Holidays!

January 1

Happy New Years!

New Year’s Traditions

• New Year’s Resolutions– (n.) 决议

• New Year’s Eve Parties• Watching the “Ball” drop– (countdown to Midnight)

• “Auld Lang Syne” • Song sung in most English speaking at New Years

New Year’s Resolutions (决议 )

• The New Year is seen as a “Clean Slate”, a new beginning

• Popular modern resolutions might include the promise to lose weight or quit smoking.

• What would your resolution be?

Parties!• It was thought that one could

affect [ 影响 ] the luck they would have throughout [ 在…期间 ] the coming year by [通过 ]what they did or ate on the first day of the year.

• For that reason [因此 ], it has become common for folks [人们 ] to celebrate [庆祝 ] the first few minutes of a brand new year in the company [交往 ] of family and friends.

Parties!• Parties often last [持续 ]

into the middle of the night after the ringing in of a new year.– “ringing in the new year”

• Champagne• n. 香槟酒

Watching the Ball Drop

Times Square

“Auld Lang Syne”

• The song, "Auld Lang Syne,”is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost every English-speaking country in the world to ring in the new year.

• An old Scottish [ 苏格兰 ] tune, "Auld Lang Syne" literally means "old long ago," or simply, "the good old days."

“Auld Lang Syne”• Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And never brought to mind?Should auld acquaintance be forgot,And auld lang syne?

• For auld lang syne, my dear,For auld lang syne,We'll tak a cup of kindness yet,For auld lang syne!

• And there's a hand my trusty fiere,And gie's a hand o thine,And we'll tak a right guid-willie waught,For auld lang syne

• For auld lang syne, my dear,For auld lang syne,We'll tak a cup of kindness yet,For auld lang syne!

Chinese New Year!

February 14th

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Saint Valentine’s Day• This day is named after an

early Christian [基督教 ] martyr [殉道者 ] named Valentine.

• It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionary [糖果 ], and sending special cards (known as "valentines").

Valentine’s day Traditions [传统 ] and Symbols [标志 ]

• The representative colors of Valentine’s day are red and pink

• The Heart!

Valentine’s day Traditions [传统 ] and Symbols [标志 ]

• Doves– 白鸽

Valentine’s day Traditions [传统 ] and Symbols [标志 ]

• Cupid!– 爱神丘比特

Valentine’s day Traditions [传统 ] and Symbols [标志 ]

Give…

Chocolate

Flowers (usually roses)

Valentines

七夕

October 31st

Halloween

Background• It was believed that the

border between this world and the Otherworld became thin on this day, allowing spirits (both harmless and harmful) to pass through.

• It is believed that the need to ward off harmful spirits led to the wearing of costumes and masks.

The Nightmare Before ChristmasBeginning. 12:55 (Holiday trees scene)

Traditions!

• wearing costumes• trick-or-treating, • carving jack-o'-lanterns, • bonfires• pranks,• telling scary stories, • and watching horror

films.

Scary stories… Tell us one!Sweeney Todd: The Demon

Barber of Fleet Street The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

November (Fourth Thursday)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Day

• Harvest [收获 ] Festival

• The “first thanksgiving”– The pilgrims and

“Indians” sharing their first harvest.

Traditional Thanksgiving food

Traditional Thanksgiving food

• Turkey Day!

What are you thankful for?

• Thanksgiving is a day where we gather with our families and reflect upon what we are thankful for.

• What are you thankful for?

December 25th

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Carols!

The First Noel

Christmas Traditions

• Mistletoe!

– If you are together under the mistletoe…

Santa Claus

Christmas Tree

• Presents under the tree

Home Alone!Movie Introduction

Christmas songs!• Angels We Have Heard On HighAway in a Manger

Deck the HallsFrosty The Snowman

Hark the Herald Angels Sing

Jingle Bells

Joy to the World

O Christmas Tree

Oh Come all Ye Faithful

Oh Holy Night

Oh Little Town of Bethlehem• Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer• Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Silent Night

The First Noel

Twelve Days of Christmas

We Wish You a Merry Christmas• Silver Bells!

The First Noel

• (the Christmas story)

July 4th

• Christmas carols• Sledding!• The Nutcracker Suite• Christmas Food!!!– Eggnog– Milk and cookies for Santa!!

Happy Independence Day!

• Fireworks!• Barbecue

The Nightmare Before ChristmasBeginning. 12:55 (Holiday trees scene)

March 17th

St. Patrick’s Day!

• Leprechauns • Gold at the end of the Rainbow!• The St. Patrick story

Mardi Gras

• Masquerade