This is the biggest and best-loved holiday in the United
States, which is full of joy and gaiety, love and laughter, hospitality
and good will. People usually have two weeks for this holiday.
They begin to prepare Christmas long before the holiday comes.
Small families and large business firms prepare the holiday
differently. Stores are decorated with the traditional Christmas
colors of green and red. Goods associated with Christmas
become best sellers at this time. People like to decorate their
stores and homes with Christmas tree, which is usually covered
with strings of colored lights and a star fixed on top representing
the star in the East, which guided the three Wise Men to where
Jesus was born. And Christmas food is special: peppermintflavored red and white striped canes of sugar, bright
colored hard sweets, chocolate bonbons, creamy
homemade fudge and clusters of chocolate-covered
raisins, walnuts or pecans, etc. On Christmas Eve
families have a big dinner. Children hang their
stockings by the fireplace, hoping that Santa Claus
will fill them with sweets and toys.
Task1, Greetings.
Task2, do you like some festivals? Ok,let’s see!
Chinese New Year
Spring Festival
Chinese Lunar New Year
Lantern Festival
on the 15th day
of the first lunar
month
Tomb-sweeping Day,
on April 5th Memorize ancestors or the dead
Dragon Boating Day,
on the fifth day of the fifth
lunar month
Mid-Autumn Festival,
on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month
the Double Ninth
Festival
(Old People’s Day)
on the 9th day of the 9th lunar month
Valentine’s Day
on February, 14
April Fool’s Day
on April, 1
Task3, Teacher Says,
Do you know any other American festivals? Would you like to
know to American festivals? Now let’s make an exercise to See
whether you know them. Now one student has a card A, the other
student has a card B. now please ask your partner’s questions and
exchange it, you can do it like this, A, ”What is the theme of Abraham
Lincoln’s birthday?” B, “oh, it is to honor the president who set all the
slaves free.” Ukase what I mean? Do it, please.
Card B
Time
January
Name of the day
New Year’s Day
Theme
To celebrate the beginning
of a new year
To memorize Marin’s
famous lecture “I have
a dream”
February
Valentine’s Day
Abraham Lincoln’s birthday
George
birthday
Washington’s
To show
lovers
love between
March
Saint Patrick’s Day
April
April Fool’s Day
To remember a person who brought
Christian teachings to Ireland and
Europe
Easter
May
Mother’s Day
To show respect to mothers
Memorial Day
June
Father’s Day
To show respect to fathers
July
Independence Day
To celebrate
Independence
the
American
August
/
/
September
To show respect to
all workers
October
To treat children
November
Veteran’s Day
To honor soldiers
Thanksgiving Day
December
Christmas
To remember the birth
of Jesus Christ and also
get family together
Card A
Time
January
Name of the day
New Year’s Day
Martin
King Day
February
March
Luther
Theme
To celebrate the beginning of a
new year
To memorize Marin’s famous
lecture “I have a dream”
Valentine’s Day
To show love between lovers
Abraham
Lincoln’s birthday
To honor the president who set all
the slaves free
George
Washington’s
birthday
Saint
Patrick’s
To honor the first president of the
USA
Day
To remember a person who brought
Christian teachings to Ireland and
Europe
April Fool’s Day
April
To get relaxed by
making fun of
others
To celebrate the
end of Jesus’
Easter
Mother’s Day
life called the
To show respect to mothers
Resurrection
Memorial Day
To go to ceremonies to honor ancestors
June
Father’s Day
To show respect to fathers
July
Independence Day
To celebrate the American Independence
August
/
/
September
Labor Day
To show respect to all workers
October
Halloween
To treat children
May
November
December
Veteran’s Day
To honor soldiers
Thanksgiving
Day
To give thanks to God for the
harvest season
Christmas
To remember the birth of Jesus
Christ and also get family
together
Task4, T: OK, Good. Which are the greatest and the most important festival to
Chinese people? (The Spring Festival) And which is the greatest and the
most important festival to Christian people in western countries?
(Christmas) I think both of them are quite popular in the world.
So What are difference between Christmas and Chinese Spring festival ?
Festival
Different
aspect
Christmas
Chinese Spring Festival
Time
From the 1st day to the
15th day of the first
Chinese lunar month
On Dec. 25
Preparation
Do spring-cleaning, do
Spring Festival shopping
(new clothes, delicious
food, fireworks, New Year
paintings, etc.), decorate
the houses with Spring
Festival
Do cleaning, do
Christmas shopping
(gifts, cards, sweet,
cookies, etc.); decorate
the houses with
Christmas tree and
colored lights
Special Food
New Year’s cake,
dumpling ( jiaozi) , sweet
dumpling (tangyuan
Candies, cookies,
pudding
Anything
fruits,
drinks…)
(foods,
clothes,
Gifts
Anything (foods,
fruits, drinks,
desserts, Christmas
decorations)
Have
family
reunion
dinner on New Year’s Eve;
pay New Year’s visits,
recreational
activities
(dragon
dance,
lion
dance, stilt-walking…)
Family
reunion,
have a big dinner on
Christmas Eve…
Bidding farewell to the
old year and welcoming
the new year, hoping for
the best and the good
future.
Celebrating
the
birth of Jesus
Christ
Major Activities
Purpose
Pre-reading:
Task4, Reading
T: Can you say some other festivals?
.Do you
what to know Thanks giving Day? Now let’s watch
them Do you know there is another festival, which follows
Christmas Day in America?.It is an important festival to
African Americans. Is there any one who knows the name of
the festival? (Kwanzaa)
Enjoy it
Christmas Day December , 25
Carnival of African-Americans
It is celebrated through singing, speaking,
dancing and reciting traditions.
T/F Questions:
1.( F) Kwanzaa is a very old festival.
2.(T ) The word Kwanzaa means first fruit
in Swahili.
3.(T ) Kwanzaa is based on old African festivals.
4.( F )People created Kwanzaa to celebrate American
culture.
5.( F) Kwanzaa is celebrated on Christmas Day.
6.(T ) People who celebrate Kwanzaa light a candle
for each of the seven principles.
Exercise 2,
Read the text on page 10 fast and try to get a general idea of Kwanzaa
from the text. T can present a diagram of the information about Kwanzaa
to help Ss to finish this task.
how long
who
When
Kwanza
a
why
how
Characteristics
(Questionnaire: When is Kwanzaa celebrated? How
long does it last?
Who created the festival of Kwanzaa? (Dr Maulana
Karenga) Who usually celebrates Kwanzaa? Why is it
celebrated? What are the characteristics of Kwanzaa?)
Matching the general idea of each paragraphs.
In a popular African language, it means
first and celebrates the new year.
Para. 1
The festival is based on seven important
principles or ideas.
Para.2
Kwanzaa is a festival of reflection and
anticipation for African Americans
Para.3
Festivals not only celebrate history but
add to our cultural traditions for future
generations.
Para.4
Candles are an important aspect of the
celebration of Kwanzaa.
Para.5
Exercise3 questions and answers.
Now decide the whole class into two groups. The boy’s group and the girl’s
group. Boy must ask questions and the girls must answer them. After that
they can exchange the role. You can use the following questions to help you
1, why did people create Kwanzaa?
2, when was Kwanzaa born?
3, what are the principles of the Kwanzaa? Which one do you?
Think is the most important?
4, compare Kwanzaa with the Chinese Spring Festival and
Christmas .In which do we celebrate these similar and in
Which way are they different?
5, many festivals around the world are celebrated around
The same time. Why do we celebrate these festivals at these
times?
Fill in the following form:
When does the festival fall?
12.26-1.1
How long does it last?
7 days
When was it created?
1966
Why did people create
Kwanzaa?
How do people celebrate it?
celebrate their
history and culture
lighting a candle and discuss
one of the principles
Day 1 - middle candle - Black - Umoja - Unity
Day 2 - innermost red candle - Kujichagulia –
Self-determination
Day 3 - innermost green candle - Ujima –
Collective Work and Responsibility
Day 4 - middle red candle - Ujamaa –
Cooperative Economics
Day 5 - middle green candle - Nia - Purpose
Day 6 - outermost red candle - Kuumba - Creativity
Day 7 - outermost green candle - Imani - Faith
Task5, Dialogue.
Suppose you are the reporter of Overseas Wind Programmed of jianling
middle school Students’ Broadcasting. Now you are chosen to interview
the foreign teacher John about the festival of Kwanzaa. Make up a
dialogue with your partner. One acts the role of the reporter, and the other
acts the role of John. The dialogue can begin like this:
Reporter (R): Good afternoon, everyone. Here is our Overseas Wind
Programme. Today, we have a foreign guest in our progamme. He is our
foreign teacher John. Hello, John.
John (J): Hello.
R: Good morning. Welcome you to China. I am pleased greatly if you can
tell me any information about KWANZAA. Also Welcome to our Overseas
Wind Programme. Today we have a topic about the festival of Kwanzaa.
So would you like to introduce Kwanzaa to us? …
J: …
Task5, Discussion
Topic1: Do you agree festivals can help us understand our
history and culture? How do they help us understand our
history and culture
Topic2,
Nowadays more and more festivals have been
created in my cities for various purposes, such as developing
local economy, making the city well known, etc. Our city Shu
yang created the Festival of the Great Wall in the South. It has
been celebrated for three years. However, some Shuyangese
think holding such a festival causes some problems to the city.
What effects does the Festival of the Great Wall in the South
bring to us? Make a list
Good Effects
Bad Effects
Argument:
What positive and negative effects do
festivals have on us?
Good Effects
Bad Effects
Bad effects
Good effects
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
…
Day
You may
have
some
other
greater
ideas…
Create your own class festival
Name of the festival: ____________________________
Date: __________________________________________
Meaning:
_________________________________________
Principles:
__________________________________________
How is the festival celebrated?
___________________________
What is the symbol of the festival?
_______________________
Ask three students as judges to decide which
group is the best and give some evaluations.
Group Group1
Scores
Judges
Judge1
Judge2
Judge3
Total
Group2
Group3
Writing :
Since you have created your new festival, you may want
your friends to join the celebration of your new festival .
Try to write an invitation.
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Silver,
We are having a small At-home party with a few close friends at our
house on Tuesday, February 3rd, at 7:00 o’clock.
We should be very pleased if you could honour us with your company.
Sincerely yours,
John Brown