Culture Lesson 13: Chinese festivals part 1 Activity 1 Vocabulary and Expressions Directions: Listen and repeat. brief [briːf] to give a summary, to briefly instruct someone innumerable [ɪˈnuːmərəbl]- countless bizarre [bɪˈzɑːr] very strange, odd alight [əˈlaɪt]- illuminated trace back [treɪs bæk] to mark the point of origin prevail [prɪˈveɪl] to be the most common or frequent intently [ɪnˈtentli] with a lot of concentration; attentively pale in comparison [peɪl ɪn kəmˈpærɪsn] to be of inferior quality when compared with something else 1
Activity 2 Dialogue Directions: Read the dialogue aloud with your teacher. Barbra is keen on learning about what Chinese people celebrate So, as promised, I will brief you on some of our important traditions. I know of the Lantern Festival. There are innumerable lanterns everywhere and lots performances: the lion dance, the dragon lantern dance, drumming and dancing on stilts. That s right. The lion dance is very common at events, as the animal was believed to protect people and animals from evil. Another common custom is to gather with the family and eat small dumplings with bean paste, rose petals and many other fillings. Rose petals, how bizarre! But it must be tasty. It is. The round shape signifies togetherness, reunion, harmony. People also enjoy solving riddles attached to lanterns in order to earn small prizes. At night, the sky is alight with fireworks. Next, please tell me about the Mid-Autumn Festival! This one can be traced back to more than 3000 years ago. The two events have some things in common they both are on a night with a full moon and lanterns are prepared. So, what traditions prevailed during this event? Eating mooncakes, which can also stand as a symbol for reunion and admiring the moon. So you just go out and look intently at the moon? Yes, but you see, a lot of ethnical groups practice different customs, like chasing the moon, striking the moon, dating under it, dancing in the moon, looking for its reflection, etc. I m so jealous, our festivals pale in comparison with yours! 2
Activity 3 Filling the Blanks Directions: Fill in the blanks below to complete the sentences. 1. This was such a book. I am not sure I understood all of it. 2. The students studied for the exam. 3. The room was with tens of candles. 4. In least developed countries, diseases and lack of nutrition. 5. The origins of my family can be to a small village in Hampshire. 6. I have evaluated both research papers and John s with Mary s. 7. Please him on last week s report before we start the meeting. 8. She has been deceived times. brief innumerable bizarre alight trace back prevail intently pale in comparison 3
Activity 4 Understanding the Vocabulary Directions: Match the synonyms: 1. Innumerable a. ablaze 2. Bizarre b. steadily 3. Alight c. myriad 4. Intently d. abnormal Make a sentence with the expression to pale in comparison. 4
Activity 5 Free Conversation Directions: Take turns with your teacher in answering the questions 1. What do you think about the two festivals? Can you describe the atmosphere that each has? 2. Do you have similar traditions or events in your country? 3. Which of those desserts would you like to try? 4. What does the round shape (circle) signify in your culture? 5