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1、Holidays and festivals in America,Unit Goals,To get a general knowledge of the American festivalsTo learn how Americans observe their festivals,What comes into your mind when Christmas is mentioned?,gift exchanging,Christmas tree,Santa Claus,Christmas carols,Christmas cards,Santa Claus, snowmen, bri
2、ght lights, colorful decorations, bells, and the traditional songsall these help to make December the most festive month of the year.In the northern part of the US, winter weather can be frightful. Yet even winter snowstorms cannot bury that contagious feeling of festivity.Why does almost everybody
3、feel so good?,It is gift-giving time, party time, and vacation time.Students from elementary school through college have about 2 weeks vacation, beginning shortly before Christmas and ending soon after New Years Day.Many families go away for the holidays to visit relatives in another state, ski in t
4、he mountains, or sunbathe on the beaches in the South.,Economics of Christmas,Christmas is typically the largest annual economic stimulus for many nations. Sales increase dramatically in almost all retail areas and shops introduce new products as people purchase gifts, decorations, and supplies.,Chr
5、istmas at the White House,Each year a theme is selected for Christmas at the White House, a tradition started by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961.,The theme for the White House Christmas in 2011 is “Shine, Give, Share”，which offers an opportunity to pay tribute to US troops, veterans, and their
6、 families throughout the White House. ,Bo is Christmas star in White House decor,Pardon me, Mr. President ,Learning about Thanksgiving Day,National Thanksgiving Turkey,On each Thanksgiving Day, a very strange thing happens at the White House. There, the US President will pardon a turkey! In the morn
7、ing, 2 turkeys are taken to the White House.,The President will pat one of them on the head. Then the turkeys are pardoned! People wont eat them & theyll fly to Disney World & live happily!,The turkey pardoning began in 1947. Since then, every US president has pardoned a turkey on Thanksgiving. Wher
8、e do the 2 lucky turkeys come from? Actually, each April, people prepare about 2,500 turkeys, give them the best food & let them live in houses with air-conditioning!,As Thanksgiving gets nearer, 2 of the best turkeys are chosen. The others become Thanksgiving dinners somewhere. One lucky bird is th
9、e winner & the other is the first runner up. The runner up is just in case the winner doesnt behave. Both the 2 birds weigh about 45 pounds & look beautiful.People vote on the White House website to decide the 2 turkeys names. In 2011, President Obama pardoned a turkey named Liberty. And his friend,
10、 as well as his alternate, was called Peace.,Liberty and Peace will not have to worry about a brine bath (brining the bird before it is cooked).,The two turkeys will spend the rest of their days on the grounds of Mount Vernon, the Virginia estate of the first U.S. president, George Washington. (the
11、Disney World refused to receive turkeys since 2009),What images come into your mind when you think of Halloween ?,Masks, children dressed in costumes, jack-o-lanterns, haunted houses, witches, wizards & other horror items or spooky stuff.,Pre reading,Halloween Masks,Halloween, which falls on October
12、 31, is one of the most unusual & funny holidays in the US. Celebrated in America since the late 1800s.Its also one of the scariest! Its associated with ghosts, skeletons, witches, and other scary images.,The reason that Halloween is filled with scary images goes back more than 2,000 years. In ancie
13、nt Britain & Ireland, October 31 was the last day of the year. It was the end of the growing season & the beginning of winter, a time of darkness & death. People believed that on this day ghosts returned to the earth, so it became a festival for the god of the dead. In order to scare the ghosts away
14、, people built huge fires wore costumes made of animal skins.,Many of the original Halloween traditions have developed today into funny activities for children. The most popular one is “trick or treat”. On Halloween night, children dress up in costumes & go to visit their neighbors. When someone ans
15、wers the door, the children cry out, “Trick or treat!” What this means is, “Give us a treat, or well play a trick on you!” The people at each house then give candy or fruit or sometimes a few coins.,Reading,Another popular Halloween activity is to visit a “haunted house.” Usually you have to buy a t
16、icket to get in. As you go from room to room, you meet one scary thing after another.,Reading,Monsters & witches might jump out at you in the dark. You might hear screams & cries from behind, as if someone is being killed. Or you might suddenly feel a spider web in your face. Its best not to go alon
17、e!,Many people also like to make jack-o-lanterns on Halloween. A jack-o-lantern is a pumpkin that is hollowed out has a face carved on it. Its put in a window or outside a house & a candle is placed inside so that the face lights up.,The Jack-o-lantern custom probably comes from Irish folklore. As t
18、he tale is told, a man named Jack, who was notorious as a drunkard and trickster, tricked Satan into climbing a tree. Jack then carved an image of a cross in the trees trunk, trapping the devil up the tree. Jack made a deal with the devil that, if he would never tempt him to Hell, he would promise t
19、o let him down the tree. According to the folk tale, after Jack died, he was denied entrance to Heaven because of his evil ways, but he was also denied access to Hell because he had tricked the devil.,Instead, the devil gave him a single ember(余火未尽的煤块 ) to light his way through the frigid darkness.
20、The ember was placed inside a hollowed-out turnip to keep it glowing longer. All he could do was walking the earth as a ghost, carrying a lantern & looking for a place to rest. The Irish used turnips as their Jacks lanterns originally. But when the immigrants came to America, they found that pumpkin
21、s were far more plentiful than turnips. So the Jack-O-Lantern in America was a hollowed-out pumpkin, lit with an ember.,Most people today, of course, dont believe that ghosts walk the earth on Halloween. But this doesnt stop them from celebrating a funny & scary holiday. Halloween has always been a
22、night of mischief. Pranks (恶作剧) are common.,Reading,Easter,A Christian holy day in March or April when Christians remember the death of Christ & his return to life.,Easter is a major Christian holiday that commemorates the resurrection (复活) of Jesus Christ.Its celebrated on a Sunday between March 22
23、 & April 25. Besides the religious aspects of Easter, people also celebrate spring or the signs of new life. Flowers are seen everywhere.Children receive Easter baskets filled with candy, Easter eggs, chocolate bunnies & jelly beans!The dyeing of eggs with food color is also an Easter tradition in m
24、any American families.,Easter Bunny,Easter Egg Hunt,Two traditional Easter egg games are the Easter Egg Hunt and the Easter Egg Roll.On Easter morning the children of the house join in a search to locate the eggs that the Easter Bunny had hidden while they were asleep. The searching might continue t
25、hroughout the house with the older children helping the youngest. Sometimes prizes of candy are awaiting the child finding the most eggs.,Egg RollingIn England, Germany and some other countries, children rolled eggs down hills on Easter morning, a game which has been connected to the rolling away of
26、 the rock from Jesus Christs tomb when he was resurrected. British settlers brought this custom to the New World.,Four patriotic holidays,Memorial Day inspired by the Civil WarVeterans Day inspired by World War Independence Day related to the American RevolutionFlag Day related to the birth of the U
27、SWhat are the reasons why countries have patriotic holiday?These holidays are occasions for telling the nations “story” to the next generation and to new immigrants. National memories give a multi-ethnic nation a common culture.,Vacationing in the US,When do most American families go away on vacatio
28、n?Most American workers receive an annual vacation of at least two weeks with pay, and its traditional to use this time off for travel.Since vacations are usually family affairs, the most popular vacation periods are during the summer and during the 2-week school break surrounding the Christmas and
29、New Years holidays.These periods are also the most crowded and generally the most expensive times to travel, so people who can, usually vacation at other times.,Visiting theme Parks,One important American contribution to vacation fun is the theme park.What is a theme park?Theme parks are modern amus
30、ement parks, which were so popular from the 1890s to the 1960s.Like amusement parks, theme parks have carnival games, rides, shows, displays, shops that sell souvenirs and restaurants and food stands.Tend to be much larger and more high-tech than the older amusement parks.Be developed around a theme
31、.,Quite educational as well as entertainingGreat appeal to people of all ages and are often a familys primary vacation destination.Many theme parks are combinations of amusement parks and zoos.Disney is not the only American company in the theme park business. Six flags has 14 theme parks and 3 wate
32、r parks across the US.,Planning a vacation,When planning a vacation, what do people want most?A change of scene.Folks who live in small towns or rural areas are eager to see big cities. On the other hand, for urban population, the change of scene desired may be greater contact with nature, the great
33、 outdoors.There are many ways to enjoy nature besides visiting the vast (and usually crowded) national parks.,Some camp out (sleep outdoors) in tents.,Some rent a houseboat and cruise down the Mississippi.,Dude ranches in the West attract those who love horses or want to learn how to ride.,Resorts c
34、ater to vacations who want comfort and good meals, along with access to tennis, golf, swimming facilities and wide open spaces.,How can one plan the perfect vacation?,Guidebooks and travel magazines offer ideas. State tourist bureaus will gladly send information. Travel agencies are eager to assist with advice and reservations. But the best travel tips of all probably come from word of mouth, from people who have been there. So, if youre planning an American vacation, ask Americans about their favorite spot. Youll get an earful, along with a huge stack of photos to look at.,
