Unit 1 Holidays and Festivals in America
Videos:
◆Halloween Business Booming
◆Thanksgiving Features Native American Foods
◆Columbus Day Changes over Time
Readings:
◆Real First Thanksgiving Wasn't So Cozy
◆American Holidays
Part 1: Topic Preview
Brainstorm:Write down names of holidays and festivals as many as you can and how you
are fond of them.
___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________
Pair Work: Work with your partner to figure out as much information as possible about the
following holidays and festivals.
Group discussion: Work in groups and discuss the following questions.
1.Western holidays and festivals, such as Valentine’s Day,
Halloween and Christmas, have been quite popular in
China, especially among youngsters. Why have these
western customs caught the fancy of Chinese people?
2.What is your favorite holiday / festival and why? What do
/ don’t you enjoy about holidays and festivals?
Part 2: Viewing, Listening & Speaking ：Halloween Business Booming
Getting to know the main points: N ow view the video and answer the following questions with the information you get from the video.
1. How much income for the year of a Maryland farm comes from pumpkins alone? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What will decorate front porches across America on Halloween night?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. According to Bloomberg Business Week, is Halloween all just for fun?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Why are the retailers delighted?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. Why Halloween sales have been up this year?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Going further to the details: N ow view the video again and fill in the blanks with the information you get from the video.
1. Billings, Montana NBC affiliate KULR-8 reports that despite the , Halloween is the second biggest American holiday as far as sales go.
2. Total spending for the holiday is estimated to reach $6-billion, and although make up the majority of that amount, a large portion is spent on ____________________.
◆◆◆
3.The Cliber family spent nearly today. Other families have been
making .
4.Bloomberg Business Week decided the best way to this recent Halloween
boom was through .
5.Prices are spiking, like this girls green hair, as everyone
something to wear.
Listening to learn: Y ou’ve met the following words and phrases while listening to the video.
Work in pairs and try to get their meanings from the context. Then explain them in your own words.
spooky: _______________________________________________________________
moolah: ________________________________________________________________
spiking: _________________________________________________________________
rake in: _________________________________________________________________
a huge candy stash : _______________________________________________________
the Halloween biz: ________________________________________________________
shell out for: ____________________________________________________________
Speaking out:B ased on the information you’ve got from the video, discuss in groups the following questions:
1.On holidays millions of people
squeeze into shopping malls,
department stores, etc., and it is a
time when businesses hope to make
enough sales. Do you have any
holiday shopping experience? What
is your attitude toward holiday
shopping?
2.Do you know any stories about
Halloween? Share the stories in your
group.
Part 3: More about the Topic: Viewing More Videos
Viewing and listening: Here are two more videos talking about holidays and festivals. View them and do the exercises that follow.
Exercises for Video 2: Thanksgiving Features Native American Foods
Getting to know the main points: N ow view the video about foods eaten at Thanksgiving dinner and answer the following questions.
1. What were the role Native
American foods played in early Thanksgiving celebrations
according to Hetzler?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. What is the origin of Thanksgiving?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. What did Native Americans teach the European settlers?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. What is Hetzler’s opinion about Thanksgiving?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. What kind of Native American foods would have been present at the first Thanksgiving? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6.
What did the Native Americans do with salt?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Going further to the details: N ow view the video again focusing on the specific information, and then decide whether the following statements are true or false. Use T for true and F for false.
1._____ Thanksgiving is a Native American holiday.
2._____ Many historians believe the settlers would not have survived those early years without the help of Native Indians.
3._____ Not so many kinds of food would have been present at the first Thanksgiving.
4._____ The turkey would have possibly been on the table of the first Thanksgiving dinner.
5.______ Hetzler thinks the bland ingredients in Native American foods well suit the taste of
people today.
Speaking out: B ased on the information you’ve got from the video, do the following task:
1.What does the American
thanksgiving dinner symbolize? Is
it necessary for Hetzler and his
team members to research Native
American foods going back
centuries?
2.Do you prefer the Thanks Giving
Dinner or Chinese Spring Festival
Eve Dinner?
Exercises for Video 3:
Columbus Day Changes over Time
Getting to know the main points: Now view the video and fill in the following chart with the information you get from the video.
Speaking out: Based on the information you’ve got from the video, discuss in groups the following questions.
1. Do you think Columbus Day
should stand as a celebrated holiday?
Or should America take a long hard
look at its historical figures, and the
costs of their achievements?
2. Is there any Chinese holiday
changing over time? Why?
Part 4: Expanding the Topic Passage 1: Real First Thanksgiving Wasn't So Cozy
On Thursday, we Americans will mark our annual Thanksgiving holiday. It often revolves around a lavish dinner for family and friends that begins with a prayer of thanks for our blessings. The Thanksgiving tradition is modeled after harvest-home feasts － especially what's been called the First Thanksgiving in colonial Massachusetts.
It's the pleasant story of a cold, late-fall day in 1621, when about 50 pious English settlers called Pilgrims, who had barely survived their first winter in the New World, shared a feast with neighboring Wampanoag Indians.
But according to curators at Plimoth Plantation – a living-history museum in the same settlement where the Pilgrims and Indians marked that harvest almost 400 years ago – the Thanksgiving story is more fable than fact.
For one thing, the event likely took place in October, closer to the corn harvest. For another, while the skimpy records from 1621 mention fowl, these were likely geese and ducks. They were certainly not the plump, domesticated turkeys that American families stuff and roast today.
And you can forget the First Thanksgiving illustrations of long tables piled high with breads and pumpkin pies. The Pilgrims had neither the sugar nor the wheat flour and ovens needed to make those baked goods. Nor did the Wampanoags wear big, beautiful feathered headdresses like those of Plains Indians. Wampanoag attire was spare and practical.
And ignore the myth that this was the first of many happy Thanksgivings celebrated with native people who willingly accepted colonization. The alliance between Pilgrims and Wampanoags lasted just 50 years before broken treaties led to fighting and bloodshed.
Discount, too, those images of men in Pilgrim costumes － fine coats, shiny shoes, and tall hats with big buckles above their wide brims. The struggling Pilgrims wore beaver hats and deerskin coats. After the rough year they had had, they were likely thankful to have ANY clothes, and to have lived to wear them.
Questions for discussion:
1. Do you agree that the Thanksgiving story
is more fable than fact? Why?
2. How could ancient Chinese people
possibly celebrate the first Spring
Festival?
Passage 2：Holidays in America
Every month of the year has something special to celebrate in the U.S. Throughout the years, the U.S. Congress has passed laws declaring special days as official observances known as federal holidays. Each federal holiday represents a day when federal employees and many other workers have a paid day off from their jobs. There are some holidays we celebrate that are not federal holidays but are very popular holidays to celebrate.
January
The first day of January is New Year's Day. This federal holiday celebrates the beginning of each New Year. People in the U.S. sometimes spend this day watching college football games and parades. On the third Monday in January, we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday as a federal holiday. Martin Luther King, Jr. worked to change laws so that all people in the U.S. would be treated fairly. He worked for change in the 1950s and 60s when many states had laws separating black and white people. Martin Luther King taught people to use peaceful demonstrations to change laws, instead of violence. Many laws were changed because of his work. Many people worked with him in the hope that the U.S. could be a fair country for all people.
In January or February many people in the U.S. celebrate the Chinese New Year. The Chinese New Year falls between January 10th and February 19th. The date changes because it is from a calendar based on the moon, not the sun. On this day, many families clean their homes of all the "old" and get ready for the New Year. They wear new clothes and share delicious food. They give each other red envelopes with money for good luck in the coming year. They also light firecrackers to chase away bad luck.
February
February 14th is Saint Valentine's Day. Saint Valentine's Day began in Europe and has been celebrated for hundreds of years. In the U.S. today, we remember friends and sweethearts with cards called valentines, flowers, chocolates or small gifts. We celebrate Presidents' Day on the 3rd Monday of February as a federal holiday commemorating the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.. We call George Washington "the father of our country" because he was the American general in the Revolutionary War who led us to victory against England. He was elected our first president. Abraham Lincoln was our 16th president. He kept our country together during the Civil War when the Southern states wanted to form a separate country. Lincoln freed the slaves with the Emancipation Proclamation.
March
March 17th is St. Patrick's Day. This holiday comes from Ireland. People wear 3-leaf shamrocks because St. Patrick used them to explain the Christian Trinity. Many people celebrate this holiday by wearing shamrocks or green clothing in honor of St. Patrick. Some people even drink green beer!
April
Holidays in the spring are celebrations of the rebirth of life. Passover is a Jewish holiday celebrated between March 13th and April 11th. Easter is a Christian holiday that is celebrated on a Sunday between March 22nd and April 25th. Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the U.S., people attend religious services and family gatherings like picnics. They hide colored eggs for children to find. Many children wake up to baskets filled with candy that the "Easter Bunny" has left for them.
May
Mother's Day is observed in the United States in honor of mothers on the second Sunday in May. Julia Ward Howe wrote a Mother's Day proclamation in 1870. She wanted to have an international day when all mothers of the world would stand up and speak for peace, so their sons would not have to die in war. In 1907, Anna Jarvis proposed a day to remember all mothers. Today, Mother's Day is a holiday to remember mothers with cards, flowers and presents.
Many people in the U.S. celebrate "el cinco de mayo". This means the 5th of May in Spanish. This holiday celebrates a battle won by Mexicans against the French. In some areas of the U.S., there are parades on this day. Many people eat Mexican food and listen to Mexican Music.
The last Monday in May is Memorial Day. Since 1868, this federal holiday has honored the Union Civil War soldiers who died. Now, we remember all soldiers who died for this country. People decorate soldiers' graves. Many people also decorate the graves of their families.
June
Flag Day on June 14th is the anniversary of the adoption of the American flag in 1777. It is not a federal holiday, although many people display flags outside their homes and in their communities. The third Sunday in June is Father's Day in the United States. Father's Day was first observed in 1910 in Spokane, Washington. This is a day when people remember their fathers with presents and cards. People celebrate with family gatherings, picnics and sports activities.
July
The Fourth of July is a very important holiday in the U.S. We celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence by representatives of the thirteen American Colonies. On July 4, 1776, John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, well-known patriots, declared the independence of the thirteen American colonies from Great Britain. This holiday is considered the `birthday of the United States of America.' It is the greatest non-religious holiday on the U.S. We celebrate this day with fireworks and parades.
August
During the month of August there are no major holidays to celebrate. Many families go on vacation or have picnics or go to the beach. August 26th is a day that is recognized and celebrated as Equality Day by individuals or groups because of the adoption of the 19th amendment to the Constitution in 1920. This amendment granted women the right to vote.
September
September has one federal holiday, Labor Day. It honors all working people in the U.S. and Canada. It began with a New York City parade in 1882 and is now celebrated on the first Monday in September. National Grandparents Day, which honors grandparents and the love they show to their children's children, is celebrated the first Sunday after Labor Day.
October
The 2nd Monday of October is Columbus Day, celebrating the historic trip of Christopher Columbus to the Americas in 1492. Because Columbus was Italian, this federal holiday is especially important to Italian-Americans but may not be celebrated in all states. October 31st is Halloween. During the 19th century, immigrants to the United States brought Halloween customs. These customs have changed over the years. Children in costumes go from house to house saying "trick or treat." The treat usually given is candy and tricks are rarely done. A common symbol of Halloween is the jack-o-lantern, which is carved out of a pumpkin.
November
November 11th is Veteran's Day. This federal holiday honors the soldiers who fought in World War I and those who fought for the U.S. in all wars. We celebrate by displaying the American flag from our homes, having parades and decorating graves with flowers and flags. Thanksgiving Day is the 4th Thursday in November and a federal holiday. On this day we remember how the Indians helped the Pilgrims by teaching them how to farm and hunt. On this day, we give thanks for food, our country, and our families.
December
In December we celebrate holidays of light and hope in the dark winter. There is an eight-day Jewish holiday known as Chanukah during which candles are lit on each day. December 12th is the holiday of the Virgin of Guadalupe, who appeared to a poor Indian in Mexico among winter flowers.
December 25th is Christmas, celebrating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Many people decorate their houses with Christmas trees and lights and give presents to family members. Children hang stockings for Santa Claus (St. Nicholas) to fill with gifts. Christmas is a federal holiday. The African-American holiday of Kwanzaa is the last week of December. Candles are lit to represent the virtues of the African-American people.
As you can see, we have much to celebrate in the U.S. Many holidays are uniquely our own and many have been borrowed from other countries. We are a country of many cultures and many holidays!
Questions for discussion:
1.Which American holiday do you found most interesting?
2.Many American holidays are borrowed from other countries. Is it possible for China to adopt
public holidays of other countries?
Part 5: In Your Own Words
A speech: Deliver a speech entitled “My dream holiday” to the whole class. You
are to tell your classmates if you had the time and money, where you would go for
a holiday.
Role-play: Thanksgiving holiday has its origins in the early 17th century when
European settlers shared a meal of thanks with Native Americans after a successful fall harvest. Many historians believe the European settlers would not have survived those early years without the help of Native Americans. But the friendship between the settlers and the Native Americans did not last long.
Eventually, the settlers drove the Native Americans off their lands. And the settlers lost touch with many Native American foods except on Thanksgiving.
Work in groups to present a role play entitled “Friendship between the European settlers and the Native Americans”.
Side A: You are European Settlers on the New Land. Many of you are hungry and sick. You don’t know how to plant crops in the new land and how to preserve food. Luckily the Native Americans helped you to survive. You prepared a thanksgiving dinner.
Side B: You are Native Americans. You welcomed the coming of the Europeans. You teach them how to trap and preserve vegetables and meats. You happily accepted the Settlers’ invitation to a thanksgiving dinner.
Case study: South Korea claimed that the Dragon Boat Day is a festival of
Korean origin. In 2004 South Korea and PRC raced to report the Dragon Boat Festival as cultural heritage at UNESCO. Actually the Mid-Autumn Festival, called Chusuk in Korean, is a very important festival to them. Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival －Chinese or Korean cultural heritage?
What should we do to preserve our traditional festivals?