Senior 2 Module 6 Unit 3 Understanding each other Welcome to the unit

Halloween 万圣节 What kind of holiday is this?

What do you know about Halloween?

origin of Halloween: One story says that the disembodied spirits of all those who had died throughout the preceding year would come back in search of living bodies to possess for the next year. It was believed to be their only hope for the afterlife. The Celts believed all laws of space and time were suspended during this time, allowing the spirit world to intermingle with the living.

On the night of October 31, villagers would extinguish the fires in their homes, to make them cold and undesirable. They would then dress up in all manner of ghoulish costumes and noisily paraded around the neighborhood, being as destructive as possible in order to frighten away spirits looking for bodies to possess.

a jack-o'-lantern illuminated from within by a candle

jack-o’-lantern A jack-o'-lantern is a pumpkin whose top and stem have been cut out and interior removed, leaving a hollow shell that is then decoratively carved. Jack-o'- lanterns are associated with the holiday Halloween.pumpkinHalloween

ghoulish masks and costumes

Discussion: 1 Do we Chinese have such similar customs? 2 What do Chinese people do on Qingming Festival?

Qingming Festival: Qingming, meaning clear and bright, is the day for mourning the dead. It falls in early April every year. It corresponds with the onset of warmer weather, the start of spring plowing, and of family outings.

Qingming is not just a day of remembrance and the only time when sacrifices were made to ancestors. It is also a day to celebrate the coming of spring, often by going out for a picnic. With the coming of spring, nature wakes up, dressing the world in green. All is new, clean and fresh.

Discussion: 1 Although the two festivals have something in common, there exist differences between them. What are they? 2 What are Chinese’ attitudes towards ghosts and devils? 3 Do Chinese people prefer to dress up like ghosts?

cultural difference: In many aspects of our life, we often divide the world into two parts: the eastern one and the western one. We divide like this not only because of the geographical location differences, but also due to the cultural differences to a large extent. In the following parts, you’ll see more examples of such differences.

How do people greet each other in different countries?

1 Are these ways of greeting the same as the ways Chinese people greet each other? 2 If someone greets you in these ways, what will you do then? Discussion

Homework 1 Write a composition about the result of the discussion. 2 Read further information about cultural differences.