Проект "Cristmas all over the world"

Contents

1. Introduction                                                             p.2
2. Christmas origin                                                      p.2
3. Christmas symbols                                                  p.3
4. Santa and his friends                                               p.5
5. Christmas all over the world                                   p.5

1. Christmas in Britain and America                  
2. Christmas in Germany
3. Christmas in Denmark
4. Christmas in France
5. Christmas in Russia

6. Conclusion                                                              p.7
7. Literature                                                                 p. 8

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I.  Introduction

The aim: to look through the kinds of celebration of Christmas in different countries all over the world.

Tasks: 1 .to study the origins of Christmas in ancient times.

             2. get to know more about Christmas Symbols.

             3. to investigate and compare the ways of Christmas celebration all over the world.  

Methods: studying of literary materials; analysis and synthesis.

Practical meaning: we can analyse and compare the different ways of Christmas celebration and we can use our knowledge during English lessons.

Hypothesis: If we studied the ways of Christmas celebration in different countries we’ll get to know about meals, clothes, traditions and styles  of these peoples.

  Every nation and every country has its own customs and traditions. In Britain traditions play a more important part in people̓ s life than in other countries. The British are proud of their traditions and carefully keep them up. Some ceremonies are rather formal, such as the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, Columbus Day, April Fool’s Day, Friendship Day, Teachers’ Day,  Trooping the Colour, The State opening of Parliament. Sometimes you will see a group of cavalrymen riding on black horses through the streets of London. They wear red uniforms, shining helmets, long black boots and long white gloves. These men are Life Guards. Their special duty is to guard the king or the queen of Great Britain and very important guests of the country.  

    The holidays in Great Britain are New Year Eve, St.Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, St.Patrick’s Day, Easter, Father’s Day, Hallowe’en and Christmas.

II. Christmas Origins  

Christmas is celebrated by everyone on December 25. It is the most important festival of the year. On Christmas people usually stay with their families. On Christmas Eve children hang stockings at the ends of their beds waiting for Father Christmas to fill them with presents. Boxing Day, marked on December 26, is the day on which boxes of presents are given to the people who have given service during a year. New Year is marked in accordance with the family tradition and personal taste.

    The history of Christmas dates back over 4000 years. Many of our Christmas traditions were

celebrated centuries before Christ was born. In general, Christmas celebrates the birth of Christ, who was probably born between 11 B.C. and 4 B.C. Some historians connect Christ’s birth to the

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famous star. It guided three wise men. Christmas is really the work of the Victorians combined with a few German traditions. Until that time Easter had always been the most important festival. Christmas became once a movable feast. It was celebrated many different times during the year. December 25 was celebrated as Winter Solstice or Return of the Sun by pagans. So the choice of December 25 was made by the Pope Julius I in the 4 th century AD to replace the pagan celebration with the Christian one. In 1752, 11 days were dropped from the year when the switch was done from the Julian calendar to Gregorian calendar. The December 25 date was moved 11

days backwards but some Christian churches still celebrate Christmas on January 7.

III. Christmas Symbols

      For most British families, Christmas is a very important festival of the year. It combines the Christian celebration of the birth of Christ with the traditional festivities of winter. Most families decorate their houses with coloured paper or holly. They usually have a Christmas tree glittering with coloured lights and decorations. Family members wrap up their presents and leave them under the Christmas tree. Children leave their stockings on the fireplace. They hope that Father Christmas will come down the chimney and bring them small presents.

     One of the oldest Christmas customs in Britain is decorating houses and churches with greenery. Greenery is the symbol of everlasting life. Holly, ivy and mistletoe are popular Christmas plants. A number of pagan traditions still survive, such as carol singing, the flames of the Christmas pudding, kissing under the mistletoe and others. There are some meanings of the Christmas symbols.        

Mistletoe: this plant holds magic power which gives life and fertility, protects against disease. Mistletoe is an aerial parasite that has no roots of its own and lives off the tree that attaches itself to. Without that tree it would die. Druid priests employed it in their sacrifices to the gods while Celtic people felt it possessed healing powers. In fact, it not only cured diseases, but could also render poisons harmless, make humans and animals prolific, keep one safe from witchcraft, protect the house from ghosts and even make them speak. With all of this, it was thought to bring good luck to anyone privileged to have it. Nowadays Europeans put it above the door and kiss under it at Christmas time.

Christmas rose: a dark-leaved evergreen plant whose white and purplish flowers blossom during winter month.

Holly: evergreen shrubs and trees usually having pricky dark shiny leaves and red berries. The Druids believed that holly, with its shiny leaves and red berries stayed green to keep the earth

beautiful when the sacred oak lost its leaves. They wore sprigs of holly in their hair when they went into the forest to watch their priests cut the sacred mistletoe. Later, holly lost its pagan

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meaning and became a symbol of Christmas. The plant has come to stand for peace and joy.                                                                                                                  

Star: Many people believe that the strange star appeared in the sky around the time of Christ’s birth. The Christmas star symbolizes high hopes and high ideals - hope for good fortune and hope for reaching above oneself.

Yule log: a thick piece of wood cut from a tree. It symbolizes the victory of light over the darkness of winter. Families light the log on Christmas Eve and keep it burning until Epiphany. The remains of the Yule log are saved to help kindle the fire the following year. The ashes provide protection against bad luck during the year.

Christmas tree: an evergreen tree with slender pricky leaves decorated at Christmas time. Many legends exist about the origin of the Christmas tree. One is the story of saint Boniface, an English monk who organized the Christmas Church in France and Germany. One day, as he travelled about, he came upon a group of pagans gathered around a great oak tree to sacrifice a child to the god Thor. To stop the sacrifice and save the child’s life Boniface crashed the tree with one blow of his fist. In its place grew a small fir tree. The saint told the pagans that the tiny fir was the Tree of Life and stood for the eternal life of Christ.

Christmas turkey: a large farmyard bird roasted and eaten as the main dish at Christmas in many European countries.

Christmas pudding: a sweet dessert, sick and soft composed of flour, milk, eggs, raisins and nuts. The traditional Christmas pudding is round and dark coloured. It is made with dried fruit, spices and brandy. You can see a sprig or holly on the top. Sometimes a small silver coin is put inside. Christmas pudding was a favourite dish of King George I. The old custom was for all the family to take a turn at stirring the Christmas pudding with a wooden spoon on Stir-Up Sunday in late November. The Christmas pudding is also known as a plum pudding. In the 17th century people put dried currents and raisins and used the word “plum” for them.

Gifts: In English-speaking countries there is a custom which started in the middle ages around 800 years ago: churches opened special boxes in which people had placed gifts of money. The money from the boxes was given to poor people on the day after Christmas. The tradition continues today – small gifts are often given to delivery workers and children who deliver newspapers.

Red colour: is the colour for blood that reminds us of the wounds of Christ and the stripes by which we are healed. Red colour is associated with the heart and the emotions, especially feelings of love and suffering. Red is the colour of the God of love who suffered for humankind.

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IV. Santa and his friends

    The original Santa Claus, or Saint Nicholas, was the bishop of Smyrna. He lived in the fourth century AD. He was generous and loved children. He used to throw gifts through windows. His fame spread to Russia, the Ukraine, Scandinavia and many parts of Europe. Now he is remembered on 6 December for his generosity. On this day people used to invite guests in and sleighs used to be ridden around the village to see if the snow was slippery. Children received gifts from Saint Nicholas. The tradition of gifts seems to have started with the gifts that the wise men brought to Jesus Christ. Their gifts were myrrh, frankincense and gold. Later, gifts giving

became a central focus of tradition. According this old tradition the original Saint Nicholas left his very first gifts of gold coins in the stockings of three poor girls who needed the money for their wedding dowries. The girls had hung their stockings on the mantel near the fireplace. From that time children sent messages to Father Christmas to confess their sins and renew old promises. They also sent their messages saying what they wanted for Christmas. They hang their stockings on the fireplace and wait when Santa Claus brings them presents on Christmas Eve.

    Santa Claus has many friends who help him to make presents for children. There are a couple of elves and nine reindeers. Santa is transported on a sleigh pulled by these reindeers and drops presents down chimneys. The names of reindeers are: Rudolph, Dasher, Dancer, Donner, Blitzen, Prancer, Cupid, Vixen and Comet. Rudolph, with his nose so bright, guides Santa’s sleigh at night. Dasher runs very quickly. Dancer moves to music. Donner is very clever, serious and more interested in ideas than in real life. Blitzen is always tired. Prancer walks in a confident way to make everybody notice and admire him. Cupid is very handsome. Vixen means a female fox and she is very cunning. Comet can even travel around the Sun. All of them are very good friends and help Santa to bring presents to children

V. Christmas all over the world

1. Christmas in Britain and America. Some weeks before Christmas British and American people are very busy. They send greeting cards to all their relatives and friends. You can buy Christmas cards or can make them. Many children make their cards at school. The shops are very busy at Christmas too. People want to buy presents for their family, friends, nearest and dearest. And they buy a lot of food and drink for all the Christmas parties.

    Every year there is a very big Christmas tree in the centre of London, in Trafalgar Square. This is a present from the people of Norway to the people of Great Britain. They send it to Londoners every year and Londoners decorate the Christmas tree. Whole families come to look at it. Here is a Christmas tree bigger than any they have ever seen in their lives. The tradition of using fir tree for winter celebrations is very old. We know that there were trees decorated with

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toys in Romans times. Later it became part of the celebration of the Christian Christmas. The

German Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband, brought this tradition to England. He and the Queen had a Christmas tree at Windsor Castle in 1841. A few years after nearly every house in the country had a Christmas tree.

    Traditionally people decorate their trees on Christmas Eve – that is December 24th. They hang lights and coloured balls on the branches and put a star on the top. They lay presents under the Christmas tree. Young children are told that Santa Claus will bring them presents if they are

good. Children hang a Christmas stocking at the foot of their beds or near the fireplace. They often borrow one of their father’s golf socks because they are the biggest. Santa Claus is supposed to come in the night from Lapland. He climbs down the chimney and fills the stockings with presents. People open their presents on Christmas morning and they all are happy with what they get.

    For Christmas lunch British and Americans eat turkey, goose and green vegetables. Americans like to eat sweet potatoes. Then they have the Christmas Pie or Christmas Pudding. Americans prefer Christmas Cookies. At five o’clock it is time for tea and cake. The day after Christmas is Boxing Day. People usually visit their relatives and friends. They do not work on this day.

2. Christmas in Germany. In no other country is Christmas more elaborately and universally celebrated. The Christmas season officially begins with the beginning of Advent, four Sundays before Christmas Days. The tradition of the Advent wreath, circles of greenery in which four candles are set, originated with the German Lutherans. The Advent calendar, an elaborate calendar with windows used to count down the days until Christmas, also originated in Germany.

    In many German cities special festive markets with decorated boots and stalls are set up for weeks before Christmas. The most famous of these is the Christmas Market in Nuremberg which has a history of more than 400 years. Father Christmas, with long white beard, red suit, and sleigh appears on Christmas Eve to bring gifts for children. In Germany the high point of the Christmas season is Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. A midnight service is celebrated by both Catholics and Protestants

3. Christmas in Denmark. The Christmas feast in Denmark is celebrated at midnight Christmas Eve. Everyone looks forward to dessert when a special rice pudding is served in which a single almond is hidden. Who ever finds the almond will have good luck for the coming year.

    The jolly bringer of gifts is known as Julemanden and arrives in a sleigh drawn by reindeer, a sack over his back. He is assisted with his Yuletide chores by elves called Juul Nisse, who are said to live in attics. Children leave out saucers of milk or rice pudding for them and are delighted to find the food gone on Christmas morning.

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4. Christmas in France. Nearly every French home at Christmas time displays a crèche, which serves as the focus for the Christmas celebration. The crèche is often peopled with little clay figures called “little saints”. Throughout December the figures are sold at annual Christmas fairs in Marseilles and Aix.

   The Christmas tree has never been popular in France. The French make a traditional Yule log-shaped cake called the buche de Nol, which means “Christmas Log”. The cake is served at the grand feast of the season, which is called le rveillon. Le rveillon is a very late supper held after

midnight mass on Christmas Eve. In Alsace, goose is the main dish, in Burgundy it is turkey.

    French children receive gifts from Pere Noel who travels with his stern companion Pre Fouettard. Pre Fouettard reminds Pere Noel of just how each child has behaved during the past year. In some parts of France Pere Noel brings small gifts on Saint Nicholas Eve, December 6, and visits again on Christmas. In other places it is le petit Jesus who brings the gifts.

5. Christmas in Russia. Saint Nicholas was very popular in Russia. Later Saint Nicholas was transformed Into Grandfather Frost. There was one more figure called Babouschka. She used to bring gifts for children. The story is that Babouschka failed to give food and shelter to the three wise men during their journey to visit the Christ Child and from that time she roams the countryside searching for the Christ Child and visiting the homes of children during the Christmas season.

    Christmas trees are very popular in Russia; they are also called New Year trees. People decorated Christmas or New Year trees with coloured balls, lights and stars on its tops. Christmas Eve dinner is meatless but festive. The most important ingredient is a special porridge called kutya. It is made of wheat or other grains which symbolize hope and immortality, and honey and poppy seeds, which ensure happiness, success and untroubled rest. The kutya is eaten from a common dish to symbolize unity.

VI. Conclusion

    Every nation and every country has its own customs and traditions. But there are many holidays and festivals which are common for a lot of countries in the world. As for Christmas, it is celebrated in European countries, in America and even in Egypt and Vietnam. All the people all over the world like to celebrate Christmas because this festival brings them hopes for better life. Christmas shows us that there is something more important than wars or fights between people of different nations and the faith in Christ will help people to live in peace for a long time. Christmas consolidate the belief of the peoples in friendship, happiness and success.

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Literature and materials

1. E.D.Bukreev.Learning English. Part 3 .Moscow .2002
2. C.E.Eckersley. Essential English for foreign students. Book one.Sofia.1997.
3. N.V.Khromushkina. Christmas in the USA and Great Britain /www.ladyfromrussia.com. /karnaval/
4. T.B.Klementyeva. Nine English basic Topics for Schoolchildren. Moscow.1997.
5. C.E .Polyakova, N.I.Ryzhikh. English All Year Around. Donetsk.2 006
6. I.V.Solodyankina. Holidays and Traditions in Great Britain. www.volnet.ru/-vipusknik/

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