Culture Lesson 3

American Holidaysand

Lifetime Celebrations

Months of the year…

How can I remember the order of September, October, November, December?

Try using the word SOUND.S O U N D

Introduction:What is a holiday? A day of leisure A legal day off A Holy Day

May include fasting What is a national holiday? What is a legal holiday? What is a custom? What is a symbol? Holiday vs. Vacation

Introduction:American Seasons?

Winter(Dec. 22-March 20)

Spring(March 21-June 20)

Introduction:American Seasons?

Summer(June 21-Sept. 22)

Autumn (Fall)(Sept. 23-Dec. 21)

How should we greet someone on this day?

USUALLY, it is ok to say “Happy ___________.” Example: Happy Valentine’s Day!

The biggest exception is “Merry” which is generally only used for Christmas. To say “Happy Christmas” is more of

a British custom.

Write these holiday names on your paper in the first column: 1. New Year’s Day 2. Martin Luther King

Jr. Day 3. Ground Hog Day 4. Valentine’s Day 5. President’s Day 6. St. Patrick’s Day 7. Easter 8. Mother’s Day

9. Memorial Day 10. Father’s Day 11. Independence

Day 12. Labor Day 13. Halloween 14. Veteran's Day 15. Thanksgiving 16. Christmas (Day)

Reasons for Celebrating New Year’s Day The coming of the

New Year Martin Luther

King Jr. Day Celebrates the

birthday of a great American civil rights leader

Ground Hog Day Predicts the

length of the winter and spring

Valentine’s Day A day to show

love to special people in our lives

Reasons for Celebrating President’s Day Honoring Lincoln

and Washington St. Patrick’s Day Honors Patrick

and celebrates Irish heritage

Easter Celebrates Spring’s

arrival and Jesus’ resurrection

Mother’s Day Honor our mothers

and women who have loved us

Reasons for Celebrating Memorial Day Honor deceased

loved ones & service men and women

Father’s Day Honor our fathers

and grandfathers

Independence Day America’s birthday,

celebrates freedom Labor day Honors workers;

time to rest with our families

Reasons for Celebrating Halloween Celebrates dark

and scary things; a time to play

Veteran’s Day Honors men and

women who have fought for America

Thanksgiving Celebrates

American heritage and religious freedom

Christmas Celebrates Jesus’

birth and showing love to all people

Which holiday has this symbol?

What about these?

Other Symbols… Champagne glass Hearts Flowers Candy Lincoln silhouette Gravestone(s) Neck tie

Ghost Tree Nativity set Dove Candle Santa Clause Fireworks

Symbols of Thanksgiving… Horn of Plenty

Autumn foliage (leaves)

The Turkey

Pilgrims and Indians

Pictures of Easter Symbols

Easter Lily/Lilies Bare Cross

Easter Bunny with eggs and basket

Baby animals

Empty tomb/grave

Colors: Which holiday do they belong to? Red Yellow Green White Brown Gold Orange

Blue Black Pink Pastel colors

Some Special Vocabulary: 1. Resolution, champagne, parade 2. Civil rights 3. Ground hog, Pennsylvania 4. Valentine, Cupid 6. Shamrock, rainbow, parade,

Patrick, pot of gold, leprechaun, luck o’ the Irish

7. Easter bunny/eggs/basket, parade pastel colors, resurrection

More Special Vocabulary… 9. Cemetery, long weekend,

barbecue, picnic, vacation, parade 11. “Fourth of July”, parade, picnic,

barbecue, patriotic/patriotism 12. Parade, picnic, barbecue, long

weekend, vacation 13. Cemetery, jack o’ lantern,

costumes, “trick or treat”

And More Vocabulary…

14. Cemetery, patriotism, nationalism

15. Pilgrims, Indians, Mayflower, freedom, blessings, turkey, etc.

16. Santa Clause, mistletoe, holly bough, ornaments, words related to Jesus’ birth, etc.

Here’s a great website…

To find out more about Saint Patrick and celebrating Irish heritage, look at the links on this page:

http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/stpatricksday/?page=history

Word Origins—Christmas Santa Claus

Came from the Dutch name for Father Christmas: “Sant Nikolaas” and another old form “Sinter Claus”

Mistletoe Combined Anglo-Saxon words for “bird

dropping” and “twig”; the Druids and Celts said it carried magical health-bearing powers and now we kiss under it…

Idioms related to age Sweet 16

Describing a 16th birthday party, usually for a girl

Over the Hill When someone turns 40 or 50, we

may say they are “over the hill” Bite the Dust

An informal to say someone has died

Brainstorm with your partner:

What are some common lifetime celebrations in China? In America?

How are some of our celebrations similar?

How are some of our celebrations different?

In the First Year…

The Baby “Shower” The Birth of the Baby The Baby’s Baptism or Dedication* Baby’s First Christmas, etc. 1st Birthday (different from China)

Smash cake, especially for the baby

In A Student’s Life…

Losing the first tooth First Day of School School events and activities Graduations (different levels) School dances (Prom, Homecoming) 16, 18, 21—Birthdays First Job, Job Hunting

Young Adults

Courtship Engagement Wedding Shower Rehearsal Dinner Wedding Wedding Reception (Dance) Honeymoon

Adult Life

Promotion at Work, Mid-life Crisis (?) Moving/House-warming Anniversaries Important birthdays (40, 50, 65, 100) Retirement/Senior Benefits Elderly Life Death/Funeral

Three Important Terms:Shower, Reception, & Party Shower—Baby, Bridal, Card

Card showers common for elderly people

Reception—Wedding, Anniversary, Open House This term is a bit more formal

Party—Birthday, Christmas, Halloween, Slumber This term is a bit more casual

What do we give for these events? Some examples…

Baby shower: toys, clothes, books Wedding: household items, money Birthdays: cards, something small but

nice that suits the person well Anniversaries: depends on the year… Death: flowers for the deceased,

flower and sympathy cards for the family

Region 3:The Southern States

Alabama Arkansas Delaware* Florida Georgia* Kentucky Louisiana Maryland* Mississippi

North Carolina* South Carolina* Tennessee Virginia* West Virginia

*1 of the 13 colonies

Region 3:Famous People from the South

Sports: Hank Aaron, Jesse Owens, Muhammad Ali, Arthur Ashe

Actors: James Earl Jones, Sidney Poitier, Andy Griffith, Don Knotts

Presidents: so many! Washington, Lincoln, Carter, Jefferson, etc.

Writers: Harper Lee, William Faulkner, Margaret Mitchell, O. Henry, Willa Cather

Region 3:And even more famous people!

Polar Explorer R.E. Byrd, Vice Pres. Al Gore, Billy Graham, Oprah Winfrey, Jim Henson, John Wilkes Booth, Benjamin Banneker (mathematician), Jefferson Davis (Pres. of the South), Martin Luther King Jr., industrialist E.I. du Pont, Helen Keller (both blind and deaf)

Region 3:Brief History of the South

First settled for business, 1607 Developed more slowly than the rest

of the colonies. (Rural/undeveloped) Small farms became large plantations

(late 1600’s); began slave-demand Staples: tobacco, rice, and cotton

Civil War—not just about slavery??? Even until recently…white vs. black

Region 3:The People of the South

The people are: laidback, “rednecks,” friendly, hospitable, welcoming, loving, moving at a slower pace

Population: <1 million-16 million Many retirees in Florida; many

immigrants in this area Speech is: very different!!! It reflects

a lot of Black and Caribbean slang Can you understand these words?...

(This is the translation.)

It’s cold tonight. I’m going to find some wood so we

can start a fire. Then you and your family can come

and sit by the fire and get warm.

Did you understand?

Region 3:Southern States are famous for…

Universities, for example: U.S. Naval Academy, Johns Hoskins

University, Duke, Regent University Georgia peaches, KFC, “moonshine”, pecan pie, lemonade, other fruit Horse Racing (Kentucky Derby),

Mardi Gras, Magnolia blossoms Hot summers, beautiful autumns

A Folk Song from the South:“Down in the Valley”

“Down in the Valley, Valley so low,Hang your head over,Hear the wind blow.

Hear the wind blow, Love,Hear the wind blow.

Hang your head over,Hear the wind blow…”