Різдвяні традиції в Україні (8 клас)

Subject: Christmas Traditions in Ukraine.

Suggested Level – A2 elementary

Objectives: to improve pupils’ speech habits on the topic “Christmas  Traditions”;

             to develop pupils’ reading and listening skills;

             to practice asking and answering questions about traditions;

             to develop pupils’ respect to Ukrainian traditions and culture.

Equipment: a tape recorder; words-cards (name of dishes);  a blackboard; a crossword “Christmas”; cards with questions and answers.

Procedures:

1.     Starting the lesson.

T: My dear friends, I am glad to meet and greet you here in this classroom. I hope that you are fine. Today we’ll have a friendly talk with you about Christmas in Ukraine. We’ll share our thoughts about this holiday.

2.     Phonetic warm-up.

T: Read and translate the proverbs.

         Every country has its customs. (Кожне сільце має своє слівце.)

         Christmas comes but once a year. (Двічі на рік літа не буває.)

         Eat at pleasure, drink with measure. (Їж уволю, пий у міру.)

3.     Listening and speaking.

(Pupils listen to the melody of Christmas carol “Silent Night”).

Silent Night

Silent night.

Holy night.

All is calm.

All is bright.

Round yon virgin mother and child,

Holy infant so tender and mild.

Sleep in heavenly peace.

Sleep in heavenly peace.

T: I hope you recognized this melody. Now let’s sing this carol all together.

(All pupils sing this carol together with teacher).

T: Now let’s talk about Christmas in Ukraine. (Pupils work in pairs. Each pair receives a card with the question. They go to the blackboard and try to find the card with answer. Then they read the questions and answers in pairs).

1) - When do we celebrate Christmas in Ukraine?

    - We celebrate Christmas on 7th January. This period from the 7^th till 19^th of January is the Saint Christmas week, when people have fun, wear fancy dresses and walk from one home to another singing Christmas songs and all masters should give them sweets.

2) -  What is “Holy Supper”?

      - "HOLY SUPPER" or “Sviata Vechera” is the cen­tral tradition of the beautiful Christmas Eve celebrations in Ukrainian homes. The dinner table sometimes has a few wisps of hay on the embroidered table cloth as a re­minder of the manger in Bethlehem.

3) - When may Sviata Vechera begin?

    - When the children see the first Star in the eastern evening sky, which symbolizes the trek of the Three Wise Men, the Sviata Vechera may begin.

4) - What is Didukh?

     - Didukh is a sheaf of wheat which represents the importance of the ancient and rich wheat crops of Ukraine, the staff of life through the centuries. Didukh means literally "grand­father spirit", so it symbolizes the family's ancestors. The father of the family puts Didukh in the corner of the room and says the traditional Christmas greetings: “Khristos rodyvsya!”(Christ is born!) which is answered by the family with “Slavite Yoho!”(Let us glorify Him!).

5) - What do you know about “Malanka”?

    - Malanka is a Ukrainian folk holiday celebrated on Janu­ary 13, which is New Year's Eve in accordance with the Julian calendar. Malanka commemorates the feast day of St Melania. On this night in Ukraine, carollers tradition­ally went from house to house playing pranks or acting out a small play with a bachelor dressed in women's clothing leading the troop.

6) - What is “ the second Holy Eve”?

    - “The second Holy Eve” or “Hungry Kutia” is Shchedryi Vechir. Kutia is the main traditional dish too.   

7) - What is “Bohoiavlennia”? How do we celebrate it?

    - “Bohoiavlennia” is a religious feast on January 19 popularly called “Vodokhryshchi” (blessing of water) or “Yordan” which completes the winter festivities cycle. After the blessing of the water, everyone present drinks the water and also takes some home to be kept there for a whole year.

4. Reading.

T: Let’s read the text together and do the tasks after it.    

Christmas Twice

Most Christians celebrate Christmas on 25th December, according to the Gregorian calendar. This calendar was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 to replace the "Old Style" Julian calendar, which falls behind the solar year by about one day every century.

Ukraine began to use the "New Style" Gregorian calendar on 26th January, 1918. By that time, the Julian calendar was 13 days behind, so the date had to "jump" from 31st January to 14th February.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church still uses the Julian calendar. That is why most Ukrainians celebrate Christmas 13 days later, i.e. on 7th January. Ukrainian Catholics, however, stick to the Gregorian calendar and celebrate Christmas on 25th December. One way or another, Christmas is the most beloved festival in Ukraine. It lasts for three days. On Christmas Eve, (Sviat Vechir) the family gathers around a table for a holy supper of twelve symbolic dishes. The supper begins when the first star appears in the sky. By the light of a beeswax candle a carol is sung, the kutia (a dish of honey, poppy seeds and wheat kernels boiled in pure rainwater) is served and everyone takes a spoonful. The meal is meat- and milk-free. The menu includes beans, fish, varenyky or pyrogy (boiled potato dumplings), holubtsi (stuffed cabbage rolls), mushrooms, sauerkraut and desserts made from dried fruit and honey.

Carols usually end the evening and signal the start of a joyful season of visiting - kolyadki.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Exercises after reading.

1   Read and mark all the dates mentioned.

2   Look through the text and find the date that is mentioned more than once.

3   Match the dishes to their descriptions.

Kutia                                                                    - boiled potato dumplings

Varenyky                                                              - stuffed cabbage rolls

                                                                            

                                                                              - a dish of honey, poppy

holubtsi                                                               -  seeds and wheat kernels

T: How many dishes do we have for Holy Supper? (We have 12 dishes).

T: What do they symbolize? (They symbolize 12 apostles of Jesus Christ).

T: Let’s count whether we’ve got 12. (Pupils take the cards with dishes one by one and stick them on the blackboard):

 

T: Right. They are 12. They look so tasty! Now we know about Holy Supper and Christmas in Ukraine.

5.    Games.

(Christmas activities).

1) Crossword “Christmas”.

(Keys: carol, holiday, tree, stockings, Santa, toys, Merry, January, sweets).  

2) Copy the letters with & and complete the sentences.

Answer: (May your life be happy not only on Christmas but every day!)

6.     Summary of the lesson.

 Our talk devoted to Christmas celebrations in Ukraine is coming to the end. Your home assignment is to write a short message about Christmas traditions in Ukraine. You were very active and get the following marks… May your life be happy not only on Christmas but every day!