Western Festivals
Thanksgiving Day Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November and is part of four day long weekend marking the most popular family reunion time in a year.
The big family dinner is planned months ahead The big family dinner is planned months ahead. On the dinner table, people will find apples, oranges, chestnuts, walnuts, grapes and so on. But the best and most attractive among them are roast turkey and pumpkin pie. They have been the most traditional and favorite food on Thanksgiving Day throughout the years.
Halloween Day Halloween day is October 31st, celebrated by people across Britain and the USA.
pumpkin lantern Many houses have lanterns made from pumpkins in their windows. These lanterns have frightening faces cut into them.
Trick or Treat ? Children dress themselves up as monsters, ghosts and witches and go to their neighbors’ houses to ask for sweets or to play tricks on them if they refuse.
Valentine’s Day Valentine’s Day is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions.
It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending candy, flowers and gift between loved ones.
Easter Day Easter Day occurs on the first Sunday after the full moon following the spring equinox. It is originally the day to commemorate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Easter eggs Easter eggs are meant to give enjoyment——and they do！They are pretty and decorative，they signal good wishes and shared happiness in the changing seasons.
April Fools' Day It is on April 1st, a day to play jokes on others.
Chirstmas Day
Christmas is a Christian holiday, on December 25th every year Christmas is a Christian holiday, on December 25th every year . It commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ more than 2,000 years ago. But Christmas is also a social and family holiday. It is a festival of goodwill, a time for family, friends, food, and gift-giving.
Santa Claus Santa Claus is an imaginary figure, but nearly all young children believe in him. They think he is a happy old man with a long white beard and a long red robe. On the night of the twenty-fourth of December every year, Santa Claus from some cold northern land comes down the chimney of the fireplace to put presents by the beds of children or to fill their stockings. So when children go to bed that night, they hang up their stockings, and on Christmas morning they wake to find them full of presents. Of course, it's really their parents who fill the stockings..
CHRISTMAS TREES The Christmas tree is a decorated evergreen tree, real or artificial. During the days around Christmas people trimmed their trees with fruits, cookies, lights, garlands, tinsel and so on. Because evergreens do not die in the winter, they came to symbolize eternal life.
Christmas Cards Another important custom of Christmas is to send and receive Christmas cards, which are meant to help express the sentiment of the season.
Pair Work: discuss with your partner about the following questions 1. Do you celebrate foreign festivals? Why or why not? 2. Which western festival are you most interested in and why? 3. Now the Christmas Day is coming, what’s your plan for that day?
Group Discussion Topic: Foreign Festivals VS Traditional Chinese Festivals Questions for reference: Nowadays foreign festivals such as Christmas and Valentine’s Day are getting increasingly popular. Why are people, especially the young, enthusiastic about these festivals? Do you think we should impose restrictions on these foreign festivals and boom our own festivals? What can be done to preserve our traditional Chinese festivals?