Unit 7 Holidays and Festivals

Fundamental Reading

1. New Year’s day

Auld Lang Syne: (the good old times; 苏格兰语 = old long since) 这是一首古老的苏格兰民歌， 译作“过去的好时光”，或“友谊地久天

长”

• Auld Lang Syne• Should old acquaintance be forgot,

• And never brocht to mind?• Should old acquaintance be forgot,

• And days of auld lang syne?•  

• For auld lang syne, my dear,• For auld lang syne;

• We'll take a cup of kindness yet• For auld lang syne.

2. Christmas

Christ's birth Los Pastores (The Shepherds) are dramas performed in Mexico and the southwestern United States during the Christmas season. The plays tell the story of shepherds, who after hearing of Christ's birth while tending their flocks, take gifts to the Child in the manger. Los Pastores also often feature appearances by the Wise Men of the East (shown here), slapstick humor, dances, and battles between the Archangel Michael and Lucifer.

Holy NightDepictions of the birth of Christ were popular themes in northern European painting from the 15th to the 17th centuries. These images became central to Christmas celebrations of the time. This painting, Holy Night, was created by Dutch painter Gerard David in the late 15th century.

Christmas service St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City holds a special Christmas service each year. Christian churches of all denominations feature seasonal decorations and singing during Christmastime, while some also perform dramatizations of the biblical story of Christ’s birth.

Santa ClausFor several weeks before Christmas, Santa Claus takes up residence in many major shopping malls, which are often decorated to resemble "Santa's Workshop." Santa invites children to sit on his lap, have their picture taken with him, and—if they've been good—tell him which presents they would like to receive for Christmas.

3. Spring Festival

Spring Festival

Lantern Festival

Lion Dance

Further Reading

• 1. Dragon Boat Festival

2. Feast and festivals

3. Thanksgiving Day

•Thanksgiving

• The Pilgrims, shown here celebrating their first Thanksgiving, were a group of Puritans who landed at Plymouth Rock, in what is now Massachusetts, United States, in 1620. In 1621 Governor William Bradford of New England proclaimed a day of "thanksgiving" and prayer to celebrate the Pilgrims’ first harvest in America. United States President Abraham Lincoln, following the precedent of a number of states, designated a national Thanksgiving Day in 1863. Now Thanksgiving Day falls annually on the fourth Thursday of November.

Modern Thanksgiving feasts, such as the one shown here, have changed little since Puritan colonists first celebrated the holiday in 1621. Families and friends gather on Thanksgiving Day to give thanks for their good fortune and to feast on such traditional dishes as turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, potatoes, and pumpkin pie.

Thanksgiving Day celebrationsFirst held in 1924, the annual parade hosted by Macy’s department store has become one of the most popular customs of Thanksgiving Day celebrations. The parade’s trademarks are its huge balloons, such as the one of cartoon character Bart Simpson shown here. Santa Claus makes an appearance at the parade’s finale, signalling the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.

Test Reading

3. Halloween

HalloweenThe jack-o’-lantern is the most common symbol of Halloween. According to legend, jack-o’-lanterns set on porches and windowsills cast a spell of protection over the household while spirits of the dead roam the Earth.

Supplementary listening

• Celebrating the New Year • January first. The beginning of a new year. As far back in history as w

e can tell, people have celebrated the start of a new year.

• The people of ancient Egypt began their new year in summer. That is when the Nile River flooded its banks, bringing water and fertility to the land. The people of ancient Babylonia and Persia began their new year on March twenty-first, the first day of spring. And, some Native American Indians began their new year when the nuts of the oak tree became ripe. That was usually in late summer.

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