CELEBRATIONS

1. Ответьте на вопросы:

1) Which is your favourite holiday? Why?

2) How do you celebrate your favourite holiday?

3) Do you get presents for each holiday or just for one?

4) Is Christmas an occasion for big family gatherings in your country?

5) Do you believe that customs play an important part in cul­ture?

2. Прочитайте и переведите текст:

People in every culture celebrate holidays. Russian people have also many traditional holidays, old and new, that they celebrate in ail seasons. Although the word 'holiday' literally means 'holy day', most Russian holidays are not religious, but commemorative in nature and origin.

There are dates and events in the life of our country that are memorable to every Russian people. They are Victory Day, May Day, Women's Day and Independence Day. They are public holi­days. People don't work on these days.

There are several religious holidays, which appeared many years ago. They are: Christmas, Easter and New Year.

There is one more holiday which is loved by everybody: adults and children. This is New Year's Day celebrated with present-giv­ing by Ded Moroz (Father Frost), decorating New Year trees and joyful parties. People begin to prepare for this holiday beforehand.

Everything is decorated in the traditional way. Many people send special greeting cards. They usually put their presents under the New Year tree. New Year's Eve is celebrated on December 31^st in our country. It is a time for people to welcome the coming of the New Year. On New Year's Eve many people attend parties or get together with their families, neighbours or friends while others choose to goto a restaurant or clubs. Around the time of New Year people wish each other "Happy New Year". In Moscow some people spend the evening at Red Square. Crowds gather and wait for 12 o'clock when the chimes of the famous Spasskaya Tower ring out. Everyone wish each other a happy and healthy new year. No matter where New Year's Eve is spent, the feeling is the same. People cheerfully celebrate this joyful occasion. January 1^st is now a national holiday, too.

In Russia Orthodox Christmas is celebrated on January 7^th with all-night services in church. At Christmas people celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. People spend time with their families and eat special food. It's the time of merry-making and present-giving.

Country Defendant's Day is celebrated on February 23^rd which is devoted to soldiers and officers and everyone else who ever defended the country or is in the Army. These people are greeted with special cards and given presents. Concerts are also given in their honour.

Maslenitsa is a festival lasted for a week. People celebrate it at the end of February or at the beginning of March. This festival marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring and Lent. People say 'goodbye' to winter. They invite their friends, their nearest and dearest to see each other. Since old times people have cooked pancakes with sour cream, fish, caviar or butter, sugar, honey. They are different in size and are made each day of the week. People have a lot of fun. They have fires, burn straw scarecrows of winter with songs and dances; People have snow fights and snow battles outdoors and often have horse trips in sledges March 8^th is Women's Day in our country. It is a symbol of coming spring, of love, and of respect for all women. Men and young boys try to please their mothers, sisters and girl-friends by giving them presents, flowers and chocolates. There are special TV and radio programmes about women.

From earliest times people have celebrated the end of winter and the new life that spring brings. One of the most important Orthodox Christian festivals is Easter (Paskha), when Chris­tians remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is celebrated in March or April. It depends on the church calendar. For the greater part of the people of our country these holidays are the days of family reunion, relax and happiness. Churches hold special services on this day. Russians cook a special Easter cake at home (or often small Easter cakes, each cake for each member of the family). You can also buy such Easter cakes in the shops. They are called "kulitchi". Children like them very much. They colour eggs, which are traditionally linked with the festival. People enjoy traditional Russian dishes. Everyone gives presents of Easter eggs, originally painted with bright colours.

Day of Spring and Labour is traditionally marked on May 1^st. On this day the workers of Russia are honoured along with the coming of spring. In previous period the holiday was called May Day and was celebrated with huge parades in big cities all over the country (the former Soviet Union). Now people prefer to go out into the street and take part in all kinds of outdoor activities.

In fact May 9^th is a special Memorial Day, a day to remember those who died in the Second World War. Victory Day is the end of the Soviet Union's participation in World War II in Europe. Parades and processions of veterans are held in big cities. People lay flowers in Moscow's Park Pobedi and at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

We celebrate Russian Independence Day on June 12^th when Russia became an independent country, the Republic of the Rus­sian Federation after the break up of the Soviet Union in 1991. This is an official holiday. Independence Day was established by the 1^st

President of our country Boris Yeltsin, but nowadays President Vladimir Putin has made it into a big celebration.

Day of People's Unity or National Unity Day was first celeb­rated in Russia on November 4,2005. The holiday commemorates the popular uprising which ejected the Polish occupying force from Moscow in November 1612, more generally the end of Time of Troubles. The name of the occasion may be explained as follows: all the walks and classes of the Russian society willing by united to defend and preserve their motherland, when the end of it seemed inevitable, though there was no leader to guide the people. So, "the strength of every state is in the unity of its people," - can be like a motto to accompany the holiday.

In the past the government used the festival on November 7^th to commemorate the anniversary of Great October Revolution which brought them to power. This day was once celebrated by military parades in Red Square. Now it is called Day of Reconciliation and Harmony. This day is marked by marches and demonstra­tions. Nowadays the atmosphere is less military. For many people it is just another day-off.

December 12^th was Constitution Day. This holiday celebrated the new Constitution of 1993. The Constitution guarantees real rights and freedoms to people in our country. These basic rights are the right to work, to rest, the right to education and the light to housing. The Constitution has articles about the duties.

We also celebrate lots of professional holidays and anniversa­ries of an important past event which are not public holidays and people work.

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