Topic Christmas

of English
Sharapkova A.A.

Secondary School №27
Balacovo, Saratov Region
Project

Christians all over the world; The word Christmas comes from

"Christ's Mass", the Mass said in the Roman Catholic church to honour the birth of Jesus Christ.

It is generally held on December 25th, but the Russian and other Eastern Or­thodox churches (they follow the Julian calendar) celebrate Christmas on January 7th.

date of Christ's birth is not known. The earliest Christians

did not even set aside a special day for observing the Nativity, or Christ's birth. For more than three centuries Christ's Mass was a movable feast.

Rome in the 4th century. It replaced v the two

pagan celebrations — the festival of rebirth of the sun and die feast of the god Saturn (Saturnalia). That is why it is not surprising that so many Christmas customs go back to pagan times.

several centuries Christmas was kept only as a church festival.

Gradually, however, it became a public holiday marked by feasting and merrymaking.

Christmas. Some of them go back to pagan times, others

are relatively new.

decorated branches every year in so many different countries came

originally from Germany. In preChristian times evergreens, plants that remain green all the year round, were worshipped as sym­bols of eternal life. In medieval Germany an evergreen hung with apples was part of a Christmas play about the Garden of Eden. The first trees had no candles.

and hung with presents came to Britain with the craze

for German things that followed Queen Victoria's marriage to Prince Albert (he was German). In 1841 they had a lighted tree at Windsor Castle. The event was widely reported, naturally. A few years later, nearly every house in Britain had a Christmas tree.

into the churches and streets. Now all big cities have

Christmas trees set up in squares and parks.

Trafalgar Square, close to Nelson's Column. (It is a gift

from the people of Norway. The tree is immensely tall and brilliantly decorated. Right at the top is a large shining star. Bright, shin­ing balls of different colours and different sizes cover die tree from top to bottom. No wonder whole families — boys and girls, and grownups too — come to look at it.

loved of all, now as in the past, are holly,

ivy and mistletoe'. All these plants often decorate churches, with one exception. This is die mistletoe which, by long tradition, is never allowed inside a church at any time. Unlike other evergreens, it has never quite lost its pagan and magical associations.

the door. People believe that it will bring good luck.

This green plant allows you to kiss whoever you like under it. A girl who stands under the mistletoe must expect to be kissed and, by custom, has no right to refuse.

ageing man who lives in the Far North. He has

a long white beard and is dressed in red. He is fat and merry. On Christmas Eve he visits every house and leaves presents for children. He enters the house by chimney, unseen and unheard, with a big sack of toys. Children put a long stocking at the end of their bed or by die chimney so that Santa Claus will fill it with toys. He travels on a sleigh pulled by reindeer that can fly.

legendary Christian saint — St Nicholas! He was famous for

his kindness to children and the poor. One story tells how St Nicholas made a gift to the three girls who could not get married because their father was very poor. The saint threw three bags of gold through their window and one of these bags landed in a stocking that had been hung by the fire to dry. The custom of hanging up stockings on Christmas Eve may have grown out of this tale.

the giving of presents. This tradition goes back again to

Roman Saturnalia when people gave each other gifts of various kinds (fruit, pastry or gold).

will climb down the chimney and put some toys and

other little presents into their Christ­mas stockings. He will also put some toys under the tree. Children sometimes write a letter to Santa Claus telling him what presents they would like for Christmas.

by the angels who announced the birth of Christ. In

French, the word carole once meant a type of dance accompanied by singing. The carol as a Christmas song developed in England during die 14th and 15th centuries.

outdoors, in places such as shopping centres, public squares, and

railway stations. They usually collect money for charity, for example, homeless people. Sometimes carol singers, especially children, go along the street from house to house, singing in front of each house and asking for money. In the United States carol singers are sometimes invited into people's houses for a drink of cocoa and a biscuit.

Christmas Eve.
On Christmas Eve everything is hustle and bustier. Offices

and public buildings close at one o'clock, but the shops stay open late. The air is filled with the sounds of Christmas songs. Big department stores look like fairylands.

people traveling home. They want to be with their families

on Christmas Day.
Special church services are held on Christmas Eve, as well as on Christmas Day. The most famous ones are usually broadcast.
In the homes there is an air of great expecta­tion. Children decorate the Christmas tree and pre­pare their Christmas stockings. At night Santa Claus will fill them with presents. Grown-ups wrap up their gifts and leave them under the tree.

see their presents. They are usually not disappointed.
More people go

to church on Christmas Day than at any other lime.

— mother disappears into the kitchen to put the turkey

in the oven and the pudding on to boil. When she is ready, the great moment comes — the opening of presents. Everyone gets something: the dog - a new collar, the cat - a tin of sardines.

and cousins all meet for the big Christmas dinner of

turkey and Christmas pudding. At the start of the meal a cracker will probably be pulled.
Usually there is a small toy in the middle. Often there is a joke on a piece of paper, too.

BLESS YOU!

и поступающих в вузы – Дрофа,1999г
Н.И.Петрова и др. Английский язык

выпускные классы
«АСТ-ПРЕСС ШКОЛА»,2004
В.М.Павлоцкий Английский язык
книга по страноведению 9-11