Inglês para Iniciantes - American Holidays. Part I

Existem três feriados nacionais que não são exclusivos dos Estados Unidos, são eles: a Páscoa, o Natal e Ano Novo.

Datas comemorativas são campos férteis para aulas criativas onde podemos aperfeiçoar a Língua Inglesa. As ideias são variadas, desde comidas típicas, apresentações e exposições.

Easter ( Páscoa )

When: On a Spring Sunday, this year April 21.

Traditions: Coloring hard-boleid eggs, giving children baskets of candy.

Simbol: A rabbit and eggs

Food: Bread, Egg, Chocolates

Legend: A goddess of fertility, Eostre (who may have been one of the inspirations for the name Easter), is said to have been accompanied by a hare, although many sources debate this connection.

Christimas Day ( Natal )

When: December 25

Traditions: Christmas Day is celebrated as a major festival and public holiday in countries around the world, including many whose populations are mostly non-Christian.

Simbol: Jesus (Birth - for the Christians) and Santa Claus or Saint Nicholas.

Food: Christimas Pudding, Mince Pies, Fruit Cake...

New Year ( Ano Novo)

When: December 31 to January 1

Traditions: Fireworks and Clocks striking at midnight.

Simbol: A common symbol of New Year's Day is Baby New Year. This is often a white male baby dressed in a diaper, a hat and a sash. The year he represents is printed on his sash. According to mythology, Baby New Year grows up and ages in a single year. At the end of the year he is an old man and hands his role over to the next Baby New Year.

Lucky Foods: Grape, Fish, Black-Eyed Peas, Pork, Pomegranates and Cake.

Only American Holidays:

Thanksgiving Day ( Dia de Ação de Graças )

When: Fourth Thursday in November

Traditions: Dinner with friends e family.

Simbol: Food

Food: Roast Turkey, Potatos, Pumpkin Pie

History: After a rough winter, in which about half of them died, they turned for help to neighboring Indians, who taught them how to plant corn and other crops. The next fall's bountiful harvest inspired the Pilgrims to give thanks by holding a feast. The Thanksgiving feast became a national tradition -- not only because so many other Americans have found prosperity but also because the Pilgrims' sacrifices for their freedom still captivate the imagination. To this day, Thanksgiving dinner almost always includes some of the foods served at the first feast: roast turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, pumpkin pie. Before the meal begins, families or friends usually pause to give thanks for their blessings, including the joy of being united for the occasion.

Independence Day

When: July 4

Traditions: Parades, Barbecue, Baseball games.

Simbol: USA flags and fireworks.

Food: Hambúrguer, Hot Dogs, Cherry Pie...

History: The United States Declaration of Independence is the statement adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at the Pennsylvania State House, in July 4.

The Declaration announced that the Thirteen Colonies at war with the Kingdom of Great Britain would regard themselves as thirteen independent sovereign states, no longer under British rule. With the Declaration, these new states took a collective first step toward forming the United States of America. The declaration was signed by representatives from New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.