Урок 5. Символіка та свята в Україні

1. When do we celebrate Independence Day?
2. When do we celebrate Constitution Day?

3.Do you like holidays?

Do you like days-off?

What holidays do you know?

What are your favourite holidays?

Now you’ll read the text about Ukrainian holidays and before let’s read and memorize the words from the text.

Memorize the following words and word combinations and listen to the text.

1. Read the text.

As for me I like holidays more than days-off. The word “holiday” comes from the words “holy day”. That is because all the holidays were first religious festivals.

As we live in Ukraine we have our own customs, traditions and holidays. Each holiday is interesting in its way. I would like to tell you about some Ukrainian holidays.

I think that the most important of national holidays is Independence Day. It is celebrated all over Ukraine on the 24^th of August. It is the greatest national holiday. On that day, in 1991 Ukraine proclaimed its independence.

The New Year’s Day is widely celebrated in Ukraine as well as over the world. It is celebrated with New Year’s parties, New Year’s trees, greetings and presents.

Christmas is a holiday of religious origin. Most people go to the church on this day and have Holy Supper with traditional twelve dishes. All the customs glorify Christ’s birthday.

Another great national holiday is Easter, celebrating Christ’s rising from the dead. The Easter egg is the most popular emblem of this religious holiday.

On the 8^th of March we celebrate Women’s Day, honouring our mothers, grandmothers, sisters and girl-friends. It is a nice spring holiday full of flowers, presents and the best wishes.

The 9^th of May is Victory Day, the holiday of victory over fascist invaders. People put flowers to the war memorials and greet war veterans.

We also celebrate Day of Knowledge, May Day, Constitution Day, St. Valentine’s Day and others.

There are dates and events in the life of our country that are memorable to every Ukrainian citizen.

1. Answer my questions:

1)  What memorable dates in the history of Ukraine are known to you?

2) How is New Year’s Day celebrated in Ukraine and over the world?

3)How do people celebrate the Christmas?

4)  What is the most popular emblem of Easter?

5)  Whom do we greet on the 8^th of March?

6)Whom do people greet on the 9th of May?

7)  Are there any holidays of religious origin?

8)  What other holidays are celebrated in Ukraine?

Additional Information:

Holidays in Ukraine

January 1. New Year. This is everybody’s favorite holiday. Decorating the Christmas tree, going to New Year’s parties, getting presents, – we love all this and impatiently wait for New Year’s eve to

come.

January 7. Orthodox Christmas. A great deal of old Ukrainian customs that go back to centuries ago are connected with Christmas. They are fortune telling, singing Christmas carols, cooking traditional Ukrainian Christmas dishes, going to church.

January 22. Day of Unity. The symbol of territorial and spiritual unity of Ukraine, national harmony. Historically goes back to the date, when Eastern and Western Ukraine were united. On that day in 1919 the unity of all Ukrainian lands which formerly belonged to Russian Empire (UNR) and Austro-Hungarian Empire (ZUNR, an independent republic, which appeared in Galicia) in one sovereign state was solemnly proclaimed on Sofijivska Square in Kyiv.

February 14. St. Valentine’s Day. The Day of lovers, when we give presents and flowers to our sweethearts. – not official

March 8. International Women’s Day. This day is hugely popular among women in Ukraine as they receive flowers and chocolates from the men they know. They should not do any housework on this

day.

Easter Day comes according to the lunar calendar. It could fall on any Sunday in April or May and is full of lovely traditions. Eggs are boiled and then painted brightly in different colors. Very special sweet Easter bread is baked, full of raisins. Often people will take food like the eggs and bread to the church to be blessed by a priest on Easter night.

1, 2 May – Labor Day. A traditional Soviet era holiday that is celebrated even now. In old times it was celebrated by numerous demonstrations of working people on the central streets of biggest cities. Nowadays it’s just a good occasion to have another to have some rest. Some people visit public performances and concerts; the others prefer to have a picnic in the forest.

9 May – Victory Day. This is the day when people of Ukraine and other former Soviet Union republics celebrate the victory over the fascist Germany in 1945 and venerate the memory of more than 20 million Soviet people who put their lives on the altar of peace. That took life of nearly every 6th Ukrainian citizen. Because of its tragic content, the holiday is of lesser entertaining kind but instead it is celebrated with due in such cases respect. Celebration includes military parade and salutes.

Trinity Day – another great Orthodox holiday, which is celebrated on the 50-th day after Orthodox Easter.

28 June – Constitution Day. This holiday commemorates the adoption of Ukrainian constitution in 1996.
June 30 – Day of Youth – On this day all young people celebrate their holiday. There are usually many interesting entertaining programs, concerts and performances organized by local authorities for this day.

24 Aug – Independence Day. This holiday is dedicated to the proclamation of Ukrainian independence from the USSR in 1991. Large public performances, concerts and festivals, competitions, and military parades are held this day.

NOTE:
If any of the above official holidays fall on Saturday or Sunday, it is customary for the following Monday to be an official public holiday. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine may also transfer Monday or Friday working days on a preceding or following Saturday if any of the above holidays fall on correspondingly Tuesday and Thursday.

III. Choose the necessary words and put them in the sentences

(memorable, main holiday, Mother’s Day, eggs, New Year’s trees, Christmas)

1 The most … date is Victory Day. 2 The Women’s Day on the 8^th of  March, is like … in Great Britain. 3 In Ukraine … is celebrated on the 7^th of January. 4 Children like this holiday for traditional brightly painted … and special Easter cakes. 5 People decorate … with toys and lights and believe that a miracle (диво) is a must (необхідність) on this day. 6 One of the … of Ukraine is the Independence Day.

1. Do you know when these holidays are celebrated? Use the model.

Model: We celebrate New Year’s Day on the 1^st of January.

1. Memorize the words and word combinations from the text.

1. Read and translate the text “Easter in Ukraine

Easter is the feast of Christ’s rising from the dead. In Ukraine, Easter is called Velykden (The Great Day). It has been celebrated over a long period of history and has had many rich folk traditions.

The last Sunday before Easter (Palm Sunday) is called Willow Sunday (Verbna nedilya). On this day pussy-willow branches are blessed in the church. The people tap one another with these branches, repeating the wishes: “Be as tall as the willow, as healthy as the water, and as rich as the earth”. They also use the branches to drive the cattle to pasture for the first time, and then the father or the eldest son thrusts his branch into the earth for luck.

The week before Easter, the Great Week (Holy Week), is called the White or Pure Week. During this time people try to finish all field and home work before Thursday, since from Thursday on work is forbidden.

On Passion (Strasna) Friday – Good Friday – no work is done. In some villages and towns, the Holy Shroud (plashchanytsya) is carried solemnly three times around the church and, after appropriate services, laid out for public veneration.

Easter is a feast of joy that unites the community in celebration. For three days the community celebrates to the sound of bells and to the singing of spring songs – vesnyanky. Easter begins with the Easter matins and high mass, during which the pasky (traditional Easter bread) and pysanky and krashanky (decorated or coloured Easter eggs) are blessed in the church. Butter, lard, cheese, roast suckling pigs, sausage, smoked meat, and little napkins containing poppy seeds, millet, salt, pepper, and horseradish are also blessed. After the matins all the people exchange Easter greetings, give each other krashanky, and then hurry home with their baskets of blessed food (svyachene).

During the Easter season in Ukraine the cult of the dead is observed. The dead are remembered  during whole week after Easter. For the commemoration of the dead (provody) the people gather in the cemetery by the church, bringing with them a dish containing some food and wine, which they consume, leaving the rest at the graves.

VII. Answer my questions:

1) What is Easter?

2)How is Easter  called in Ukraine?

3)  What is the last Sunday before Easter called? Did you go to the church on the Willow Sunday?

4)Do people try to finish all field and home work before Thursday?

5) How is Thursday called on Great Week? Did you clean your flats and houses?

6) What does Easter begin with?

7) What is paska?  (What is krashanka?  What is pysanka?)

8)Where are pasky, krashanky and pysanky blessed?

9)  What else are blessed in the church?

10)  What do people do after the matins?

11) When is the cult of dead observed?

12) What do people do in the cemetery?

VIII. Replace the infinitives in brackets by the Present Indefinite Tense,the Past Indefinite Tense, the Future Indefinite Tense, the Present Continuous Tense and the Present Perfect Tense. (Студенти виконують завдання письмово)

1 My grandmother usually (to take) food like the eggs and bread to the church to be blessed by a priest on Easter night. 2 Next year people of Ukraine and other former Soviet Union republics (to celebrate) the 65^th anniversary of victory over the fascist Germany in 1945. 3 Last year the students of our technical school   solemnly (to venerate) the memory of more than 20 million Soviet people who put their lives on the altar of peace. 4 Today is a Christmas Day and we (to cook) traditional Ukrainian Christmas dishes now. 5 They already (to finish) all field and home work.