Christmas holidays are the ones in the Christian calendar, which are closely intertwined religious and folk traditions. Ukraine still has not lost its relevance a great tradition of caroling when children go from house to house singing Christmas songs, Christmas carols and wish the owners of peace and prosperity, sprinkling with the floor, "sowing" seeds of wheat or barley, which was believed to be held in the house well-being and happiness. In gratitude to the hosts endows children with sweets and coins, which are believed by many to bring good luck for the whole year.
The special tradition of the Christmas table, which should be 12 dishes - the number of the apostles does not get lost in centuries . In Ukraine, the holiday table this evening is complete without Uzvar (Ukrainian national cooling made of dried berries, honey and so on), freshly baked bread and cakes special in that, according to the hostess, you need to put a coin in the number of those present at the table. Who will find coin ,that person will have good luck in the new year. At the table people tell legends about the birth of the Son of God, sing Christmas songs, and remember all the good things that happened in the past year, and wish each other health and happiness.
For centuries, people tell fortunes at the New Year, during Yule (Svyatki),at Christmas. Yule is the winter holidays from Christmas Eve till Epipheny (Krescheniye) -best time fortune-telling .
Wherever you met this holiday wherever you are either abandoned fate, the main one : Christmas is a day that symbolizes the beginning, celebration, bringing light and peace. A day when people should think about their place in life and give yourselves a promise to be better. Christmas is a celebration of light and color, the feast of love conquering all people.
ЩЕДРИК (in English)
Hark how the bells, sweet silver bells, all seem to say, throw cares away
Christmas is here, bringing good cheer, to young and old, meek and the bold,
Ding dong ding dong that is their song with joyful ring all caroling
One seems to hear words of good cheer from everywhere filling the air
Oh how they pound, raising the sound, o’er hill and dale, telling their tale,
Gaily they ring while people sing songs of good cheer, Christmas is here, Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas, Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas,
On on they send, on without end, their joyful tone to every home
Ding dong ding: dong!
Christmas Day in Ukraine
Many Ukrainians have a day off on Christmas Day, which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. It is an annual public holiday across Ukraine and falls on January 7, the Orthodox Christmas date.
The period from January 7-14 is a festive week, in which it is customary for some people to dress up, visit homes, sing Christmas songs (eg. Kolyadka), and wish each other blessings. A Ukrainian Christmas dinner may often include dishes such as:
Kutia (sweet grain pudding).
Borshch (beet soup).
Vushka (small dumplings with mushroom).
Varenyky (dumplings with cabbage and potatoes).
Holubtsi (stuffed cabbage roll).
Other Christmas activities include puppet shows of the Nativity, holiday concerts, and Christmas fairs.
Public Life
Christmas Day is a public holiday across Ukraine, so many businesses, schools, universities and public offices are closed.
Background
Christmas for many Ukrainians is an important family holiday. When Ukraine was part of the former Soviet Union, Christmas Day was not a public holiday but Christmas traditions were not forgotten. After Ukraine gained its independence in 1991, Christmas Day was made a public holiday. Many Ukrainian Christmas traditions are based on pre-Christian Pagan customs.
Many Orthodox Christian churches in Ukraine observe the Christmas Day date from the Julian calendar, which is different from the more commonly used Gregorian calendar. So, while Christmas is still on December 25 in the Julian calendar, it appears on January 7 in the Gregorian calendar, up until 2100. After that, the Gregorian date for Orthodox Christmas will be January 8 in 2101.
Symbols
Christmas meals that have a symbolic meaning include:
Kolach (Christmas bread), which is braided into a ring, with 3 rings placed on top of another to symbolize the Christian concept of the Holy Trinity of father, son and holy spirit.
Didukh, a sheaf of wheat stalks or mixed grain stalks placed under icons in a home. It symbolizes family ancestors.
Some families celebrate Christmas with a 12-course dinner, with each course representing one of Jesus Christ’s apostles. According to the pre-Christian Pagan tradition, each course of meal represented a full moon that took place during the year.
Christmas Day in United Kingdom
Christmas Day is celebrated in the United Kingdom on December 25. It traditionally celebrates Jesus Christ's birth but many aspects of this holiday have pagan origins. Christmas is a time for many people to give and receive gifts and prepare special festive meals.
Prior to Christmas Day, people decorate their homes and gardens prior to Christmas Day. These decorations may include:
Christmas trees.
Small colored fairy lights.
Leaves and berries from holly trees and mistletoe bushes.
Various other decorations with rich colors that spark the Christmas mood.
In many towns and cities, the shopping streets are also decorated with lights and large pine trees, often specially imported from Norway. In some places a Nativity scene is arranged. This illustrates the story of Jesus' birth using statues or actors and live animals. Many churches hold special services in the night before Christmas Day.
Many people spend Christmas Day with family members, with whom they exchange gifts and cards. Many children wake up to find a sock or stocking filled with small gifts on their bed or somewhere else in the house. These have supposedly been brought by a mythical figure called 'Father Christmas' or 'Santa Claus', who lives for most of the year at the North Pole. He travels in a sleigh pulled by reindeer and enters houses by climbing down the chimney. He hopes to enjoy a small snack of mince pies and brandy at each house. He supposedly travels so fast that he can deliver presents to all children in one night, although some in some stories elves help him with his work.
Later in the day, people may attend special church services, even if they do not usually go to church. Nearly everyone prepares and eats a special meal. This often includes roast turkey, potatoes and parsnips, and other vegetables. After the main course, Christmas pudding is often eaten. This is a heavy steamed, dense, cake-like pudding filled with dried fruit and nuts. Burning brandy is often poured over it as it is served, giving a spectacular effect. Mince pies are also popular on Christmas Day. They are sweet pastry cases filled with a mixture of dried fruit, fat and alcohol.
Public Life
Nearly all organizations, except hospitals and shelters for the homeless, are closed on Christmas Day. Some public houses and smaller stores selling food may open for a few hours in the middle of the day. Public transport services do not run to their normal timetables and may even not run at all. Public life closes down almost totally on Christmas Day.
Many churches hold special services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Some also organize shelter, company and food for the homeless or those who need help. Others hold events for people who wish to return to the spiritual aspects of Christmas and turn away from the commercial aspects of modern Christmas celebrations.
Background and symbols
Christmas Day is often seen as the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem over two thousand years ago. However, many aspects of the celebration have their origins in the Pagan traditions of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. These include bringing pieces of evergreen trees into homes, lighting fires, holding parties and eating special foods. When missionaries converted the inhabitants of these countries to Christianity, many of these customs were included in the Christian celebrations.
There are many Christmas symbols. These include leaves and berries from the holly tree and mistletoe bush, pine trees, candles and small lights. Figures associated with the season are Father Christmas or Santa Claus, the baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the other characters from the Nativity story. Presents and Christmas food, such as turkey, Christmas pudding and mince pies also symbolize Christmas. A special mention should be reserved for the robin red breast. This small bird, with its red feathered breast, is at its most beautiful in the middle of the winter and is often seen as a decoration on Christmas cards, wrapping paper and cakes.
St. Nicholas Day
St. Nicholas of Myra is a popular Christian Saint among children across Europe because of his reputation as a bringer of gifts. Both the North American Santa Claus and the British Father Christmas are legendary figures whose attributes derive from the myths surrounding St. Nicholas.
St. Nicholas Day is a popular occasion for children in many parts of Europe because children usually receive gifts on this day. Some European cities such as Bari, Italy recognize St. Nicholas as the patron saint and celebrate with different activities such as gift-giving, parades, feasts and festivals.
St. Nicholas is referred to by many names throughout Europe such as Sinterklaas in the Netherlands orNikolaus in Germany. In the days leading up to December 6, children throughout Europe put their shoes or a special St. Nicholas boot in front of the fireplace or the front door at night to find them filled with small presents the next morning. A larger amount of gifts is usually brought on the eve of St. Nicholas Day or December 5.
Public Life
St. Nicholas Day is a religious observance but not a nationwide public holiday in countries such as Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Background
The legendary figure of St. Nicholas is derived from Nicholas of Myra who officiated as a bishop in 4th century Greece. During his lifetime he developed a reputation for gift-giving by putting coins in other people's shoes, which accounts for many of today's Christmas traditions that involve leaving gifts in shoes or boots.
Having inspired both the figure of the North American Santa Claus and the British Father Christmas, St. Nicholas has in some countries been more recently joined on his visits to children's homes by an evil companion who punishes the naughty ones: in Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic and northern Italy, this personification of evil is called Krampus, in Germany Knecht Ruprecht, and in the Netherlands Zwarte Piet.
10 слов, придуманных Шекспиром, без которых не
сможет обойтись современный человек.
Великий английский драматург и поэт Уильям Шекспир (1564-1616 гг) - автор бессмертных произведений, в которых невероятно глубоко раскрыты присущие человеку страсти, добродетели и пороки.
Заслуга Шекспира заключается еще и в том, что он оказал огромное влияние на развитие английского языка. В его работах присутствует более 2200 слов, не встречавшихся ранее в письменной речи. Шекспир смело экспериментировал со словообразованием, "склеивая" вместе несколько лексем, добавляя приставки и суффиксы. Тем самым рождались новые оттенки смысла или совершенно противоположные значения. Есть очень хорошее выражение, "words coined by William Shakespeare". Английский бард не просто выдумывал слова из ниоткуда, он их именно "чеканил", вводя в обращение.
Мы с вами даже не подозреваем, что многие из привычных нам слов английского языка появились на свет много веков назад благодаря Шекспиру.
Если бы не Шекспир, то основные пороки современного общества - чрезмерное пристрастие к кофеину, алкоголю, наркотикам, медикаментам, азартным играм, курению и, в конце концов, шоппингу назывались бы как-нибудь по-другому.
2. ADVERTISING ("реклама, продвижение")
Прекрасное подтверждение тому, что реклама "стара, как мир"
3. ASSASSINATION ("убийство по политическим мотивам")
Трагедии Шекспира полны коварных заговоров, жестоких политических интриг и предателей... Сегодняшняя политическая ситуация в мире продолжает оставаться напряженной, и емкое слово assassination, к сожалению, не утратило своей силы.
Как бы сейчас звучало классическое объявление в лондонском метро "Please keep your personal belongings with you at all times"?..
5. EYEBALL ("глазное яблоко")
Еще один пример креативного шекспировского словообразования.
6. FASHIONABLE ("модный")
И здесь не обошлось без Шекспира!
7. HOT-BLOODED ("пылкий, страстный")
Совместив два слова "hot" и "blood", английский драматург создал прекрасную метафору. Кстати, выражение "cold-blooded" ("хладнокровный") - это тоже шекспировских рук дело!
8. LONELY ("одинокий, в одиночку")
"All the lonely people, where do they all come from?" Ах, сколько прекрасных англоязычных песен не появилось бы на свет, если бы не Шекспир!
9. LUGGAGE ("багаж, вещи")
Невероятно нужное слово! Ну какое без него путешествие?
10. MANAGER ("управляющий, менеджер")
Как бы существовало современное общество без слова "менеджер"? Интересно, кто бы сейчас сидел в офисах, стуча по клавиатуре, если бы не фантазия английского гения? А ведь слово проникло и в русский язык!
Christmas Day is celebrated in the United Kingdom on December 25. It traditionally celebrates Jesus Christ's birth but many aspects of this holiday have pagan origins. Christmas is a time for many people to give and receive gifts and prepare special festive meals.
цікаво!! цікаво!!!!
ОтветитьУдалитьДуже давно шукала цю щедрывку англыйською.Дякую!
ОтветитьУдалитьТекст CHRISTMAS - кошмарный. Хуже ничего не видел.
ОтветитьУдалить