Arbeitsblatt: Christmas Reading Text

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Reading ink. Verstehenshilfen
Englisch
Lesen / Literatur
8. Schuljahr
3 Seiten

Statistik

176199
434
10
12.11.2017

Autor/in

Nicole Wüthrich
Land: Schweiz
Registriert vor 2006

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Christmas Christians all over the world celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25. It is joyous holiday where families get together, give each other presents, decorate houses, sing traditional songs and go to mass. The word Christmas comes from the old English Christes Maesse, which means Christs mass Although Christians believe that Jesus was born in the small town of Bethlehem, we dont know the exact date of birth because stories about Jesus Christ were written down much later. By the 4th century Christians were divided into two churches: the eastern church was in Constantinople, todays Istanbul, and the western church was based in Rome. Each church celebrated Christmas on different days. The eastern church chose January 6 and the western church chose December 25. Today, most countries celebrate the Christmas holidays from December 25 until January 6. Many Christians celebrate this day as Epiphany, the day on which the three wise men came to visit baby Jesus. Christmas customs Giving presents is special part of Christmas. In many countries magical figures like Santa Claus or Father Christmas bring children their gifts. Decorating the house is an old custom that comes from pagan times. In northern Europe branches from evergreen trees were brought into the house to show that spring would return soon. Our traditional Christmas tree also comes from northern Europe. In the Middle Ages people set up trees and hung apples on them. As time went on more and more objects were added: candles, cookies, mistletoe and other things. German settlers brought the Christmas tree to America. Today families decorate their trees with ornaments, glitter, candy cane and electric lights. Some people even put up trees outdoors in their garden. Christmas cards started to become popular in the middle of the 19th century. Today, billions of cards are sent all over the world. In medieval Europe Christmas was celebration of feasting and dancing. Nowadays many families enjoy special meals. Turkey, goose, duck, fish, roast beef are some of the many dishes that you can find on dinner tables around the world. Housewives bake cakes and cookies. Christmas is also time of singing carols, songs that come from folk songs and ballads. Most of the carols we sing today were written in the 1800s. Silent Night, Holy Night is the most popular song. It is sung all over the world. Many Christians attend mass on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. In some churches children act out the story of the birth of Christ and people go to midnight mass. Christmas in other countries In America children hang stockings over the fireplace. When they are asleep Santa Claus arrives with his reindeer, slides down the chimney and fills them with presents. British children receive their gifts from Father Christmas. They enjoy Christmas dinner of roast turkey and mince pie or plum pudding. People often go around from house to house and sing carols. Children in France welcome the visit of Pere Nol. They leave shoes by the fireplace so that he can fill them with gifts. After midnight mass many families have special supper called Le réveillon. They eat Bche de Nol, special cake that looks like log. In many Italian homes nativity scene called presepio is the centre of celebrations. Many families have fried eel, called capitone, as Christmas Eve supper. Other special dishes are panetone, bread with dried fruit, and torrone, candy made with nuts and honey. On Epiphany La Befana, nice witch, brings children presents. In Sweden, Christmas presents are brought by Jultomten, who has elves as helpers. In this northern European country the Christmas season begins on December 13—St. Lucia Day. On this day the oldest daughter of the house puts on white dress and wears wreath with candles on her head. She serves coffee and buns to the rest of her family. For German and Austrian children festivities begin on December 6, when St. Nicholas comes to their homes and gives them bag filled with sweets, oranges and nuts. Christmas presents are brought by the Weihnachtsmann or Christkind. Families like to eat stollen, bread filled with fruits. In Bethlehem, small town in todays Israel, there is colourful procession on Christmas Eve. People walk through the narrow streets and carry picture of Jesus in cradle to the Church of Nativity. There it is put into glass manger. Pilgrims from all over the world travel to Bethlehem to take part. In Mexico children have Christmas party and hang piñata, on rope from the ceiling This is an earthenware jug or paper figure that is filled with candy or small toys. Then they blindfold themselves and try to hit it with stick until it breaks and the sweets and toys fall out. Many people take part in processions that show how Mary and Joseph searched for place to stay in Bethlehem. In the southern hemisphere Christmas comes during the hot summer season. In Brazil people have outdoor picnics and fireworks. Australians gather outdoors and spend the holidays on sandy beaches. For pupils its the end of the school year and the beginning of the summer holidays. Words act out to perform small play add to put together with something else although while ballad a slow song based to be the centre of something billion a thousand million blindfold to cover someones eyes with piece of cloth branch a part of tree that has leaves on it bun small round bread candle a stick of wax that burns and gives light candy sweet food made from sugar candy cane a stick of hard red and white sugar that has curved end ceiling the top part of room celebrate to do something celebration event of celebrating century a hundred years chimney a part of house from which smoke comes out choose, chose to decide what you want to have or do Church of Nativity church that was built over the birthplace of Jesus cradle a small bed for baby custom tradition decorate to make something look nice by putting pretty things on it dish meal divide to split into parts duck a water bird with short legs and wide mouth earthenware made of baked clay eel a long thin fish that looks like snake and can be eaten attend to go to elf, elves a small person with pointed ears and magical power Epiphany January 6 a day on which the Three Kings came to see Jesus evergreen it does not lose its leaves in the winter exact completely correct feasting to eat lot of food on special day festivities celebrations figure person or character fireworks small container filled with powder that burns or explodes to produce coloured lights and noise in the sky gather get together gift present glitter pieces of shiny paper hemisphere half of the world joyous very happy jug container with wide curved opening at the top used for holding liquids log a thick piece of wood from tree manger an open container that horses and cows eat from mass to go to church and pray there medieval about the Middle Ages mince pie a pie that is filled with minced meat; it is eaten by people at Christmas mistletoe a plant with small white berries narrow not wide nativity scene play that tells the story of the birth of Jesus ornament an object that makes something look better pagan beliefs and customs that do not belong to main religion pilgrim a person who travels to holy place plum pudding pudding or cake with nuts and dried fruit popular many people like it procession a line of people who walk slowly receive get reindeer large deer with big horns that live in the northern regions roast to cook or grill over fire rope very strong thick string, made by twisting together many thinner strings search look for set up to put up settler someone who goes to place where not many people have lived before slide to move quietly down an object, glide, slip stockings long socks supper meal that you have early in the evening wise intelligent, very sensible wreath a circle made from leaves or flowers that person wears on his/her head