Unit1 Festivals around the world

What kinds of festivals in China do you know about? Brainstorming The Double Seventh Festival 七夕节 The Spring Festival The Double Ninth Festival 重阳节 The Lantern Festival元宵节 festivals Tomb Sweeping Day 清明节 The Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋节 The Dragon Boat Festival 端午节

Spring Festival Lantern Festival

Tomb-Sweeping Day April 5th 清明时节雨纷纷，路上行人欲断魂。 借问酒家何处有，牧童遥指杏花村。------[唐] 杜牧 Tomb-Sweeping Day April 5th

Dragon Boat Festival Mid-Autumn Day

What Chinese public holidays do you know ? National Day Children’s Day International Labour Day New Year’s Day(元旦) Holidays International Women’s Day The Youth Day

What festivals of foreign countries do you know? Easter(Mar--Apirl) Valentine’s Day Christmas festivals Halloween Oct.31 Father’s Day June Mother’s Day May Apirl Fool’s Day Thanksgiving Day November

Valentines February 14th

Halloween Pumpkin light

Easter Thanksgiving Day

Foreign Festivals 名称 英文名称 月份 情人节 Valentine’s Day 2月14日 复活节 Easter 3月21日或此日后月圆的第一个星期日 耶稣受难日 Good Friday 复活节前的星期五 愚人节 April Fool’s Day 4 月1日 母亲节 Mother’s Day 5月的第二个星期日 父亲节 Father’s Day 6月的第三个星期日 劳动节 Labor Day 5 月1日 万圣节 Halloween 10月31日 感恩节 Thanksgiving Day 11月的第四个星期4 斋节 Ramadan 穆斯林历的第9个月 圣诞节 Christmas Day 12月25日

Pre-reading What festivals or celebrations do you have in your city or town? What part of a festival do you like best- the activities, the music, the sights, the food or the people who visit?

Reading

Scanning How many types of festivals are mentioned in the passage? 1. Ancient festivals 2. Festivals of the Dead 3. Festivals to Honor People 4. Harvest Festivals 5. Spring Festivals

Skimming What festivals are mentioned in each paragraph? P1. Ancient festivals celebrate the end of the cold weather, planting in spring and harvest in autumn; celebrate when hunters catch animals.

P 2. Festivals of the Dead Japan -----Obon Mexico------Day of the Dead America------Halloween P 3. Festivals to Honour People Dragon Boat Festival Columbus Day (India)October 2

Obon（盂兰盆） in Japan

Columbus Day

P 4. Harvest Festivals Harvest and Thanksgiving Festival Mid-Autumn festival P 5. Spring Festivals Spring festival Carnival Easter Cheery Blossom Festival

Harvest Festivals

Comprehending I. Read the passage and then fill in the following chart.

1. Festivals of the Dead. Purposes To honor the dead or satisfy the 1________ Names 2______ The Day of the Dead 4_________ Countries Japan 3_______ Western countries ancestors Obon Halloween Mexico

Obon Festivals Activities The Day of the Dead Festivals Obon Halloween Activities Cleaning 5______; lighting 6_______ and lamps; playing 7______ Eating cakes with 8_____ on them; offering food, flowers and 9____ to the dead Children 10 _______ and ask for sweets graves bones dress up incense music gifts

2. Festivals to Honour People Match the person with the festival. 1. Qu Yuan 2. Christopher Columbus 3. Mohandas Gandhi a. the Dragon Boat Festival b. an Indian national festival on Oct. 2 c. Columbus Day a c b

3. Harvest Festivals Choose the best answer. Many activities can be held in harvest festivals EXCEPT that people ___. A. get together to have meals B. decorate houses to admire the moon C. win awards for their farm produce D. enjoy mooncakes B B. decorate houses to admire the moon

China 4. Spring Festivals Fill in the blanks. Meanings To look forward to the end of winter and to the coming of spring Names 1______ ____________ 2 ______ 3 _____ Cherry Blossom Festival The Spring Festival Carnivals Easter Coun- tries China Western countries Mainly religious countries 8 _____ Japan

Activities Parades lucky colourful clothing dragon dances Carnivals Festivals Spring Festival Activities Eating good foods; giving children 4_____ money; 5________ ______ and carnivals 6________; dancing in the streets; loud music; 7_________________ Parades lucky colourful clothing dragon dances

II. Use the information from the reading passage to answer the following question. 1). What are festivals of the dead usually for? Festivals of the dead are for honouring or satisfying dead ancestors or others, who some people believe might return to help or harm living people.

2). What makes autumn festivals happy events? people are thankful that food is ready for winter and the hard farm work is finished. 3). What do people usually do at spring festivals? people usually have dances, carnivals and other activities to celebrate the end of winter and the coming of spring.

4).What is one important reason to have festivals and celebrations? we can enjoy life/ be proud of our customs/ forget our work for a little while.

5). Compare the festivals of the dead in Mexico, Japan and China 5). Compare the festivals of the dead in Mexico, Japan and China. What things are similar? What things are different? Similarities: clean their ancestors’ graves, and the Mexicans offer food, flowers and gifts to the dead. Differences: the Mexicans eat special food that looks like bones, something the Chinese and Japanese do not do.

III. True or False 1. The ancient people needn’t worry about their food. 2. Halloween used to be a festival intended to honor the dead. F T 3. Qu Yuan was a great poet who people honor a lot in China. 4. Mid-autumn Festival is held to celebrate the end of autumn. 5. Easter celebrates the birth of Jesus. T F F

Discussion Which festivals you think are the most important and which are the most fun.

Homework 1. Go over the text after class and find the sentences that you don’t understand

2. Finish exercise “discovering useful words and expressions” on Page 4. (Ex1, 2 and 3) 3. Find out as much information as possible about festivals around the world.