This book is created by the members of eTwinning project "An Adventurous Journey to English".

Adventurous Journey to Festivals

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CONTEXT Chapter1................................................................................... 3 - 7 New Year Chapter2................................................................................... 8 - 12 Easter Chapter3................................................................................... 13 - 17 Children's Day Chapter4................................................................................... 18 - 20 Ramadan Feast Chapter5................................................................................... 21 - 24 Halloween

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Sara: Hello Adventurous boy. Welcome here in Slovakia, our beautiful country. Adventurous boy: Hi everyone. I’m glad to be here. This country is really beautiful. Well, can you tell me about your famous festival? Bianca: Of course, we can introduce one of the famous festivals. It is Easter. Adventurous boy: When do you celebrate it? Martin: We celebrate it in April. This year the Easter will last 5 days, from 14 April to 18 April. We have also break from school. Adventurous boy: What do you celebrate?

Nataly: As we’re the Ukrainian minority in Poland we can tell you about some more Ukrainian traditions. Have you ever heard&nbsp;that we celebrate the the New Year twice? Adventurous boy:&nbsp;Really? Cool! So, why do Ukrainians celebrate 2 New Years? Nataly: The first one follows the Gregorian calendar - January 1st when Ukrainians join in with the rest of the world in the craziness of fireworks and midnight parties. The second one follows the Julian calendar- January 14th. This customs are&nbsp;best preserved by the inhabitants of villages. Adventurous boy:&nbsp;Sounds very interesting. Do you go to school that day?

Nataly:&nbsp;Actually it’s not a free a day . Despite the fact that this holiday is not an official one, locals never miss a chance to celebrate it one more time. Adventurous boy:&nbsp;Do you meet your friends that day? Nataly:&nbsp;Yes, we do but also&nbsp;crowds of young people are walking to the neighbouring houses to sing Christmas carols - and the owners of the house treates them with sweets or gives money.

Adventurous boy: Nataly! I have a question, why is your grandpa opening every window? It’s 00.00 o’clock and it’s really cold outside. Nataly: Well listen. It’s our tradition. Adventurous boy: -Seriously? Why? I’m really curious about it? Nataly: When it’s 00.00 o’clock the oldest family member has to open every window to invite&nbsp;the New Year to our house. Adventurous boy: Oh.. so that’s why he does it. But still it’s cold and snowy. Nataly: ok,&nbsp;I will make you some hot chocolate. And don’t get angry because the traditions says as you spend this special day you’ll spend the rest of the year in such a way. Adventurous boy: So, I’ll do as you say, thanks for that hot chocolate, I feel much better now.

CHAPTER 5 HALLOWEEN Canan Avan Zengin&nbsp;(Painter) Edyta Elak-Marciniak (Writer) Ogün CİNKAVUK (Voiceover)

Adventurous Boy: Why is it so special for kids? Emir: Because parents buy new clothes and gifts for their children. On Ramadan day, kids walk around the neighborhood and knock at the door. They collect candies and pocket money. So they look forward to this day whole year. Adventurous Boy: I see. It is amazing.

Melis: Ohh today is Ramadan Feast. Adventurous Boy: Can you tell me about Ramadan Feast? Melis: First let me tell you Pre-Ramadan Feast. People eat only two meals a day and never eat or drink except these two meals. This is called " fast". Fasting teaches us patience and empathy. Adventurous Boy: Wow, what to do during Ramadan Feast? Zeynep: We make preparations before Ramadan Feast. The houses are cleaned. Then desserts and local dishes are made for the guests. In the morning of Ramadan men get up early and go to mosque to pray. Everyone wears new clothes. Relatives come together and have a talk. Everybody visit their grandparents and neighbors. Especially it is an important day for kids.

Can you tell me about Ramadan Feast?

Fasten your seatbelts, the journey to English begins!

Chapter 3 Children's Day Ayşe Nur Delibay (Painter) Fatma Üzümcü&nbsp;(Writer) Carla Alves (Voiceover)

" THANKS to all the students and the teachers of An Adventurous Journey to English project for their incredible efforts. "

CHAPTER 1 NEW YEAR Ljiljana Kosović (Painter) Lubow Pryjma (Writer) Elisabetta Pasculli (Voiceover)

CHAPTER 4 RAMADAN FEAST Nohaila mohammad&nbsp;(Painter) Duygu Öztürk (Writer) Kadem Şavran&nbsp;(Voiceover) Buket Kümbül( Writer)

Melis: Hı Adventurous Boy. Welcome to Turkey. We are really happy to see you here. You came here in sprıng and in April. April is a very important mounth for Turkısh chıldren. Adventurous Boy: Hi Melis. Glad to meet you. I am also very happy to see you and your country. Infact I heard lots of thıngs about your country. Especially about your leader Atatürk and his endless love of children. I want to learn about Chıldren's Day. Can I ask some questions about it? Melis:Of course. You can ask everytıng you want. Adventurous Boy: What is the meanıng of thıs date? Melis: 23 April 1920 is one of the most important dates in our history. Ataturk and his frıends founded Grand National Assembly in that day. Thıs ıs a bıg step for the democracy in our country. And than Ataturk declared this important day as children's day because chıldren are future. Adventurous Boy: Is it only for Turkısh chıldren? Melis: No it isn't. It is a feast for all children. Adventurous Boy: I am glade to hear that. Do you have special clothes to wear while celebrating it? Melis: Yes we have. We generally wear traditional clothes which represents each region of our country. Children from other countries also wear their own traditional clothes. Adventurous Boy: Do you have special decorations? Melis: Yes we decorate our shools and streets with flags and handmade crafts.

CHAPTER 2 EASTER Hatice ALTINTAŞ (Painter) Jana Juhaščiková (Writer) Zuzana Mičejová (Voiceover)

Sara: Yes, of course. Before Easter girls usually decorates the eggs. For Slovak folk life pouring water over girls and spanking girls by whips is always held on Easter Monday and it is believed to bring health and beauty to the females. In many regions and bigger cities, water buckets have been replaced with perfumes or a cup of water.&nbsp;The funny part is that boys are rewarded by painted eggs, sweets, money. Adventurous boy: Thank you my friends for introducing your festival. Easter is really nice time here in Slovakia. Bye. Hope see you soon. Laura: Bye. Have a nice and safe trip. Bye.

Adventurous boy:&nbsp;For me it sounds simillar to Halloween. Nataly: Yes but people don’t do any tricks&nbsp;and it’s not a scary holiday but it has energy of warmth and kindness, pleasant atmospere and positive emotions. Adventurous boy:&nbsp;You’ve mentioned the 13 and the 14 January, why? Nataly: According to the tradition early in the morning on 14 January it is lucky for us if the first person to enter our house is a man or a boy. Once he enteres the room, he throws grain or wheat onto the floor wishing good luck and happiness for the upcoming New Year. Adventurous boy: Many thanks for those interesting explanations about celebrating the New Year. It’s time for me to visit another country. See you, bye! Nataly: It was our pleasure to have you as a guest in our house! Have a nice and safe trip! Bye!

Nataly:&nbsp;We’re are so glad that you’ve decided to visit our country – Poland. Adventurous boy: I’m glad too. I’ve heard that your country is rich in traditions. Nataly: So feel free to ask anything you want to know.&nbsp;We are glad to answer all your questions. Adventurous boy: What about the New Year traditions? Nataly: As all people all over the world we have parties, concerts and&nbsp;fireworks at midnight. The sky looks&nbsp;like the&nbsp;exploding stars! The cities are nicely decorated and lit. Adventurous boy:&nbsp;Yes, they are amazing! Especially colourful ones! It’s&nbsp;amazing watching them to&nbsp;explode so beautifully in the sky. Nataly: Watch! They are just setting them in the sky right now. Adventurous boy:&nbsp;Let’s take selfie together, it will be a great memory! Nataly: Sure!

Adventurous Boy: Why do you wear this clothes? Melis: We play folk dances with this clothes. We have seven regions in Turkey and each region has its own dances and clothes. We wear regional clothes and represent our region while celebrating the day. Adventurous Boy: What about quests from other countries? Where do they stay during the feast? Melis: Turkısh people really love being host to them. Before they come to Turkey Turkish famılıes invite them to their home. Each children stay at a family house. They became a new member of the family. This family shows Turkısh traditions and cuısine to them. Adventurous Boy: I think Children's day is not only a feast but also a cultural exchange for the participants. Thanks Melis for all informations. I am looking forward to 23 April Children's day. Melis: You are welcome. As I said before you are the new member of my family this year.

Bianca: Easter is a Christian holiday that celebrates the belief in crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But Easter is also celebration of birth; therefore we have eggs, chicken and bunnies as a symbol of spring. Adventurous boy: Wow, it is really interesting. How do you prepare for Easter? Órfhlaith: Easter preparations begin several days before Easter. To be ready for the feast, people bake pastries, cookies and do extensive grocery shopping.&nbsp;We buy sausages and ham and of course chocolate eggs. Before Easter we prepare special food and cakes. As we mention Easter is Christian holiday, therefore we usually go to church to sing songs and pray.

Adventurous Boy: Why are you wearing this strange costume Harry? Harry: Cause it's 31st October and we're celebrating Halloween in the USA today! Adventurous Boy: Do all people dress up as ghosts on that day? Harry: Not only ghosts! You can meet witches, monsters, zombies, vampires, skeletons, devils and many others!

Adventurous Boy: Is that why your houses are decorated with carved pumpkins with a candle inside? Harry: That's right. They are Jack-o'-lanterns. They are the main symbol of Halloween but skulls, bats, black cats and cobwebs are also very popular. Most decorations are black and orange.

Adventurous boy: What kind of food do you eat? Martin: On Easter Friday we usually have a fast, but on Eater Sunday and Monday we eat pastries with sausages, cooked ham, potato salad with mayonnaise and egg cheese, which is typical for Easter. Beetroot salad doesn’t miss on our tables, too. We eat also sweet cakes. Adventurous boy: Yummy, it sounds tasty. Do you have special habits in Slovakia?

Adventurous Boy: Hello Zeynep, ı see a drum here. Does the drum have any significance for Ramadan? Zeynep: It's an integal part of Ramadan Informs us of the beginning and end of fasting, our ritual for Ramadan Adventurous Boy: So is this activity fun? Zeynep: It has aw very important place in our culture, moreover it allows us to be together. And at the end, were congrulate Ramadan with gratitude and celebrate the end with a feast. Adventurous Boy: It looks really fun, thanks for letting me know.

Adventurous Boy: How do you celebrate this festival? Harry: There's a traditional Halloween custom called trick-or-treating. In the evening before All Saint's Day, children travel from house to house asking: "trick or treat". Treat is usually some form of a candy. If no treat is given, you usually play a trick. Adventurous Boy: Do you have any parties? Harry: Of course! We play different games such as bobbing for apples or wrap the mummy, we watch scary movies and have creepy snacks and spooky coctails. Adventurous Boy: Wow! Sounds really interesting!

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