CAMBRIDGE
ENGLISH VOCABULARY IN USE ADVANCED
UNIT 37
Festivals in their cultural context
A
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Describing
festivals
Read this short text about a Kenyan
cultural festival.
* There is no verb for spectacle and
no adjective for parade.
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B
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Other
words and phrases connected with festivals
A
lot of people are very superstitious, especially about numbers and
colours. [have illogical beliefs about hidden forces in nature]
The
festival celebrated the centenary/bi-centenary of the country’s
independence. [100th anniversary / 200th anniversary]
The
Rio de Janeiro Carnival is always a very flamboyant and raucous event.
[extremely colourful and exaggerated] [very noisy]
The
Festival of the Dead is very sombre and atmospheric. [serious, heavy
and sad] [has a special feeling or atmosphere] It can be traced back to
pagan times. [its origin may be found in] [the times when people
believed that nature had special powers]
The
annual holiday commemorates all those who died in the country’s civil
war. [respects and remembers officially; formal]
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EXERCISES
37.1
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Use
words and phrases from A opposite to rewrite the underlined words. Use the
word class indicated and make any other necessary changes.
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37.2
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Here
is an extract of someone talking about a festival using rather informal
language. Write it as a more formal description, using words and expressions
from the box instead of the underlined words. Make any other necessary
changes.
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37.3
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Over to you
•
Which of these important days are celebrated in your country? What happens on
them?
Mother’s
Day Independence Day May Day Valentine’s Day
•
What is the most important day of the year in your country? What does it
symbolise or commemorate? What does it feature? What are its origins? What sort of atmosphere does it have?
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ANSWER KEY
37.1
1 For Christians, Christmas celebrates
the birth of Jesus Christ.
2 The festivities included parades, sports and musical gatherings. 3 There was a celebratory feeling about the whole weekend. 4 For people who live in the country, the spring festival is a renewal of the fertility of the land. 5 There was a ceremonial atmosphere as the military bands paraded around the main square. 6 People were in a festive mood when the harvest was successfully completed and a huge feast was held in the village. 7 You should go and see the lantern festival. It’s always a spectacle. 8 The festival always falls on the first Monday in July. It commemorates a famous battle. 9 It was the centenary of the founding of the university and the bi-centenary of the city itself. 10 The gymnastic display involving 300 children was really spectacular.
37.2
Well, it was called the Festival of
Flowers, and it was associated with the coming of spring, after
the sombre winter months. It was a time of renewal. Its origin can be traced back to the religious tradition of taking flowers to offer them to the gods. Spring flowers were the main focus of the festival, and there was always a big parade through the streets. It was all very lively and flamboyant and probably rather raucous, and it was very atmospheric. The flowers symbolised new life, and people thought they would be guaranteed a good harvest later in the year if they were offered to the gods. Nowadays, most people are not (so) superstitious, but there are still some pagan festivals celebrated every year. |
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