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A23 – Public Holidays

Vlastnosti
predmetAnglický jazyk
typmaturitná téma
okruhanglický jazyk
číslo23
stavvypracované
Zadanie

Talk about the holidays and celebrations in Slovakia, the holidays in English-speaking countries, and family celebrations.

1. Osnova témy​

  • What public holidays are, and why they are called bank holidays in Britain.
  • Christian holidays — Christmas and Easter.
  • How Christmas and Easter are celebrated in Slovakia.
  • Saints' days and patriotic holidays.
  • Holidays in Great Britain and in the USA.
  • Halloween and other imported celebrations.
  • Family celebrations — birthdays, name days, weddings, christenings.
  • Your own favourite holiday.

2. Kľúčová slovná zásoba​

  • general: public holiday, bank holiday (in Britain), national holiday, day off, to celebrate, celebration, to commemorate (pripomínať si), tradition, custom (zvyk), anniversary
  • Christmas: Christmas Eve (24 December), Christmas Day (25 December), Boxing Day (26 December), Advent, advent calendar, Christmas tree, decorations, fairy lights, mistletoe (imelo), holly, wreath (veniec), candle, Father Christmas / Santa Claus, reindeer (sob), carol (koleda), to go carolling, nativity scene (betlehem), midnight mass (polnočná omša), festive dinner, to exchange presents
  • Easter: to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, Lent (pôst), Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Holy Week, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday, Easter eggs, Easter Bunny, hot cross buns, pancakes; in Slovakia: willow whips (korbáče), pouring water on girls
  • other Slovak traditions: Fašiangy (the carnival season), the burial of the double bass, šišky and fánky, All Saints' Day (1 November), St Nicholas' Day (6 December)
  • saints' days: St Valentine's Day (14 February), St Patrick's Day (17 March, Ireland), St George's Day (England), St Andrew's Day (Scotland), St David's Day (Wales)
  • patriotic holidays — USA: Independence Day / the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving Day, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, Columbus Day, Labor Day, the Pilgrim Fathers, the Mayflower, turkey, pumpkin pie
  • patriotic holidays — Britain: Guy Fawkes Night / Bonfire Night (5 November), bonfire (vatra), fireworks
  • Halloween: carved pumpkin (vyrezávaná tekvica), jack-o'-lantern, witch, ghost, skeleton, fancy dress costume, trick or treat, sweets
  • family celebrations: birthday, name day (meniny), wedding (svadba), wedding anniversary, christening (krstiny), confirmation (birmovka), graduation, funeral (pohreb), to congratulate, to wish somebody all the best, to give a present, to make a toast

3. Užitočné frázy a väzby​

  • Public holidays are days when most people do not work.
  • In Britain they are called bank holidays, because traditionally the banks were closed.
  • The most important holiday of the year for us is definitely Christmas.
  • On Christmas Eve the whole family gets together for a festive dinner.
  • It is a tradition in our family to…
  • Easter is celebrated as the resurrection of Jesus, but it also has much older, spring traditions.
  • In Slovakia boys pour water on girls and whip them with willow branches, which foreigners always find hilarious.
  • The American equivalent would be…
  • Halloween is not a Slovak tradition, but it has become quite popular among young people.
  • What I like most about this holiday is the atmosphere.
  • To sum up, holidays are important because they bring families together.

4. Modelová odpoveď​

Public holidays are days on which most people do not go to work or to school. In Great Britain they are called bank holidays, because traditionally all the banks, offices, schools and factories were closed on those days — although nowadays supermarkets usually stay open.

The most important holidays in our part of the world are Christian ones. Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus. In Britain the main day is Christmas Day, the twenty-fifth of December, followed by Boxing Day. In Slovakia the most important day is Christmas Eve, the twenty-fourth. The whole family gets together, we decorate the Christmas tree, and in the evening we have a festive dinner — usually cabbage soup and fried carp with potato salad. After dinner we open the presents, and many people then go to midnight mass. British and American children hang up stockings and wait for Father Christmas or Santa Claus, who comes with his reindeer, while in Slovakia the presents are traditionally brought by baby Jesus.

Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. It is preceded by Lent, forty days of fasting that begins on Ash Wednesday. The most important days are Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday. In Britain people eat hot cross buns and children look for chocolate eggs brought by the Easter Bunny. In Slovakia we have a much older and rather stranger custom: on Easter Monday boys whip girls with decorated willow branches and pour water on them, and the girls give them painted eggs in return. It is supposed to bring health and beauty, and foreigners always find it hard to believe.

There are also saints' days. St Valentine's Day on the fourteenth of February is now celebrated almost everywhere. Each part of the United Kingdom has its own patron saint — St George for England, St Andrew for Scotland, St David for Wales and St Patrick for Ireland, and St Patrick's Day on the seventeenth of March is celebrated by Irish communities all over the world.

Then there are patriotic holidays. In the USA the most important is Independence Day, the Fourth of July, which commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and Americans celebrate it with parades, barbecues and fireworks. Thanksgiving, on the fourth Thursday in November, goes back to the Pilgrim Fathers who sailed on the Mayflower and celebrated their first successful harvest; families get together and eat roast turkey and pumpkin pie. In Britain there is Guy Fawkes Night on the fifth of November, with bonfires and fireworks.

Halloween, on the thirty-first of October, is celebrated mainly in the USA and Britain. Children dress up as witches, ghosts and skeletons, carve faces into pumpkins and go from house to house saying „trick or treat". In Slovakia it is not a traditional holiday at all, and some people object to it, but it has become quite popular among young people. Our own equivalent is really All Saints' Day at the beginning of November, when families visit cemeteries and light candles on the graves of their relatives — a much quieter occasion.

Besides public holidays there are family celebrations: birthdays, name days, weddings, christenings and graduations. On a birthday we congratulate the person, give them presents and wish them health, happiness and all the best.

Personally, my favourite holiday is Christmas — not so much for the presents as for the fact that it is the one time in the year when the whole family really sits down together.

5. Otázky na diskusiu​

  1. Why are public holidays in Britain called bank holidays?
  2. Which holidays do you celebrate in your country?
  3. What is traditionally eaten in Slovakia at Christmas?
  4. How do Christmas traditions differ in Slovakia, Britain and the USA?
  5. Why is the Fourth of July so important for Americans?
  6. What do you know about Thanksgiving?
  7. Do you think Halloween should be celebrated in Slovakia?
  8. Which Slovak custom would a foreigner find strangest?
  9. Which public holiday do you like most, and why?
  10. Are family celebrations more important to you than public holidays?

6. Zhrnutie na ústnu odpoveď​

  • Bank holidays: why the name; banks, offices and schools closed.
  • Vianoce: Christmas Eve (SK) vs. Christmas Day (GB/USA); tree, dinner, carp, presents, midnight mass; Santa vs. baby Jesus.
  • Veľká noc: Lent, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Monday; hot cross buns and the Easter Bunny vs. willow whips and water.
  • Svätci: Valentine · Patrick (Ireland) · George (England) · Andrew (Scotland) · David (Wales).
  • USA: Independence Day (4 July, Declaration) · Thanksgiving (Pilgrim Fathers, Mayflower, turkey).
  • Británia: Guy Fawkes Night, 5 November, bonfires and fireworks.
  • Halloween: pumpkins, costumes, trick or treat; our All Saints' Day as the counterpart.
  • Rodinné oslavy: birthday, name day, wedding, christening; congratulating and wishing.
Čo povedať na skúške

Slovenské zvyky vysvetli, nielen pomenuj — komisia sa práve na to rada pýta. Priprav si jednu vetu na každý: „On Easter Monday boys pour water on girls and whip them gently with decorated willow branches; it is an old custom that is supposed to bring health." Toto je téma, kde vieš byť naozaj zaujímavý, lebo cudzincovi to znie neuveriteľne.

Súvisiace poznámky​

Kontrolné otázky​

Why are public holidays in Britain called bank holidays?

Because banks are closed on those days, so people do not work either.

Which holidays do you celebrate in your country?

Christmas, Easter, New Year, and national holidays like 1 January, 29 August (SNP) and 17 November.

What is traditionally eaten in Slovakia at Christmas?

Wafers with honey, cabbage soup (kapustnica), fried carp with potato salad and Christmas cakes.

How do Christmas traditions differ in Slovakia, Britain and the USA?

In Slovakia the main day is 24 December and presents come from Ježiško. In Britain and the USA presents come from Santa Claus on the morning of 25 December.

Why is the Fourth of July so important for Americans?

It is Independence Day – on 4 July 1776 the Declaration of Independence was adopted. People celebrate with parades, barbecues and fireworks.

What do you know about Thanksgiving?

It is celebrated in the USA on the fourth Thursday of November. Families meet and eat roast turkey to give thanks for the harvest.

Do you think Halloween should be celebrated in Slovakia?

It is fun for children, but it should not replace our own tradition of remembering the dead on All Saints' Day.

Which Slovak custom would a foreigner find strangest?

Easter Monday, when boys pour water on girls and whip them with a willow whip.

Which public holiday do you like most, and why?

Christmas, because the whole family is together, the atmosphere is calm and we have a few days off.

Are family celebrations more important to you than public holidays?

Yes, birthdays and family events are more personal for me.

🔗 Spätné odkazy (7)