Fifth and final topic this year.

Can one of you suggest and start a topic here (and someone else open another thread with an alternative topic)?

Thanks

Hello! What do you say about Christmas or New Year traditions around the world?

ok

So this is the first time in my life that I am not spending the time "waiting for christmas" in my home country.. And I have to say - I am really missing the German christmas markets! I know, there are also a lot of markets here.. But compared to home, it's just not exactly the same. For example, I cannot believe that there is only one booth on the christmas market at Poitiers selling mulled wine?! At home, christmas markets only exist to sell mulled wine
But I went to London last weekend and at Hyde Park, there has actually been a Bavarian Christmas Market in Winter Wonderland.. And honestly: I was quite shocked about the image Germans have in the world so perhaps, discovering new traditions is not that bad an idea

With the acceleration of cultural exchange, a lot of western festivals were brought to China, Christmas is one of the most popular. In addition to the classical Christmas decoration, we had a unique custom in China in the Christmas Eve. We give each other apples as a present because the pronunciation of Christmas Eve and apples in Chinese have the same meaning which is safe, sound and well. Sometimes the Christmas is also regarded as a commercialized carnival glutted with movies, discounts and clearance sales.
The Chinese new year is the Lunar New Year or we can say the first day of Spring Festival. On that day, the most traditional custom and also the happiest thing for kids, sometimes also for adults(utill they find jobs or marries someone) is to receive red paper bags containing money as gifts. Generally, those red bags contain the best wishes of the elder member of a family (parents, grand parents and close relatives) to the young generations.

Christmas is not the traditional festival in my country,and I am delighted to introduce Chinese new year to you.

Chinese new year,we usually call the Spring Festival,which is the most important festival for the Chinese people and all family members get together in this time, just like Christmas in the West. All people living away from home go back, becoming the busiest time for transportation systems of about half a month from the Spring Festival. Airports, railway stations and long-distance bus stations are crowded with home returnees.


The Spring Festival falls on the 1st day of the 1st lunar month, and Chinese New Year's Eve is known as Chu Xi. Chu means "change" and xi means "eve". This Eve is called Preliminary Eve. At this time, people offer sacrifice to the kitchen god. Now however, most families make delicious food to enjoy themselves.Besides,all the door panels will be pasted with Spring Festival couplets, highlighting Chinese calligraphy with black characters on red paper. The content varies from house owners' wishes for a bright future to good luck for the New Year.After diner,people will clean themselves and wear new clothes for the New Year coming.

At 12,many families burn fireworks in the same time,and people can exchange greetings, gifts and chat leisurely,the kids can get money from their relatives as long as they bless.

Of course,we have more activities on that day,and different regions in China have different traditions.Some traditions would be very interesting.

It's a boring subject :l

Kevin G wrote:It's a boring subject :l

okay, you could suggest another.

I think that I am going to continue on this subject because it inspires me a lot haha (it's especially to praise me ). As you know (or not), I was born in France but my parents are Chinese (of course I have the French nationality).
Since my childhood, I live in a mixture of cultures. At the school, I live normally like you but when I go back to home, I have to speak chinese with my mother because she can't understand french (now she improves ) otherwise we cannot communicate. I grew up in its circumstances between French and Chinese cultures.
It's true that in China they don't celebrate Christmas (except for someone). In my case, we don't celebrate it as the others. My brothers and me obliged my parents to buy presents when Christmas was coming when I was 14 (if I remember it well) because at this time, we didn't have pocket money as French children and we can only watch and envy other children....
And then for the New Year (1st January), my parents give us the famous "Hongbao", the red paper bags containing money. Logically, Chinese give these bags at their New Year (in February) BUT I receive it before , at the end I receive 2 gifts in a week of interval. But the best it's to celebrate the year in family because we can receive a lot of Hongbao from the "old generations" (parents, grandparents). It's the children who take advantage on it. After, we understand the lesson of "come in and go out", my parents also have to give money to the other children of our generation (chinese traditions).
Anyway, I look forward to being at the end of the month

Ho ho ho! Christmas is coming! And talking about it brings me closer to my family and all the other people. Why? Because in Romania, December is the month while everyone tries to be better, to be more understanding, closer to the needs of others than before. And we cannot avoid it even if we want, because when you receive love it's kind of difficult to not answer in the same way (the reciprocity law).
December is the best month also for turism and markets in Romania. There are a lot of strangers coming here just to enjoy Christmas time with Romanian food and traditional songs.
We start receiving presents on December 6, the day of Saint Nicolae. Before the night of December 6 everyone, especially children, are cleaning their shoes and letting them at the entrance. In the night, Saint Nicolae lets the presents, for every person living in that home, in their shoes. The "bad" persons receive only a wooden stick.
Around December 25 children and not only are going from one home to another and singing Christmas carols and they receive in exchange cakes or money or fruits or they are invited to eat, with the owner of the home, something traditional.
The Christmas carols are about the Birth of Jesus Christ. December 25 is also the day while we are celebrating the Birth of Jesus Christ.
What I love the most at Christmas is decorating the Christmas tree with my family and the atmosphere around me.
Everyone feels a need to go and try to make the people which are sad to become happy.
Ho ho ho! Christmas is coming!

Alexandra-Cristina IONITA wrote:Ho ho ho! Christmas is coming!    And talking about it brings me closer to my family and all the other people. Why? Because in Romania, December is the month while everyone tries to be better, to be more understanding, closer to the needs of others than before. And we cannot avoid it even if we want, because when you receive love it's kind of difficult to not answer in the same way (the reciprocity law).
December is the best month also for turism and markets in Romania. There are a lot of strangers coming here just to enjoy Christmas time with Romanian food and traditional songs.
We start receiving presents on December 6, the day of Saint Nicolae. Before the night of December 6 everyone, especially children, are cleaning their shoes and letting them at the entrance. In the night, Saint Nicolae lets the presents, for every person living in that home, in their shoes. The "bad" persons receive only a wooden stick.
Around December 25 children and not only are going from one home to another and singing Christmas carols and they receive in exchange cakes or money or fruits or they are invited to eat, with the owner of the home, something traditional.
The Christmas carols are about the Birth of Jesus Christ. December 25 is also the day while we are celebrating the Birth of Jesus Christ.
What I love the most at Christmas is decorating the Christmas tree with my family and the atmosphere around me.
Everyone feels a need to go and try to make the people which are sad to become happy.
Ho ho ho! Christmas is coming!    

So you have a lot of wooden sticks then AC.

I suggest another subjects : the football and especially the Premier League

Personnaly i love football and i follow the results of the europ's football club and this year in england, there is a big surprise : Leicester, to the delight of mister Cox.
The last year at this moment, Leicester was last of the premier league, know they are the second.
It's a great performance for this team, Jamie Vardy have broke a Van Nistelroy's record, yes, he set a goal in 11 Premier League away games, it's magistral.

An other good team this year is Manchester United, which begins to return to its highest level with a great player like Martial, Schneiderlin, Mata and Depay ! I hope they will finish second of premier league behind Leicester.

If Leicester is the big good surprise of the year, Chelsea is the big surprise unexpected ! They are 14th in Premier league, the defending champion is 14th, the team of Hazard, Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas, Thibault Courtois and John Terry is 14th, it's incredible, Jose Mourino is criticized from all sides, maybe they will come back before the end of the season.

The history of Christmas in China is still very short relative to other Chinese traditional festival, but as China absorbs many foreign customs for recent years, Christmas has developed China’s own characteristics. Younger generation growing up with these Christmas which has Chinese characteristics, but until I arrived in France, I realized that we misunderstand the Chrismas for many years.

1- They don’t eat apples in Christmas Eve.
In Chinese, we translate Christmas Eve into “a peace night”, apple took its harmonics, pray for peace. So, in Christmas Eve, people should give each other an apple to give best wishes.

2- Santa Claus never plays the sax.
It maybe the unique image in China that every Santa Claus play the sax. Maybe the imaginative Chinese people think that Santa Claus would be boring to stay with sleigh and elk, so we cultivate such a special skill for him.

3- Christmas day isn’t Valentine Day
In western countries, Christmas day is a moment for a family reunion, but Christmas in china is as the Valentine ‘s Day. The gift shop filled with flowers, chocolates and teddy bear, many restaurants have launched “romantic meal” for couples, and lots of people even choose this day to propose marriage.

4- In Christmas day, there is nobody in the street.
If this is your first Christmas in Western country, you will find there is nobody in the street and even no shop opened in this day. But in China, people go shopping, dinner together, watching movies…every corner filled with the festival atmosphere, and a lot of stores open until midnight during Christmas.

I just want to say something different of this festival between china and western countries, it seems that we love this festival very much and regard it as a very important day now among younger’s generation.

Sadly, I didn't receive wooden sticks yet, but maybe this year one of my friends will put it into my letter box.

Pierre Laurend wrote:I suggest another subjects : the football and especially the Premier League

Personnaly i love football and i follow the results of the europ's football club and this year in england, there is a big surprise : Leicester, to the delight of mister Cox.
The last year at this moment, Leicester was last of the premier league, know they are the second.
It's a great performance for this team, Jamie Vardy have broke a Van Nistelroy's record, yes, he set a goal in 11 Premier League away games, it's magistral.

An other good team this year is Manchester United, which begins to return to its highest level with a great player like Martial, Schneiderlin, Mata and Depay ! I hope they will finish second of premier league behind Leicester.

If Leicester is the big good surprise of the year, Chelsea is the big surprise unexpected ! They are 14th in Premier league, the defending champion is 14th, the team of Hazard, Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas, Thibault Courtois and John Terry is 14th, it's incredible, Jose Mourino is criticized from all sides, maybe they will come back before the end of the season.

I’m also impressed by Leicester this year and especially the duo mahrez/vardy who’s carrying the club alone to the top but I’m not sure Leicester can keep up, especially if one of these two players gets injured. Then about Manchester United, considering how much they spent in transferts this summer I think this is the very least we can expect from them but at the same time I’m every impressed by players like Depay who brings more pace and Martial who can be a clinical finisher and who reminds me of Thierry Henry. In my opinion, both teams play a more offensive and spectacular football than Chelsea for exemple so they deserve to win the championship but it’s impossible to say right now who’s gonna win or who deserves it.

Then finally about Chelsea, I think their collapse is both due to the players and Jose Mourinho. First the players because there are strong individualities like Diego Costa who is a brilliant striker but can barely keep his nerves during 90 minutes or Eden Hazard who’s one of the best winger in the world despite being only 24 years old so he gets a lot of pressure from the medias and if somehow they play bad then the whole team is affected. Then, about Jose Mourinho I think he’s struggling because of these individualities even if with his experience he had to face that in the past, so that’s why I think a new manager is needed for this club, someone who can bring back a team spirit and a more offensive gameplan that will suit the players and get Chelsea back on track.

Christmas time is the hapiest part of the whole year. It has many reasons. At first, there is no school, so we can fully enjoy a presence of our beloved ones. I have a big family and we use to spend the christmas time all together playing games and building snowmen. It is especially enjoyed by the youngest family membres .
We like to keep Christmas traditional, as our grand - parents did. In Slovakia, we celebrate the Christmas day on the 24th of december.The day begins early, because we have to prepare a food. Our typical christmas food takes a lot of time to be prepared. We can't eat till the dinner because of a religion. After diner, we unpack gifts and the cutest thing about it is a smile on children's faces.
I thnik, that this time of year brings people together and it is not only about giving and receiving gifts. It is about keeping true valuest of life.

According to previous topic about the traditions, I can say without any doubt that my favorite tradition is baking of Christmas sweets. It's usual for my family to bake several kinds of different sweets. Every single kind of sweets has his own shape, flavour and special ingredients. We use for example vanilla, cocos and many kind of nuts. This year I can't really enjoy this Christmas baking, because I am in Poitiers. It's always me, who bakes sweets for our family. I can't and my Mom has to deal with all of the preparation by herself. It has also another side (actually much better side!), because I don't have to do all of the house cleaning that my brother does. I guess the Christmas traditions and habits are slightly different in every country, but they have a lot of similar signs. Every family decorates Christmas tree. We have real tree. It's the magic time for me. I like all of the decorations in the city and playing with the snow ( if there is any). Christmas time has a strong influence on me since my childhood and it still makes me feel as a child during this time.

Hi guys, i'm going to talk about magic and i want to share you this guys https://www.youtube.com/user/yifartofmagic/videos

He's better than dynamo (sorry for britain ^^ ) , even if the videos are filmed in HD there is no camera cuts or computer generated imagery involved , most of his performance are visual magic , not the old card tricks or gimmicks or misdirection that's why i share it. As the semester is ending i wanted to share something different in order to offer a little escape for your eyes and minds.

So check it out and enjoy

"About : "I suggest another subjects : the football and especially the Premier League "

The Premier League is for me the championship most famous and the most attractive! Indeed, with teams which sign enormous rights tv, they have a lot of money ! The championship is thus more and more homogeneous and thus groups big players such as rooney! At the beginning of the season, nobody can know who will be a champion: it is the main asset of this championship. Today, some teams have of great talent: lericester of Ranieri, Liverpool of Klopp! And yes, I am a fan of Liverpool and a magic public who makes of this club a legend! "Never Walk Alone" : The song of football. But, in Champions League, for several years, the club of PL have been absent.

Christmas for me were always the most beautiful part of the year.
When I was a child, I think that the reason was clear: gifts. But now that I'm older, Christmas markets mean the beginning of Christmas for me. Thanks to this, family and friends spend more time together. And this smell of goof food around the square is great.
I have the greatest pleasure from the time spent with my family. I really like baking with my mother and grandmother. They are so clever, so I love to talk to them during baking. Grandma always tells us some stories of youth. Then I enjoy the smell of Christmas around the house.
Another reason for me to love Christmas is that this is the best time for giving presents. It is beautiful to make happy someone who you love.
This year will be even more exceptional, as I am going home after four months. I can not wait..

So as Christmas time is coming, I decided to describe you the typical Slovak Christmas in the typical Slovak family.
The day begins at 8 or 9 o´clock in the morning, so the meal we cook can be prepared before noon. In fact, it does not have a sense, because our first meal is a dinner at 6´o clock.
For the dinner we always have the same, a soup from cabbage with sausage called kapustnica and a potato salad with a carp.
Between the meal, we use to practise traditions as : slicing of an apple (to know if members of the family will be healthy next year) and eating of a waffer with a honey for the same purpose. We usually hide a bill under the tablecloth to be rich next year ( it does not work).
We give and receive gifts in the evening of 24th, after the dinner and than we watch films, every year the same ones.
During the time I am here in Poitiers, I have watched these movies at least three times, because I was nostalgic. But I am sure, when I will come back I will start to hate them again.
Merry Christmas

subject: criticism of the semester

This semester ends for me with a new motivation for English classes.

John , I feel for you has to have a teacher who understands the expectations of each student.

For the second half I will suggest that we gladly do more interactivity , dialogue ( working group) and also presentations of all this we permetra imble my opinion to improve our language .

For oral comprehention I'd like to give John a week before the video to students of lower levels that work at home, for it to follow permetre better now underway.

good christmas party at all

Christmas for me isn't so important, in my country we celebrate rather New Year night and at the midnight "Grandfather Frost" or simply "Santa Claus" brings us presents and puts them guess where? No, not in the socks near the fireplace, but under the cristmas tree which generally is well decorated. I have no idea how this person come into the house, I've never asked my parents when I was a child. Probably it's magic The way we celebrate could be called as "Stomack's holiday" and it's not lite food but very tasty and hard. We eat before midnight. Especially popular are dishes like baked duck with apples, some kind of frosen soup (it's even tasty) and lots of different salads. Close to midnight everyone starts watching TV where Mr. President with his country all the best and during last 12 seconds you can hear sound of "chiming clock". Me personaly add a tradition of writting some wishes on the paper, then burn it and drink cinder with сhampagne. Everything should be done in 12 seconds time period After we go out to see fireworks because sky is magically burned by different colors fires and finally we get back into the house, where present were already putted under the cristmas tree, to unpack gifts.

Hello, everybody !

Exams are starting but it is not bad a idea to remind a little of the essence of winter holiday. It is like a relaxing break.
For me Christmas is a reunion of a lot of symbol such as peace, gifts, orange odor, love, snow, lights. It creates a great atmosphere between people, between nations from everywhere.
But I wonder, why people do not enjoy making gifts to their loved ones everyday or spending time with their family, but they wait a “special” time as Christmas, New Year or Easter for doing this…

What about my country during winter holidays?
As commonly Moldova is a special country called also “Wonderland “, there, people celebrate Christmas 2 times per year. As all Europeans on 25th December – and on 7th January : Russian style also old style . This perfectly reflects our confused political leadership.
But... I think it is not so bad. Holidays are always welcome!
One of the most important traditions is Winter Carols which are song ritual texts, dedicated to Christmas and New Year. Traditional gifts for carolers is bread (symbol of ambundance) or “colac” some special twisted prepared specially for guys, nuts and candys.

This year my meeting with the Moldavian Santa is canceled …. But this is an opportunity to meet the Santa form Poitiers, which I hope is more generous.