Happy New

Year!
Warm up

Have you made any New Year resolutions?

 New Yea
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ra
di
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We are going to read about some unusual New n
Year’s Eve traditions which take place around the

s
world. Pay attention to the words underlined.
1. On the morning of New Year’s Day, some traditional families
toss coins into a river. They believe this will bring them good luck
throughout the coming year.

Mexico - Russia - Japan - Denmark - The Phillippines - Bolivia - Belgium - Romania

2. When the clock strikes 12, some people celebrate New Year’s
Eve by eating twelve grapes – one for each month of the year,
and for each chime of the clock’s bell. Sweet bread is baked
with a coin hidden in the dough. New Year’s Eve is also
considered the best time to communicate with dead spirits and
ask them for guidance.

Mexico - Russia - Japan - Denmark - The Phillippines - Bolivia - Belgium - Romania

3. Farmers wish their livestock a happy New Year. They believe
this brings good luck and good health.

Mexico - Russia - Japan - Denmark - The Phillippines - Bolivia - Belgium - Romania

4. Some people believe that if the first visitor (especially an
unexpected one) on January 1 is a man, the year will be good.

Mexico - Russia - Japan - Denmark - The Phillippines - Bolivia - Belgium - Romania

5. People believe that the color of their underwear on New Year’s Eve will
determine their fate in the coming year. Yellow underwear will bring happiness
and money. Red will bring love and passion. Green is for prosperity, pink is for
friendship, white is for hope and peace. At this time of year, yellow underwear is
in big demand.

Mexico - Russia - Japan - Denmark - The Phillippines - Bolivia - Belgium - Romania

6. Some people decorate their homes with straw ropes to ward off evil spirits
and welcome good luck and happiness. Buddhist temples ring their bells 108
times at midnight.

Mexico - Russia - Japan - Denmark - The Phillippines - Bolivia - Belgium - Romania

7. Some people throw crockery at their neighbor’s door. The family with the
largest pile of broken plates, glasses, and cups is considered to be the luckiest
because it means that they have lots of loyal friends.

Mexico - Russia - Japan - Denmark - The Phillippines - Bolivia - Belgium - Romania

8. People wear polka dots and prepare tables with twelve round-shaped fruits,
for example grapes, oranges, melons, and watermelons. They believe that this
will bring prosperity as round shapes are associated with coins and wealth. At
midnight, children jump as high as they can because they believe this will make
them taller.

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Vocabulary
Practice
 toss - chime - dough - livestock - fate -
prosperity - ward off - crockery - polka dots

1._______________________ : dishes, cups, and similar items made of porcelain

2._______________________ : large round dots forming a pattern or an item of
clothing with this pattern
3._______________________ : farm animals
4._______________________ : a mixture of flour and liquid, used for baking bread
5. _______________________ : throw casually
6._______________________ : prevent something bad from happening
7. _______________________ : the sound that a bell makes
8._______________________ : success and economic well-being
9._______________________ : destiny, things that develop in the future which are
outside of your control
Talking point

Discuss the following questions:

1. How did you celebrate the New Year?
2. Are there any unusual New Year traditions or
superstitions in your country?
3. Do you reflect back on the year at the end of December
or just move on?
4. Are you going to make up for lost time next year/this
year?
 Chinese New Year

We asked three people about their Chinese New Year

celebrations. Here is what they said.
Quanzhou, China

My favorite time of the year is Chinese New Year’s Eve.

All of my family come to my house to celebrate. We
have so much food. We eat Nian Gao, which is a kind
of rice cake that I love. In our tradition, it’s an offering
to the Kitchen God. It’s sticky, so it makes it difficult for
him to talk and say bad things about humans to the
Jade Emperor, the ruler of heaven. We also watch the
New Year’s Gala on TV, which we call Chunwan. They
have dancing, singing, drama, and some comedy. On
this night, we can stay up late, usually until the next
morning. We believe that the longer we stay awake,
the longer our parents will live.
Penang, Malaysia

George Town, which is the capital city of Penang ,

really comes alive at Chinese New Year. Around
December, there’s the delightful Chinghay parade. The
performers throw and kick flagpoles on to each other’s
heads and balance them. The flagpoles can be about
26 feet high, maybe taller, and probably weigh a lot, so
it’s an incredible skill. We also go to Kek Lok Si, which
is a really important Buddhist temple. Monks visit it all
the way from Thailand every year. Usually, the temple
closes before dark, but at Chinese New Year, it opens
in the evening and is decorated with thousands of
lanterns and lights. It’s a really stunning sight, and
people come from all over the world to see it.
San Francisco, USA

My family is originally from China, but I grew up here in

California. We still follow traditions around Chinese
New Year. My family always give me Hongbao, which
is a red envelope with money in it. Relatives give them
to unmarried children in the family. But Chinese New
Year is huge here. Every year, we always go and watch
the parade, which is spectacular . You can see the
Dragon Dance, which brings good luck. The longer it
goes on, the more luck the community will have. The
streets are always full of the sound of firecrackers,
which scares away monsters in our tradition. It’s
always a joyful and fun time.
 Talking point
1. What aspects of Chinese New Year
do you think you would like?
2. What do you do in your culture to
celebrate the New Year?
3. Do you have any traditions that you
celebrate in your culture that other
cultures don’t usually celebrate?
 Delegate more often
Complete the
Focus on promotion
article
You are going to read an article Set realistic goals
on New Year’s business and
career resolutions. Complete the Don't procrastinate
text on the next page with the
headings on the right.
Develop a new skill
Delegate more often

Focus on promotion

Set realistic goals

Don't procrastinate

Develop a new skill

 Talking point
1. Which of these resolutions do you think is the
most helpful? Why?
2. Which of these resolutions do you think is

the least helpful? Why?

3. Can you think of any other resolutions that
might help your business or career?
4. Is it popular to set goals for the New Year in
your country?
5. Did you achieve all the goals you set for last
year?