FESTIVALS

Julie Ashworth John Clark

For Elizabeth, Gareth, Gemma, Laura and Michael

Collins ELT HarperCollins Publishers 77-85 Fulharn Palace Road Hammersmith London W6 8JB

0Julie Ashworth and John Clark, 1992

Al rights reserved. NO pan: of this book may be reproduced, l
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by a n y means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without rhe prior permission in writing of the publisher. Printed and bound in N o n g K o n g

ISBN 0 00 370791 1
Designed by Christine Cox Julie Ashwonh
Szudio photographs :Anton Stark Models: Julie Ashworrh Illustrariortc: Peter Sckrank and Jcrry Collins

Photographs: Julie Ashworlhl John Clark, 6;Charies Barker Lyons, 4; Cephas Picture Library, 15; Collections, 14; Das Photo, 8; Pictures Colour Library Ltd, 10.
Cover phoro: Julie Ashwonh/John Clark

Chrismas cards supplied by: The Bucentaur Gallery Ltd; Gordon Frascr; Friends of the Earth; The Medici Society; Oxfam and World Wide Fund for Naturc.

Julie Ashworth

John Clark

CollinsELT
A Dizokion o/HarperCollinsPublL(her~

'CONTENTS
Page
Introduction

Easter

Halloween
Bonfire Night Christmas
Other Festivals
Index

This is a book about festivals and celebrations in Britain. It does not include all British festivals and celebrations. But it does include the most important ones for children. You may have the same festivals in your country too. How do you celebrate these festivals?
The book also includes activities: rhings to make and do. Sometimes these activities can be dangerous. Always ask an adult to help. And

EASTE
the Easter is a very old festival. I t used to celeb~rurc: s t u r t of Spring a n d 'new life'.

When is Easter? Eastcr is alwuys b e t \ ~ . r e n A/larch 22nd and April 2 5 t h . Look for the first full moon after M a r c h 2 1 s t . T h e first Sunday after the full moon is Eastcr Sunday.

Ar Easter pec~plt'used to wcar s p r c i u l h u ~ s They . were called bonners. T h e bonnets wcrz al\\zays net{.

Eggs a n d chicks o r e symbols of Easter. T h e y a r e symbols uf birth.

About 100 years a g o pcoplc. made eggs from s u g a r a n d rnurzipan. T o d a y Eastcr eggs a r e usually m a d e of chocolare.

T v d o y , Eostrr is a national holiday in Rrirain. C11ildren d o nor go to school. Ranks a n d shops arc closed.
People give Easter cggs und cards to [heir friends.

I
I

You need

eSlgs

a pan

paint

I Boil eggs for 5 minures. (Ask an udulr ro help.)

3 Put the eggs in cold water

for 1 0 minures.

3 Paint chc eggs w i t h

patterns or faces.

Easter Games
Egg Rolling Find a largc I ~ i l l .E\~erybody a painred egg. Roll rhe eggs down the hill. 'The lust egg t o break is the winner!

Hide and Seek Hide rhc painted eggs. Tell vour friends to look for the e g g s .

Halloween is a very old festival. I t is more than two rl~ousandyears old. I t used to be called the 'Festival o f the Dead'. Halloween celebrated dearh and rhe end of the year. I t was a special night for witches. I t was a .night for looking into the furure.
T o d a y Halloween is a festival of furl. Children dress u p as witches a n d ghosts. 'They hove parties a n d play tricks on people.

Fortune telling Peel a n apple. T h e peel must be ant: Iuny piece. Throw the peel over your shoulder. Con you see the shupe of a letrer? Ir shows the first letter of the name of the person you u~ill marry!

A favourirc trick is co

Snap Apple Hang apples on pieces of string. Players try to catch a n apple wich their teeth.

Bob Apple is o traditional Halloween game,( You necd a large bowl and some apples. - 1
Fill the bowl with water a n d put: c h e ~ ~ ~ l e s in the water. Players put their hands behind their backs. They must try to pick up a n a p p with their teeth.

---I

AI

u spoon a c n n d l r string

1 Cut the top off

the melon.

ut holes for the

rr
'

2 Take out the middle with a spoon.

eyes, nose and

4 Make a handle. Make two small holes. Tie string to the melon.
A

5 Put a candle i n the bottom of the

'"'""o~: ,Eye
black card
string

I Draw a shape Iike this on black card. Use a pencil and string.

e :TI.k

-2

- scissors

tape

3 Make a pointed Lm

2 Cut out the shape.

hat shape and tape tog ether.

4 Make the brim. Cut slits into the bartom of the hat.

BONFIRE ;NIGHT.

Bunfire K g h t is a popular British festivk People build bods& und shere are firework displays.

iqake a man gguy. They use

ha.They pur the

he top of the

Bonfire Night is often called G u y Fawkes N i y h ~ Guy Fawkes lived hundreds o f years ago. . On November 5th 1606 hc tricd to b l o ~ v p tile Houses of I'arlia~ncnr. u

L Houses of fhr lianent. 1

Food is important on bonfire night. People cook poratoes in t l ~ bot~fire. c ?'hey are cc~lled 'jackct pototucs'. Toffcc applcs a n d ~ r c o c l c toffee ore ulso populur

""a

..

1 Put the sticks in the applcs.

2 Heat the butrerarld s u g a r in the pan. Srir continuous1 y . T h e sugar will melt

3 Dip the apples in tllc liquid rofrce.

2 &

4 i'ut the apples on a tray. I..euve them until rhcg a r c cold.

CHRISTMA
A

Christmas i s rhe biggest festival in Britain. The most importanr days of the Christmas festival are 24th-26th ~ e c e r n b e rDecember 21th is called . Chrisrmos Eve. Dcccmber 25th is called Christmas Duy unci December 26th is called Boxiny Duy.

-family und friends. The presents

are wrapped in Chrisrtnos paper. People open their presents on Chrisrrnas Day.

1 0 0 &illimChristmas ,0
c ~ r & sold iil Britain are
Young children think that Father Cl~ristmas brings the presents. Father Christmas has a long white bcard and wcars u red suit. He rides on a sleigh.. Reindeer pull . . . thc sleigh

Christmas Day is rhc mosr important day of the Christmas festival. People hove a special meal. Truditional Cl~ristmas foods are turkey, Christmas pudding and tnince pies.

'RI

Ac Christmas pclrtics cvcrybody has a Christmas cracker. T w o penple pull the cracker. Inside each cracker rhere is a small present, a pclper hat and a joke.

1 Roll the paper around r hc cardbourd tube.

Make a har.
f'v I ci paper
1.q

hat,

o .l<.he and o rwew

*.eke

2 Glue rhe edges together.

Rl

3 Tie a piece each end.

01

ribbun around

OTHER
'

O V
1 Fold the paper.

VALENTINE'S DAY
February 14th 1s Valentine's Day On Valentine's Day, you send a card to someone you love or like Boys send cards to girls a n d girl5 send cards to boys. You do nor put your name in the c a r d - ~t IS a secret'

You need

Paper

C
5 Fold the curd.
6 Stick t w o hearts to the card.
4

d.

2 D r a w a heart s h a p e .

3 Cur a r o u n d che shape

4 Open our [he hearts

FESTIVALS
M.OTHERgS DAY
Mother's Day i s on a different date each year. I t is always on a Sunday and is three weeks before Easter Sunday. People give cards to their mothers. Sometimes they give presents too.
it

1 Fold the paper

2 Fold rhe paper again.

3 Open the paper and make u small cut.

4 Fold the pap,er.

5 Open the paper. Draw a face and a message.

6 Fold the paper.

7 Open the mouth. Prcss the folds. Now the mouth will open.

8 Fold the paper again-

PANCAKE DAY
Pancake Day is usually in February. I r is usually ubout 5 weeks before Easter. It is always on a Tuesday and is also called Shrove Tuesday. This day is famous for the food called pancakes. In some
English towns there are pancake races. Each runner has a pan and a pancake. The runners must throw the pancake illto the air and catch it.

?; ;

. r::
.

.! 4 , '

'

APRIL FOOLS DAY

MAY
M a y 1st is May

Day. It is a very old festival. In the past, M a y Day celebrated the starr of summer. Today i t is a national holiday in Britain. I n some towns people dance around a maypole on M a y Day.

HARVEST FESTIVAL
Harvest festival is in October. It is an old festival. Harvest festival is a celebration of food and new crops. T h e foods of harvest festival are fruit, vegetables and
cereals. Today, children bring food to school and make a display. Schnols usually give the food to old people or hospitals,

Somerimes people make traditional dolls called 'corn dollies'.

angels 10 apple 6, 9 April 4, 14 April Fool 14 April Fool's Day

14

hats 4, 7, 1 1 heart 12 holiday 15 holly 10 Houses of Parliament

bells 10 birth 4 bob-apple 6 bonfire 8 Bonfire Night 2, 8, 9 bonnet 4 Boxing Day 10 candle 7, 10 cards 4,10,12,13 cereals 15 chicks 4 chocolate 4 Christmas 2, 10, 1 1 Christmas crackers 10, 1 1 Christmas Day 10, 11 Christmas Eve 10 Christmas pudding 1 1 Chrisunas tree 1 0 corn dollies 15 death 6 December 10

jacket potatoes
joke

11

March 4 M a y 15 May D a y 15 maypole 15 mince pies 11 Mother's Day 13

November 8 , 9
October
6, 15

pancake 14 Pancake Day 14 parries 6, 1f potatoes 9 presents 10, 13 reindeer 10 robin 10 Shrove Tuesday sleigh 10 snap-apple 6 snow 10 Spring 4 stockings 10 Summer 15 Sunday 4, 13 toffee apples 9 treacle toffee 9 tricks 6, 14 turkey 1 1 Valentine's Day vegetables 15 . witches 12

14

Easter 2 , 4 , 5, 13, 1 4 eggs 4,5, 14 Father Christmas 10 February 12, 14 Festival of the Dead 6 firework 8 fortune telling 6 fruit 15 full moon 4
games

ghost Guy Fawkes

5, 6 6

Halloween 2 , 6 , 7 Halloween lanrern 7 Harvest Fesrival 15

6,7

(~OOTS~E~S)

The Whole Series

Level
Fiction

1
Where's my baby?

Supersnake in 'Going Fishing'

Monza's English

Holiday

Non-fic tion

Pets

Playground Games with rhymes and chants

Festivals

LEVEL 3
FESTIVALS is a new style of non-fiction book: a lively mixture of information, games and things to make and do. FESTIVALS looks at what, how and when British children celebrate, encouraging comparison with the home culture and providing opportunities to participate through games and activities. The stunning photography throughout helps bring the subject to life.
FOOTSTEPS i .a range of reading books s specially written for children learning English as a foreign language. There. are three levels graded in terms of contenc, conceptual appropriacy and language level. The series includes picture storybooks, cartoon books and non-fiction titles full of interesting facrs and things to make and do. All titles are in full colour with an emphasis on top quality artwqrk and photography throughout. ISBN 0 00 370791 1