Unit 1
Festivals around the world
How many festivals do you know both in and out of China?
The Chinese festivals
Spring Festival
fireworks
dumpling
Words about Spring Festival
Greeting Season
春节 The Spring Festival
农历 lunar calendar
正月 lunar January;
the first month by lunar calendar
除夕 New Year's Eve; eve of lunar New Year
初一 the beginning of New Year
元宵节 the Lantern Festival
Food names
团圆饭 family reunion dinner
年夜饭 the dinner on New Year's Eve
饺子 dumpling
汤圆 Tang-yuan;
年糕 Nian-gao; rice cake; New Year cake
红枣 red dates
西瓜子 water melon seed
莲子 lotus seed
莲藕 lotus root
糖 candy
Activities
春联 Spring Festival couplets
剪纸 paper-cuts
年画 New Year paintings
烟花 fireworks
爆竹 firecrackers
舞狮 lion dance
舞龙 dragon dance
灯谜 riddles written on lanterns
灯会 exhibit of lanterns
守岁 staying-up
拜年 pay New Year's call;
give New Year's greetings;
New Year's visit
去晦气 get rid of the ill- fortune
祭祖宗 offer sacrifices to one's ancestors
压岁钱 gift money
辞旧岁 bid farewell to the old year
扫房 spring cleaning;
general house-cleaning
The Chinese character "fu" (meaning blessing or happiness) is a must. The character put on paper can be pasted normally or upside down, for in Chinese the "reversed fu" is homophonic with "fu comes", both being pronounced as "fu dao le." What's more, two big red lanterns can be raised on both sides of the front door.
The lantern Festival
Mid- Autumn Festival
Mooncakes

Dragon Boat Festival/ Duanwu Festival
Festivals are meant to celebrate important times of year. Different countries have different festivals. Work in groups and list some Chinese festivals that you know. Discuss when they take place, what they celebrate and what people do at that time.
Warming up
the Spring
Festival
the 1st day of the lunar month
the end of winter; arrival of spring; lunar New Year
visit relatives; have a big meal; get together and have fun with friends; give money in red paper to children;
the first full moon after Lunar New Year
eat Tang-yuan; enjoy lanterns and fireworks
International Labor Day
May 1st
the hard-working people all over the world
take a day off work; visit scenic spots; go shopping
the dragon
Boat Festival
the 5th day of the 5th lunar month
in memory of Qu Yuan, a great poet
eat zongzi; watch dragon boat racing; put herbs on doorways for good health
Mid-Autumn Festival
the 15th day of the 8th lunar month
harvest
Give and eat mooncakes; admire the moon with family and friends
the15th day of the 1st lunar month
FESTIVALS/ HOLIDAYS
New Year
Spring Festival
Festival of Lanterns
Dragon Boat Festival
Children’s Day
Mother’s Day
Father’s Day
Teachers’ Day
Mid-Autumn Festival
National Day
Can you name some Festivals or public holidays in China?
International
Labour Day
International
Women’s Day
The Youth Day
Tomb-sweeping Day
Army day
Festivals in foreign countries
Happy Valentine’s Day
Pumpkin lantern ,lead the spirits back,children’s day ,trick or treat ,sweets
Halloween (万圣节) November 31st
Thanksgiving Day
Crazy activities , dancing and singing
in the street,parade,colorful clothing
Carnivals, usually in February
Christmas
Festivals of
foreign
countries
Festivals of foreign countries
Christmas
Fool’s Day
Valentine’s Day
Carnival
Easter
Thanksgiving
Day
Mother’s Day
Father’s Day
Halloween
New Year
Look at the pictures and title of the passage below. Discuss in pairs what kind of information you think will be introduced in the passage.
Answer:
1. The names of the festivals and celebrations in the world.
2. The times when the festivals take place.
3. What people celebrate.
4. what people do in the festivals.
Pre-reading
Listen to the passage:
How many types of festivals are mentioned in the passage?
Ancient Festivals
Festivals of the Dead
Festivals to Honor the People
Harvest Festivals
Spring Festivals
Listening
Reading
You are given 8 minutes to read the passage
quickly and try to remember different kinds of
festivals mentioned in the text.
Festivals of
the Dead
Obon
Japan
The Day of the Dead
In Mexico
Halloween is one
of the oldest holidays
with origins going back
thousands of years.
On October 31 children in countries like the US and Canada celebrate Halloween.
Trick or treat
pumpkin head
Halloween in Western countries
mask
Halloween Parade(游行）
每年的１０月３１日为万圣节，它是西方国家的传统
节日。这一夜是一年中最“闹鬼”的一夜，所以也叫“鬼
节”。１０月３１日是夏天正式结束的日子，也就是新
年伊始，严酷的冬季开始的一天。那时人们相信，故
人的亡魂会在这一天回到故居地在活人身上找寻生灵，
借此再生，而且这是人在死后能获得再生的唯一希望。
而活着的人则惧怕死魂来夺生，于是人们就在这一天
熄掉炉火、烛光，让死魂无法找寻活人，又把自己打
扮成妖魔鬼怪把死人之魂灵吓走。
万圣节的一个有趣内容是“Trick or treat”，孩子们
提着南瓜灯笼挨家讨糖吃的。见面时，打扮成鬼精灵
模样的孩子们千篇一律地都要发出“不请吃就捣乱”的
威胁，而主人自然不敢怠慢，连声说“请吃！请吃！”
同时把糖果放进孩子们随身携带的大口袋里。
Festivals
to honour
people
Dragon Boat Festival
China
Columbus Day
USA
National Festival
India
Harvest
Festivals
Thanksgiving Day in America is a time to offer thanks, of family gatherings and holiday meals. A time of turkeys, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. A time for Indian corn, holiday parades and giant balloons .
Thanksgiving is celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November.
每年11月的第四个星期四是感恩节。感恩节是美国
人民独创的—个古老节日，也是美国人合家欢聚的节
日，因此美国人提起感恩节总是倍感亲切。
追根溯源，感恩节是和美洲古代的印第安人，特别
是和玉米的种植有十分密切的关系。1620年9月6日，
一批英国清教徒难以忍受宗教的迫害，搭乘“五月花号”木船驶往美洲。他们在疲劳、饥饿、寒冷和疾病的
袭击下在大西洋上漂泊了65天，最后到达北美殖民地
的普利茅斯。 在第一个冬天，半数人以上都死于饥饿和传染病，活
下来的人们在第一个春季开始播种，整个夏天他们都热
切地盼望着丰收的到来他们深知自己的生存将取决于即
将到来的收成。后来，庄稼获得了丰收，所以大家决定
要选一个日子来感谢上帝的恩典。直至1863年，美国
总统林肯宣布把感恩节定为全国性的节日。
Spring festivals
Easter Bunny
Easter eggs
In late March or early April
Easter
每年在教堂庆祝的复活节指的是春分月圆后的第一
个星期日，如果月圆那天刚好是星期天，复活节则推迟
一星期。因而复活节可能在从3月22日到4月25日之间
的任何一天。 　　复活节是最古老最有意义的基督教节日。因为它
庆祝的是基督的复活，世界各地的基督徒都要庆祝这
一节日。
　 典型的复活节礼物跟春天和再生有关系：鸡蛋、
小鸡、小兔子、鲜花，特别是百合花这一季节的象征。
复活节前夕，孩子们为朋友和家人给鸡蛋着色打扮一番。
复活节那天早上，孩子们会发现床前的复活节篮子里
装满了巧克力彩蛋、复活节小兔子、有绒毛的小鸡
及娃娃玩具等。一年一度的美国白宫滚彩蛋活动经常被
电视台实况转播。
Cherry Blossom Festival
(March 15- April 15)
（一） Summarize the reading passage and fill in the chart
Summary
Summarize and fill in the chart
the end of the cold winter;planting in spring and harvest in autumn
light fire and make music
to honour the dead or satisfy and please the ancestors
light lamps, play music, eat food in the shapes of skulls and cakes with bones, go to their neighbors to ask for sweets,dress up
for their great contributions to the societyor the country
Dragon boat racing, eat zongzi
Food is gathered for the winter. A season of agricultural work is over.
decorate churches and town halls, get together to have big meals, admire the moon and eat mooncakes
celebrate the end of winter and the coming of spring
eat delicious food; have exciting carnivals
The ancient people needn’t worry about their food.
Halloween used to be a festival intended to honour the dead.
Qu Yuan was a great poet who people honour a lot in China.
Mid-autumn Festival is held to celebrate the end of autumn.
Easter celebrates the birth of Jesus.
F
T
T
F
F
（二）T or F

(一) Read the passage carefully again and try to answer the following questions.
1、What are festivals of the dead usually for?
2、What makes autumn festivals happy events?
3、What do people usually do at spring festivals?
Festivals of the dead are for honoring or satisfying dead ancestors or others, who some people believe might return to help or harm living people.
Autumn festivals are happy events because people are thankful that food is ready for winter and the hard farm work is finished.
At spring festivals, people usually have dances, carnivals and other activities to celebrate the end of winter and the coming of spring.
Close Reading
（二）Discuss in groups and then
answer the following questions.
4. What is one important reason to have festivals and celebrations?
5. Compare the festivals of the dead in Mexico,Japan and China.What things are similar?What things are different?
It is important to have festivals and celebrations so we can enjoy life / be proud of our customs / forget our work for a little while.
Similar: The Chinese and Japanese go to clean their ancestors’ graves, and the Mexicans offer foods, flowers and gifts to the dead.
Different: The Mexicans eat special food in the shape of skulls and cakes with “bones” on them
Close Reading
Thank you