ХЭЛЛОУИН И ПРАЗДНИК ИВАНА КУПАЛА. СХОДСТВА И ОТЛИЧИЯ.
проект по английскому языку (9 класс)

 ХЭЛЛОУИН И ПРАЗДНИК ИВАНА КУПАЛА. СХОДСТВА И ОТЛИЧИЯ.

Contents

Introduction……………………………………………………………..3-4

Chapter 1. History of the origin of holidays

1.1. How did the holiday of Ivan Kupala appear?………………………4-5

1.2. Where does Halloween come from?………………………………..5

 Chapter 2. Customs, traditions and rituals of holidays.

2.1.Ivan Kupala's Holiday: Its Traditions and Rites…………………….6

2.2. Halloween and its customs………………………………………….6-7

Chapter 3. Comparison of two holidays and analysis of the information  received. 

Survey results.

3.1. Halloween and the holiday of Ivan Kupala: similarities and differences..8

3.2. Analysis of the results of the questionnaire ……………………………..9

Conclusion ……………………………………………………………...........9

Bibliography …………………………………………………………………10

Application …………………………………………………………………...10

Introduction

Holidays are an integral part of the national culture of people and their history. On the territory of each country there is a holiday that preserves its cultural heritage and customs, reflects the mentality of the nation. Holidays allow people not to lose their uniqueness and ethnic originality.

Nowadays, we are accustomed to borrowing or penetrating any holidays, customs and traditions into the culture of our country. This phenomenon is not new for us, we like to adopt and take something new for ourselves from other countries, imitate their tendencies and try to follow their fashion. This can influence the formation of spiritual and moral values among the inhabitants of our country, especially among teenagers both positively and negatively.

Halloween is a feast that is widespread in English-speaking countries, but in Russia people have different opinions about it. Thus, Halloween have so-called "supporters" and "opponents". Many adults see Halloween as a mental harm to teenagers, since the holiday on which people transform into evil spirits is quite creepy and frightening. In addition, there is an opinion that "the holiday is not ours, so it is not for us to celebrate it". On the other hand, some people are convinced that this is a rather perky holiday, seeing in this exclusively fun and games. But many people forget about the existence of the Russian national holiday called Ivan Kupala, that is almost the same as Halloween.

We decided to compare these holidays, analyze information regarding our problem and draw appropriate conclusions.

Object of research: Halloween and the holiday of Ivan Kupala.

Subject of research: history and traditions of the celebration of Halloween and the holiday of Ivan Kupala.

Objective of the research: to understand the differences between Halloween and the holiday of Ivan Kupala, to find out whether the national Russian holiday can be considered as an alternative or not, to find out why the celebration of Halloween attracts people so much and why many Russians forget about the national holidays of our country.

Work tasks:

1. Study the history of the origin of these holidays;

2. Compare the traditions and customs of the holiday of Ivan Kupala and Halloween and identify the differences;

3. Conduct a survey among teens and analyze the results.

Research methods:

· Study old relevant literary materials as well as Internet resources;

· Questioning of teenagers 15-16 years old;

· Analysis of the information;

· Generalization of the information and its comparison.

Hypothesis: it is likely that most of today's teenagers don`t know about the holiday of Ivan Kupala or about its traditions and rituals, that is why they prefer to celebrate Halloween.

The practical significance of our work: to revive the traditions, history and customs of the holiday of Ivan Kupala, to show its significance for the Russian people.

Relevance of the work: to acquaint teenagers with the ancient national Russian holiday, its culture and traditions. And also to interest more people in its celebration.

Chapter 1. History of the origin of holidays.

1.1. How did the holiday of Ivan Kupala appear?

Ivan Kupala is one of the oldest national holidays, which has been known since the time of Ancient Rus. It`s dedicated to the flowering of nature and the summer solstice. According to the old calendar style, it used to be celebrated on June 24, and now on July 7. Fire and water are the main attributes of this holiday. This folk holiday originates from paganism, although its exact origin wasn`t established yet. Presumably, the holiday of Ivan Kupala originated from the pagan rituals of purification that took place in rivers and lakes on the day of the summer solstice. Many peoples divided the year into two halves - light and darkness, summer and winter. For the Slavs, the days of the summer and winter solstices were points of the calendar reference. The pagans believed that it was on this day that one could heal and rid the body of diseases. At the same time the calendar period of Kupala holidays was considered the most "dangerous". Since (according to beliefs) it was the time when all evil spirits acquired the opportunity to contact the world of the living. Kupala night was the most terrible, but at the same time the most important part of the celebration. After all, it was on this night that the most important ritual actions were performed but after the adoption of Christianity in 988, the church began to oppose pagan holidays and replace them with Christian ones. Nevertheless, the ritual part of the holiday was timed to coincide with the birthday (Christmas) of Ioann  the Baptist. Over the centuries, the day of Ivan Kupala has undergone many changes, but many people continue to celebrate it widely and vividly. This holiday is celebrated not only in Russia, but also in Europe, the Baltic States, Ukraine, Belarus and so on. In many countries, the holiday of Ivan Kupala is both church and folk, although it is called differently.

2. . Where does Halloween come from?
   
   Halloween is an old Celtic holiday, also called All Saints' Day. Halloween is celebrated annually on the night of October 31 to November 1 in the United States and Canada, as well as in many European countries. The roots of this holiday go back to the pre-Christian era.
   
   Celtic tribes living in England, Ireland and Northern France, divided the year into two parts - winter and summer. For them, October 31 was the last day of summer, from that day, according to the Celtic tradition winter began. On this night, the New Year was celebrated, the Celts called it "Samhain", and according to ancient belief, it was then that all the inhabitants of the other world descended to earth. The Celts extinguished the fire in their homes, put on animal skins to scare away impure forces and not become victims of spirits. They left food for the spirits near their houses and gathered around bonfires, sacrificing animals. After this ritual, they took the sacred fire and brought it to their homes. A pumpkin lamp meant not only the end of summer and harvesting, but also scared away evil spirits with the fire that was kindled inside, that is why it was a symbol of Halloween.
   
   When Christianity began to spread throughout Europe, Pope Boniface IV consecrated the former pagan temple of the Pantheon in honour of the Mother of God and all the martyrs, and people began to celebrate that day as the feast of All Saints.
   Later, Gregory IV made November 1 a common holiday for the entire Catholic Church in honour of All Saints.
   
   At the very beginning, the holiday was called All Hallow Eve, then it became known as Hallowe’en, and, in the end, it became known as Halloween.
   
   Many people believe that Halloween is a Christian holiday due to the fact that it is celebrated on the eve of All Saints' Day.

2.1. The holiday of Ivan Kupala: its traditions and rituals.

Ivan Kupala has church and folk traditions of celebration. Services are held in churches on the eve of the holiday. According to folk tradition, on the evening of July 6, people gather on the banks of reservoirs, arrange games and begin the celebration.

On the day of Ivan Kupala, all people wove wreaths and capes from flowers, danced in circles, sang perky songs and burned bonfires. Of course, each ceremony had its own secret meaning and was carried out with a specific purpose.

Midsummer's day is full of rituals associated with water. The first bathing was opened solemnly: with songs, round dances, games. Ivan Kupala was called "clean", because it was customary to swim at the dawn  and the healing power was attributed to bathing. People believed that whoever washed themselves with dew on this night would become prettier and healthy for the whole next year. It was also a custom to pour water over everyone he meets to help him cleanse his soul.

On this day, young unmarried girls wondered about their betrothed. For this purpose they wove «Kupala wreaths», and put them into the water with a candle lit in the centre. The girl, whose wreath floats on with a burning fire, will be the first to be happily married. The traditional Kupala wreath was woven from 12 herbs, each one had its own meaning and added its own special properties. For example, forget-me-nots were a symbol of fidelity and constancy, mallow was a symbol of faith, hope and love, and viburnum was a symbol of girlish beauty.

Bonfires are an important and integral part of the celebration of the holiday of Ivan Kupala. They were arranged on hills along the coasts of rivers, lakes, ponds, or at crossroads. Sunset served as a signal to kindle the flame. The Kupala bonfire had to be lighted up with "living fire" obtained by friction. According to pagan traditions, people jumped over the fire to protect themselves from damage and the evil eye, “cleansed” of diseases and negative energy. It was believed that if during the jump their hands remained together the sun god blessed their union. The girl who did not jump over the fire could be called a witch, doused with water, whipped with nettles, as if she had not passed the "purification" by the Kupala fire. Ethnographers believe that the East Slavic Kupala rituals are best preserved among the Belarusians and Ukrainians.

2.2. Halloween and its customs.

Halloween is most widely celebrated in the United States and Canada, where it is very popular. A record number of sweets and pre-holiday paraphernalia are sold on this day. The largest festivities are held in Los Angeles and New York.
Halloween still follows the Samhain tradition. This special rite is performed to help the forces of light overcome evil spirits. Ritual bonfires kindled by the holy priests - druids, were considered reliable protection. Throughout the long winter, they were preserved; only on the day of the vernal equinox could they fade away.
Special attention was paid to the pumpkin, as a sacred symbol of the holiday, personifying not only the end of the harvest and the summer season, but also scaring away ghosts with the help of fire, which was kindled right inside the pumpkin itself. This attribute of the holiday is called "Jack's Lamp". There is a whole legend about this lamp. According to legend, the cunning Jack was able to deceive the devil by luring him into a trap. In exchange for his release, the devil promised Jack that he would not take his soul to hell after death. Nevertheless, Jack could not get to heaven because of his sins. Since then, Jack's soul has wandered around the underworld with a pumpkin lantern, with which he illuminates his path. The lantern was named Jack of the Lanterns, and in abbreviated form - Jack-o-lanterns.

Originally, turnip was used instead of pumpkin. According to legends, a pumpkin with a candle, placed next to the house on Halloween, drives away evil spirits from it.
Another popular Halloween tradition - the old tradition of "begging" Trick or Treat has become a favourite part of the holiday for children and teenagers: they wear costumes of ghosts and evil spirits and try to scare adults by shouting "Treat or life". The neighbours, in turn, treat or "placate" them.

On Halloween, fortune telling is common, for example, about the betrothed, about the upcoming wedding and even possible death. It is believed that if you put an apple under your pillow on Halloween night and make a wish, and in the morning, wake up, eat this apple, and then your wish will certainly come true. To find out the first letter of the name of the future spouse, the girls threw an apple peel behind their backs and predicted it by the look of the fallen peel. The women also went up the stairs with their backs forward, held a candle in front of the mirror to see the features of the betrothed. There are also many Halloween signs. On this holiday, it was customary to wear all clothes inside out to confuse the ghosts. On Halloween, candles are lit in all rooms to scare away evil spirits and witches with living fire. If the candles in the house go out, then this is the first sign that "they" are somewhere very close. In order to ward off all evil spirits from their home, they used to bury the bones of dead animals under their doorstep, and on Halloween they exhibited a stuffed dead animal near the house. This is where the tradition of hanging impromptu skeletons on the doors and windows of houses came from.

Chapter 3. Comparison of two holidays and analysis of received information. Results of the survey.

3.1. Halloween and the holiday of Ivan Kupala: similarities and differences.

After reviewing the information about the occurrence of both holidays and analyzing it, we noticed the following similarities and differences:

Using the information in the table, we can say that the holidays are similar in many ways: their customs, rituals, traditions, as well as the history of their origin, have quite a lot in common. Nevertheless, some ceremonies and signs remain unique for each holiday and have their own characteristics.
Thus, Halloween and Ivan Kupala are very close holidays and similar in many respects. However, they cannot be called identical, because each holiday is unique in its own way; each of them has its own inimitable features.

3.2. Analysis of the questionnaire results.

While working on this project, we were interested in how many teenagers are familiar with the holiday of Ivan Kupala, which is a national Russian holiday, and Halloween. For a visual representation, we conducted a survey among adolescents 15-16 years old. The results of the survey show the following: to the question "Have you ever heard about the holiday of Ivan Kupala / Halloween?" 95% of respondents answered that they know both holidays, and only 5% have heard only about Halloween.
Most teenagers have learned about Halloween through movies / cartoons or the Internet. As for the holiday of Ivan Kupala, almost all of the respondents learned about it thanks to their relatives.
If we talk about attributes of the holidays, 25% of survey participants knew only attributes of both holidays, while 60% of those surveyed know attributes of Halloween. In addition, only 10% knew about the attributes of Ivan Kupala.
55% answer that they have not celebrated any of these holidays, 35% celebrated Halloween, while Ivan Kupala - only 10%.
60% of teenagers answered that they are more interested in celebrating Halloween, when only 10% were interested in the holiday of Ivan Kupala. Nevertheless, 15% of respondents are interested in celebration of Ivan Kupala.
We also asked a question about which holiday should be celebrated in Russia and why. Moreover, here we have an almost equal number of people who are more inclined to celebrate Halloween, and those who believe that it is necessary to celebrate both holidays.
Thus, we concluded that Halloween has a significant advantage over the holiday of Ivan Kupala, because most of interviewed teenagers are interested in it and have practically no information or ideas about the traditional Russian holiday.

Conclusion

In our work, we examined the history of the origin of such holidays as Halloween and the holiday of Ivan Kupala, their traditions and customs and compared them. The main conclusion of our study is the following:
Today's teens certainly love to celebrate the holidays, and Halloween is no exception. However, the desire to celebrate foreign holidays has its main drawback - we forget about the existence of traditional folk holidays that arose on the territory of our country in antiquity. Nevertheless, holidays are an integral part of the culture of our country. This is, first of all, our history. To preserve our ethnic uniqueness, we just need to remember and try to preserve the rituals, customs and traditions that have come down to our times after such a huge number of centuries. The younger generation is the future of our country, that is why it is worth raising the awareness of teenagers about the holidays that keep the history of our nation.

Used internet resources

• https://ria.ru/20141031/1030739443.html
• https://www.culture.ru/s/vopros/ivan-kupala/ 
• https://schci.ru/Ivan_Kupala.html
• https://ivona.ua/stil-zhizni/prazdniki/5424562-venok-na-ichvana-kupala-kak-plesti-i-znachenie-trav
• https://aif.ru/society/history/otkuda_poshla_tradiciya_prygat_cherez_ogon_na_ivana_kupalu
• https://vilvolovo.ru/news/ivan-kupala-obychai-traditsii-/
• https://lingua-airlines.ru/articles/halloween/
• https://www.tvtomsk.ru/news/30409-hellouin-2017-kogda-i-kak-otmechayut-prazdnik.html
• https://ria.ru/20141031/1030739443.html

Application

Questions for the survey:

1. Have you ever heard of Ivan Kupala/Halloween?
2. How did you find out about Halloween?
3. How did you find out about the holiday of Ivan Kupala?
4. Do you know the attributes of Halloween/Ivan Kupala?
5. Have you ever celebrated these holidays?
6. Which holiday are you more interested in ?
7. What holiday should be celebrated in Russia? Why?