Проект Festivals: Celebrating happiness (Свята: святкування щасливих подій)

Метою проекту Festivals: Celebrating happiness (Свята: святкування щасливих подій) був обмін інформацією про свята, які широко відзначаються в кожній з країн, про традиції, звичаї та обряди , що повʼязані з ними. Here is the list of holidays widely celebrated in Ukraine: 18-th January – Jordan Day.The day commemorates the baptism of Christ in the river Jordan.On that day in churches water is blessed and kept at home for a year. Some people bathe in the icy-cold water in the river or lake ( the temperature is usually -10 C ) as it is thought that water on that day has magic power. 14-th February –St. Valentine s Day inherited from Western Culture is now very popular in Ukraine. On that day people exchange Valentines ( cards in the form of the heart usually of red colour) to show their love and respect to each other. The 2-nd Sunday in May is Mother's Day. This is a day when Ukrainians express their love, respect and devotion to their mothers. This holiday is celebrated in the warm family atmosphere. 24-th June – Youth Day. Young people celebrate this day with a lot of fun, fireworks, sport competitions, concerts and discos in the parks, cafes and clubs. 6-th July – Ivana Kupala Day is a celebration in honour of the God of the Sun. It is believed that during this time of summer solstice the sun has the greatest power. The most popular celebrations are held at night.Young people make bonfires somewhere in the field or not far from water and leap over the flame to clean their body and mind. Unmarried girls make wreaths from herbs , decorate them with ribbons and flowers and throw them into the river and let them float to the other bank where the young men will try to capture the wreath of his beloved girl. 14-th August – 1st Spas .On that day herb and poppy seeds are blessed in the church. 19-th August _ 2nd Spas. On that day honey and apples are blessed. 29-th August _ 3rd Spas . On that day nuts are blessed. 1-st September – the Day of Knowledge. It is the Day when pupils of all Ukrainian schools and students of all Colleges and universities begin their studies. The day starts with meetings held in school yards where you can see nicely dressed children carrying autumn flowers for their teachers whom they have missed during long summer vocations. 31-October – Halloween is one of the brightest holidays for children. The annual  Halloween Party is always fun and festive with a donut eating competition, games, candy, caramel apples and dancing. On the photo you can see the students of the 4th form on the party. Besides, senior students had an event on Halloween discussing pros and cons of the celebration of it, the ways to celebrate the holiday abroad and in Ukraine. 19-th December - Feast of St.Nicholas. This is children s holiday. On that day little children are supposed to find presents in the morning under the pillow if they behave well or a stick if they are naughty. While working on the project students collated a list of festivals celebrated in their own homes; they discussed the reasons to celebrate festivals based on its religious origins, traditions, cultural beliefs, national importance and seasonal change.