Holidays
Power English
DE
Intro
During the past two weeks, we’ve looked more closely at one of Britain’s most
famous habits: High tea. But if you think that that’s all the Brits are famous for,
you got it wrong. The British are outstanding at celebrating Christmas. It is one
of the biggest British holidays. Therefore we will focus our attention on British
holidays the coming two lessons! How much do you already know about the
different British holidays? The next two texts will tell you a little bit more about
two other famous holidays.
Shrove Tuesday
The day before the beginning of Lent is known as
Shrove Tuesday. To shrive someone, in old-fashioned
English (he shrives, he shrove, he has shriven or he
shrives, he shrived, he has shrived), is to hear his
acknowledgement of his sins, to assure him of God's
forgiveness, and to give him appropriate spiritual
advice. The term survives today in ordinary usage in
the expression "short shrift". To give someone short
shrift is to pay very little attention to his excuses or problems. The longer expression is, "to
give him short shrift and a long rope," which formerly meant to hang a criminal with a
minimum of delay.
On Shrove Tuesday, many Christians make a special point of self-examination, of considering
what wrongs they need to repent, and what amendments of life or areas of spiritual growth
they especially need to ask God's help in dealing with. Often they consult on these matters
with a spiritual counselor, or receive shrift.
Shrove Tuesday is also called Fat Tuesday (in French, Mardi=Tuesday; gras=fat, as in "pate de
foie gras", which is liver paste and very fatty), because on that day a thrifty housewife uses
up the fats that she has kept around (the can of bacon drippings, or whatever) for cooking,
but that she will not be using during Lent. Since pancakes are a standard way of using up fat,
the day is also called Pancake Tuesday. In England, and perhaps elsewhere, the day is
celebrated with pancake races. The contestants run a course while holding a griddle and
flipping a pancake. Points are awarded for time, for number and height of flips, and number
of times the pancake turns over. There are of course penalties for dropping the pancake.
Bonfire Night
In the UK, Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes is
celebrated on November 5th and the night skies
are filled with colour. It's a special day in honour
of a historic event.
The history
The year was 1605 and some English Catholics were angry because the King of England,
James the first, was treating them badly. In November 1605 a group of men made a plan to
blow up the Houses of Parliament (the government buildings) in London. An enormous
explosion was planned for November 5th. This was the day that the King was due to open
parliament. The plan is known as the ‘Gunpowder Plot’ and the leader of the group was
called Guy Fawkes. The men put 36 barrels of gunpowder (a type of explosive) in the Houses
of Parliament and they waited for the King to arrive. The group decided that Guy Fawkes
should light the gunpowder and cause the explosion. Did they succeed? No, they didn’t. The
police found the gunpowder before it exploded and they caught all the men involved in the
plot. The men were tortured and killed. To celebrate his survival, King James ordered the
people of England to have a bonfire on the night of November 5th.
Bonfires, Guys and fireworks
On November 5th people remember the plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament by
celebrating ‘Bonfire Night’. All over Britain there are firework displays and bonfires with
models of Guy Fawkes, which are burned on the fire. The Guy is made of old clothes and the
clothes are filled with newspaper. The Guy is a reminder of Guy Fawkes. The fireworks are a
reminder of the gunpowder that Guy Fawkes hid in the cellar of Parliament. Some people
have a small bonfire in their garden on November 5th. In main towns and cities there are big
bonfires and firework displays. The biggest fireworks display is the Edenbridge Display in
Kent. Edenbridge also has the biggest Guy. A 9-metre ‘celebrity’ model is burned there every
year. Last year the celebrity Guy was Wayne Rooney wearing Shrek–style ears and a
Manchester United football shirt.
Food
It’s normally quite cold in November in Britain, so on Bonfire Night people wear hats, scarves
and gloves to spend the evening outside. They need some warm food too. Traditional
Bonfire Night food is hot baked potatoes. The potatoes are cooked on the bonfire and filled
with butter and cheese. There are also toffee apples (apples on a stick, covered in sweet
toffee) and in the north of England they eat a special type of cake called parkin. Cooking
marshmallows on the bonfire is also popular. Yum!
Penny for the Guy
In Britain only adults can buy fireworks but in the past they were sold to children too. During
the days before Bonfire Night, children used to take their home-made Guys onto the streets
and ask for ‘a penny for the Guy’ to collect money to buy fireworks. Now you have to be
over 18 to buy fireworks, and safety on Bonfire Night is an important issue.
Assignment 1
Assignment 2
Look at tekst 1.
Look at tekst 2
Highlight the difficult
words and write them
together with their
meaning down below.
See how much you
understand. FIll in the
gaps in the exercise.
Assignment 3
You have now read both
texts. Use the internet
to look up other Britisch
holidays. Pick one and
design a celebration
card fort his particular
holiday. You may use
colours,paper,pictures,
Computer programmes
etc.
Difficult words:
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Assignment 2
Read the text about Bonfire Night then do these exercises to check your understanding.
1. Check your understanding: gap fill
Complete the gaps with a number from the box.
36 / 5th / 18 / 1605 / 9 / First
1.A group of people wanted to kill James the _______________,the King of England.
2. Guy Fawkes planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament in ______________.
3. Guy Fawkes and his men put_______________ barrels of explosives in the Houses of
Parliament.
4. People remember the plot to destroy the Houses of Parliament and kill King James with
fireworks and bonfires on November _______________.
5. Edenbridge in Kent burns a _______________ metre Guy on a bonfire every year.
6. People under_______________ can’t buy fireworks in the UK.