Vypracovala: Mgr. Katarína Šovčíková



  • includes people from different cultures, race, nationalities, language, beliefs, customs. This is how people are divided and they live in one community.


Advantages: people learn a lot about other cultures, languages, traditions, art, music, literature


Disadvantages: it can divide the society, discrimination, prejudice, ...


Cosmopolitan city – is a city where people of different cultures live.


Countries differ in some fests and public holidays.



Easter in Slovakia


The English word „Easter“ comes from the name of a pagen goddess of springtime „Eostre“. Her special animal was hare (rabbit). Easter originally existed as a celebration of spring and fertility. It celebrates nature cominig back to life after cold long winter. Beating girls and throwing water or perfume over them were traditions originally connected with fertility. Easter has its religious importance. It is the time of year when people commemorate the crusifiction and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The period of 40 days before Easter is called Lent. During thies period Christians do not eat meat or drink alcohol. At the end of Lent people in our country do amazing things. Boys beat girls with willow canes and throw cold water over them. The girls, in return, give the boys painted eggs. The boys are also served with cakes and alcohol. A traditional Easter food in Slovakia is ham and potato salad. On Good Friday and Easter Monday people do not go to work or school.

Eggs are symbols of spring and new life.


 

Easter in Britain and America


People celebrate the idea of new birth by giving chocolate eggs which are eaten on Easter Sunday. On Good Friday bakers sell hot cross-buns and they are traditionally eaten for breakfast. Good Friday and Easter Monday are official holidays. On Easter Sunday children hunt for painted eggs all over the house and garden. This tradition comes from legend that Easter rabbits bring eggs: one woman dyed some eggs during famine and hid them in the nest as a gift for her children. The children found the nest and there was a rabbit which escaped. So they thought that rabbit brought the eggs.

 

 

St. Valentine´s Day in Sk, GB, the USA


It is on 14th February. It is the lovers´ day. On this day people send Valentine cards to a person they love, usually anonymously.

 

 

Halloween in GB, the USA


It is on 31st October. Hundreds of years ago people believed that bad spirits, like ghosts came in the winter. People made fires outside and curved out pumpkins to scare bad spirits.

Now children dress up like witches and ghosts and go to the houses around where they live. They knock the door and ask: „Trick or treat?“ maening „if you don´t give me a treat I´ll trick you“.

People decorate their houses with pumpkins and decorations which are usually black and orange.

 

 

Thanksgiving Day in the USA


It is on the fourth Thursday in November. It is celebrated in the whole of the USA in order to commemorate the arrival of a small group on new colonists. They were also called Pilgrim Fathers. They called their new home New England. But the Indians were there first. The first winter was difficult. A lot of Pilgrims died. In the spring Indians help them to grow food and in the autumn they celebrated first harvest. The Pilgrims wanted to give thanks and invited Indians for dinner.

Now Americans have roast turkey and vegetables for dinner.

 

 

Independence Day in the USA


It is on 4th July. This day commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence and establishing the USA. This day usually ends with fireworks.

 

 

Mother´s Day in Sk, GB, the USA


It is on the second Sunday in May.


 

Labour Day


In the USA, it is on 1st Monday in September. In Slovakia , it is on 1st May. In both countries it is a day of rest.

 

 

All Fools´ Day in Sk, GB


It is on 1st April. People play jokes and tricks on people and shout „April Fool“.

 

 

Christmas


Santa Claus with his long white beard and moustaches, white overcoat and crooked staff is accompanied by an winged angel and horned devil.

Devil gives naughty children a spanking with his broom and rattles his chains at them.

Each nation keeps its own customs and traditions. Everyone finds Christmas a holiday of calm and peace. Shops are overfilled with people trying to find the most suitable gifts for their relatives and acquaitances.


Advent – 4 weeks before Christmas Eve

Copper Sunday – 4th Sunday before Christmas Eve

Bronze Sunday – 3rd Sunday before Christmas Eve

Silver Sunday – 2nd Sunday before Christmas Eve

Golden Sunday – 1st Sunday before Christmas Eve


Christmas tree: a pine, a spruce, a fir

Huge quantity of young trees are cut down to be put in our livingroom for a week and then simply thrown away. To protect enviroment it is better to buy a nice artificial Christmas tree made so perfectly that it is almost indistinguishable from a true one. It can be decorated by colourful glass balls, lights, candy canes, sweets, candles, sparklers, silver and golden festoons, baubles tinsel.

Homes are decorated with holly, ivy and mistletoe and filled nwth the aroma of freshly-baked Christmas sweets including vanilla rolls, sweets with nuts, almonds, peanuts, coconuts, raisins, chocolate.....

Plates are pilled with various kinds of delicious fruit:apples, oranges, bananas, tangerines, dates, figs, pineapples ...

Christmas Eve dinner (supper): slices of the apple, waffles with honey and garlic, walnuts; fish/cabbage soup, fried carp/fish filets with potato salad ...

Christmas carols are sung.

Customs related to Christmas Eve: pouring of lead, from which we see the future for the next year, cutting of the apple, sending of walnuts shells on the water....At midnight both believers and unbelievers go to Midnight Church Service/Mass.

New Year´s Eve (31st December) – the end of old and beginning of the new year

New Year´s Day (1st January)

 

 

Christmas in GB and the USA


On Christmas Eve 24th December, homes are decorated with holly, ivy and mistletoe, Christmas tree and lights. Children hang their stockings at the foot of the bed for Santa Claus to fill them. A lot of people spend this day shopping and there are „office parties“.

On Christmas Day 25th December, children unwrap their presents. Christmas dinner consists of filled turkey or duck and Christmas pudding.

26th December is called Boxing Day. In earlier times people gave money to postmen, milkmen, dustmen which they collected in their Christmas boxes.

On the New Year´s Eve people stay up till midnight to welcome New Year.


 

Použitá literatúra:

Chudá, J., Chudý, T.: Topics for English Conversation, Príroda, Bratislava, 2001.