CELEBRATIONS

TASK 1. Brainstorm some popular events that you know about and complete the table by
categorizing your ideas about the events you listed.

Event Season Location Procedure Meaning

Lunar New spring Asian Decorate house, prepare Mark the start of the Lunar
Year countries food, get together with New Year; time for family
families, visit relatives, reunion after a year of hard
… working; believe in a new
year with good fortune, …

Christmas Winter (25th - Origin / Decorate house, The festival of the Christian
December) Popular: Christmas trees, prepare church commemorating the
Catholic, food (Turkey, ginger birth of Jesus and an occasion
Christian pie/cookies), give for exchanging gifts
presents to each other,
- Today:
snowman, waiting for
Around the
Santa Claus to come, …
world

International 8th March Around the For men to give female - commemorate the
Women’s day (1977) world colleagues flowers & achievements of women in
small gifts; children to cultural, political, economic
pay tribute to their & social development
mother and grandmother - raise awareness of people
about the role of women,
women’s rights, gender
equality and violence against
women…

Halloween 31st October Western Decorate house - to remember the death of all
countries (skeletons, carving saints, martyrs and ancients
pumpkins, …); pranks, - to mark the end of harvest
parties, costumes (to season & the beginning of
frighten each other), winter
trick-or-treating, children
– wear special clothes
and masks /hide their
faces – go from house to
house asking for candies;
…
TASK 2. Complete the table with your shared ideas about the events you listed in Task 1.

Event Things people would do in the past Things people do now

Lunar New Year - get together with families - travel

- celebrate at home - watch fireworks at the harbor

Christmas - prepare food at home - eat out (restaurants)

- Christmas cards - send text message
- travel

International - movements / campaigns to empower - commemorate the

Women’s Day women / raise awareness & promote
women’s rights & gender equality
(developing countries)
contributions of women in every
aspect of life
- promote the participation of
women in different fields
(economy, politics, …)

Halloween - Western countries - around the world

- wider range of activities for not
only children but also teenagers
& adults

Some useful adjectives to compare and contrast festivals:

astonishing colorful dramatic emotional entertaining exhausting

impressive incredible memorable mysterious peaceful serious

EXAM PRACTICE
PART 1
1. Do you have any special festivals in your country?
Of course, in Viet Nam has some popular festivals such as Lunar New Year, Hung King’s
festival, Hue festival, Mid-autumn festival, Lim festival,…
2. What kind of festival is most popular in your country?
Traditional festival: priority(1 lễ hội phổ biến xong lại phổ biển, ý nghĩa)
3. Are there any international festivals that you would like to attend?
Songkran festival (Thailand), Chrismast, Easter, Carnival, Halloween, Oktoberfest (Beer
Festival- Germany), La Tomatina (Spain), Holi Festival (India)
Reason: đã đón giáng sinh ở vn nhưng mong muốn ở châu âu , nơi nó bắt nguồn
(meaning/atmosphere in the country where the festival was ‘born’

4. Are there any festivals or celebrations you do not enjoy?

Name of the festival
PART 2
Describe a public holiday in your country.
You should say:
what the holiday is celebrating
when the holiday occurs
what people do on that holiday
explain why you like / dislike that holiday
Lunar New year, Vietnam’s National Day / Independence Day, Hung King’s Festival
Tet holiday
is the most important and popular holiday and festival in Vietnam. It is the
Vietnamese New Year marking the arrival of spring based on the Lunar calendar.
The name Tết Nguyên Đán is Sino-Vietnamese for Feast of the First Morning.
Lunar New Year, or Tet, is Vietnam’s main holiday. It is the biggest and the most
important occasion in the year
It usually occurs at the end of January or in early of February and lasts for 3-7
days.
Tet holiday in Vietnam is usually in honor of the departure of the previous year
and an occasion to welcome the new year with many blessings.
Before New Year eve, people who work far from home return and get together
with their family. House is decorated house with many Kumquat tree: cây quất)
Peach Blossoms or Apricot blossom. People prepare food such as chung cake,
five-fruit tray and feast for worsiping ancestors.
In new year’s eve family watch tv programme and firework together
After new year’s eve, people go to the temple, visit the relatives and get lucky
money. during the first 3 days, they are not allowed to touch the broom anymore. It
is believed that if we sweep our house in this time, we will sweep away all the
fortune and luckiness
For me, I like tet because i have time for blowing off some steam, visiting
grandparents after months and have some journey with my family and friends. I
think Tet becomes a special occasion of reunion for Vietnamese families to tighten
the bonds after a hustle and bustle year.
(điều nên làm và điều kiêng kị)

PART 3
1. What is the difference between how people celebrate special events today compared with
the past?
Spiritual values (meaning) => Focus on entertainment activities
2. Should we learn about special events of other countries in school?
No- no so important to students => don’t need to be compulsory
Yes- to understand more about foreigns cultures
3. What will special events be like in the future?
More special/given more priority/more complicated/more well-organized-why
Being simple/not so important-why
4. Do we spend too much money on special events like Valentine’s Day or birthdays?
Yes –
No -
What? When? How Meaning Like/Dislike
(Public holiday)
Tet holiday Spring Decorate Custom
(about 3-4 houses; visit
days for relatives; go to
main festival flower
markets/fairs;
attend spring
flower festival;
 …
Hung King
Commemoration
Holiday
National Day
Mid-autumn festival
The Birthday off
President HCM
Liberation/ April 30th Public Marked the One/two days
reunification event(s)? end of off
Young people- Vienam war
… and began
Old people-… the process of
unification