Тематический сборник текстов для чтения (английский язык). Соснина Е.П - 115 стр.

UptoLike

ВУЗ: 

УлГТУ | Ульяновск

Составители: 

Рубрика: 

115
occur before September 5, when it occurred in 1899 and will occur again in 2013. After the
year 2089, the differences between the Hebrew Calendar and the Gregorian Calendar will
force Rosh Hashanah to be not earlier than September 6. Rosh Hashanah cannot occur later
than October 5, when it occurred in 1967 and will again occur in 2043.
• The Chinese New Year is generally celebrated with fire-crackers, and in some places
with a parade. It falls at a new moon during the (Chinese) winter, i.e. the end of January or
beginning of February.
• The Telugu New Year generally falls in the months of March or April. The people of
Andhra Pradesh, India celebrate the advent of Lunar year this day.
• The Thai New Year is celebrated from April 13 to April 15 by throwing water.
• The Vietnamese New Year is the Tкt Nguyen Dan. It is celebrated on the same day
as Chinese New Year.
Text 4. Ancient Origins of Halloween
Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced
“sow-in”). The Celts , who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United
Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked
the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year
that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new
year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the
night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the
dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that
the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to
make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural
world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long,
dark winter.
To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people
gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities .
During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads
and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they
re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred
bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter. By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered

Страницы