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Unit 11 Lesson 9
Festivals and celebrations in different cultures
Objectives: By the end of the lesson you will have
• talked about festivals and celebrations
• read about festivals in different cultures
• rewritten a passage
A In pairs name the main festivals in our country. How do we celebrate these festivals? List at least 5 festivals below and note down two things people do during that time.
Festivals How they are celebrated
1 a
b
2 a
b
3 a
b
4 a
b
5 a
b
B Do you know of any festivals and celebrations in other countries? In groups, note them down in the following box.
Country Festivals Celebrations
1
2
3 1
2
3 1
2
3
C Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
Different cultures all over the world celebrate events at different times of the year. These range from small family occasions honouring such things as births, marriages and deaths to weeklong festivals involving thousands of people.
These various celebrations have their origin in history, tradition, religion and politics. Some have changed little over the centuries and reflect the traditions, values and myths of earlier generations. Some see this as a sign of society being unwilling to change and progress. Others see it as an essential way of maintaining traditions and interest in their culture.
On the other hand, other festivals have developed and adapted to change while absorbing influences from the societies in which they are held. A good example of this kind of festival is the annual Netting Hill Carnival held in August in London, which is essentially a Caribbean festival organised by the large West Indian community living in London. The flamboyant costumes, the music, dancing and the food have made it now a major tourist attraction.
There are festivals of every kind all over the world - from the Chinese New Year celebrations and the Dragon Boat festival in Hong Kong to the May day parades in European cities and the "Racing the Bulls' event in Spain. One area of the world which has a rich and varied tradition of festivals and celebrations is South America. Religious and traditional festivals are frequent and involve whole communities. Mexico has its Posada and Pinata days in December each year, as well as numerous other festival or fiesta days. But the country with the most famous of all the celebrations held in the continent has to be Brazil with its spectacular Rio carnival held every February.
This carnival was introduced into Brazil by the Portuguese in 1641 to celebrate their independence from Spanish domination. The first carnival was held in Rio de Janeiro and lasted a week but was nowhere near as splendid as the current 96-hour phenomenon. Today, the carnival takes over Rio de Janeiro for four days of continuous celebration when the city explodes with music, dancing and excitement. Individuals leaving work, going shopping or simply sightseeing are immediately caught up in the street dancing, parades, and music, and become a part of groups taking over the streets.
These groups arc perhaps the most important element of the Rio carnival. They are organised by the samba schools whose "parades provide music, dancing, extravagant costumes and street decorations. These give the carnival its vitality and uniqueness. Each school tries to outdo the others by playing specially composed samba triune, performing .samba dances and wearing elaborate costumes. There is a prize for the best samba school and winning it is very prestigious. The schools are neighbourhood associations of residents living in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro. Each .school is named after its suburb and involves from 1 to 3 thousand residents in dancing, singing and playing music in the parades. Preparations for the carnival begin almost as soon as one finishes. So, visitors to Rio dc Janeiro who miss the carnival itself can see and experience the colour and atmosphere of the carnival by attending the frequent rehearsals of the samba schools preparing for the next year.
Refer back to the passage again and answer the following questions.
1 Give a title to the passage.
2 Name some of the festivals of the different countries mentioned m the second paragraph.
3 What do people do during the Rio carnival? Make a list of activities that take place.
D Imagine you are visiting Rio during the carnival. Write to your friend in Bangladesh telling her/him of your experience.
Focus:
Skills.
Speaking, intensive reading, writing.
Functions.
Describing cultural events.
Grammar/Structure.
Present simple, verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs to describe activity and atmosphere.
Vocabulary.
unwilling, absorb, flamboyant, carnival, fiesta, spectacular, elaborate, sightseeing, prestigious.
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Unit 11 Lesson 9
Festivals and celebrations in different cultures
Objectives: By the end of the lesson you will have
• talked about festivals and celebrations
• read about festivals in different cultures
• rewritten a passage
A In pairs name the main festivals in our country. How do we celebrate these festivals? List at least 5 festivals below and note down two things people do during that time.
Festivals How they are celebrated
1 a
b
2 a
b
3 a
b
4 a
b
5 a
b
B Do you know of any festivals and celebrations in other countries? In groups, note them down in the following box.
Country Festivals Celebrations
1
2
3 1
2
3 1
2
3
C Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
Different cultures all over the world celebrate events at different times of the year. These range from small family occasions honouring such things as births, marriages and deaths to weeklong festivals involving thousands of people.
These various celebrations have their origin in history, tradition, religion and politics. Some have changed little over the centuries and reflect the traditions, values and myths of earlier generations. Some see this as a sign of society being unwilling to change and progress. Others see it as an essential way of maintaining traditions and interest in their culture.
On the other hand, other festivals have developed and adapted to change while absorbing influences from the societies in which they are held. A good example of this kind of festival is the annual Netting Hill Carnival held in August in London, which is essentially a Caribbean festival organised by the large West Indian community living in London. The flamboyant costumes, the music, dancing and the food have made it now a major tourist attraction.
There are festivals of every kind all over the world - from the Chinese New Year celebrations and the Dragon Boat festival in Hong Kong to the May day parades in European cities and the "Racing the Bulls' event in Spain. One area of the world which has a rich and varied tradition of festivals and celebrations is South America. Religious and traditional festivals are frequent and involve whole communities. Mexico has its Posada and Pinata days in December each year, as well as numerous other festival or fiesta days. But the country with the most famous of all the celebrations held in the continent has to be Brazil with its spectacular Rio carnival held every February.
This carnival was introduced into Brazil by the Portuguese in 1641 to celebrate their independence from Spanish domination. The first carnival was held in Rio de Janeiro and lasted a week but was nowhere near as splendid as the current 96-hour phenomenon. Today, the carnival takes over Rio de Janeiro for four days of continuous celebration when the city explodes with music, dancing and excitement. Individuals leaving work, going shopping or simply sightseeing are immediately caught up in the street dancing, parades, and music, and become a part of groups taking over the streets.
These groups arc perhaps the most important element of the Rio carnival. They are organised by the samba schools whose "parades provide music, dancing, extravagant costumes and street decorations. These give the carnival its vitality and uniqueness. Each school tries to outdo the others by playing specially composed samba triune, performing .samba dances and wearing elaborate costumes. There is a prize for the best samba school and winning it is very prestigious. The schools are neighbourhood associations of residents living in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro. Each .school is named after its suburb and involves from 1 to 3 thousand residents in dancing, singing and playing music in the parades. Preparations for the carnival begin almost as soon as one finishes. So, visitors to Rio dc Janeiro who miss the carnival itself can see and experience the colour and atmosphere of the carnival by attending the frequent rehearsals of the samba schools preparing for the next year.
Refer back to the passage again and answer the following questions.
1 Give a title to the passage.
2 Name some of the festivals of the different countries mentioned m the second paragraph.
3 What do people do during the Rio carnival? Make a list of activities that take place.
D Imagine you are visiting Rio during the carnival. Write to your friend in Bangladesh telling her/him of your experience.
Focus:
Skills.
Speaking, intensive reading, writing.
Functions.
Describing cultural events.
Grammar/Structure.
Present simple, verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs to describe activity and atmosphere.
Vocabulary.
unwilling, absorb, flamboyant, carnival, fiesta, spectacular, elaborate, sightseeing, prestigious.