The year - holidays
The year
The year has 365 days; every leap year has 366 days. It has 12 months, 52 weeks. One week has 7 days. There are
4 seasons during the year. Each season lasts about three months and is attractive in some way.
Spring is green. It begins
on the 21st of March. Nature wakes after winter sleep. Trees, bushes and grass are green and they start to bloom. Days are longer, temperature grows
up to about 15˚C (degree). There is more sunshine and it becomes warmer and warmer. April is changeable, in one day we can have sun, shower, maw
and again sun. Soon in the garden and woods the first flowers appear – white snowdrops and snowflakes, daffodils, blue forget-me-nots, coloured
tulips, purple violets.
People like spring. They can go out to the woods for a long walks, children clean their bikes and ride them, boys
play football, and girls play with balls or badminton. Parents and grandparents start to work in the garden.
Summer is
hot. It begins on the 21st of June. It is the favourite season of every school children, because they have holidays. Days are long and nights are
short. Temperatures are about 30˚C. Sometimes was can have storms with heavy rain, strong wind, lightning and thunders. But in 2 or 3 hours
everything is over, there is sun in the sky again. People like going to swim to the lakes or sea. They play beach volleyball or Frisbee.
At the beginning of September when the school year begins, summer is over and on the 23rd September autumn comes. Autumn is
colourful. Trees in the woods and parks change colour of their leaves. They can be orange, yellow, brown or red and they start to fall down. Days are
shorter, temperatures are between 10-19˚C and the weather is horrible. We often have rain, fog; it is cloudy and windy. Sometimes the weather is
beautiful. We call this period Indian summer. People work in the gardens; they pick up fruits (apples, pears, plums, peaches) and vegetables
(potatoes, cabbage, carrots, celery, tomatoes). Children ride bikes, fly kites, ride in-line. The sky is cloudy. Grass turns yellow and gets dry.
According to the calendar, winter comes on December 21, but it fact it often begins earlier .Winter is white. Short days,
long nights. It starts to be dark at about 4 o´clock. Temperatures fall down to 5-10˚C. Typical winter weather brings snowfall, icy winds and
frosts. As the climate gets warmer, we miss a real winter more and more.
Winter in the country is wonderful. Everything is white covered
in the snow like in the fairy tale. People are skiing, snowboarding or skating. Children build snowmen, igloos or fight with snow balls.
Winter in the town is horrible. Snow melts quickly, there are pools of water on the pavements and they are slippery. The
nicest period of winter is Christmas!
days get shorter/longer good/bad weather
weather becomes warmer be in a good/bad
temper/mood
the sky is clear feel well/unwell
storm be optimistic/pessimistic
Indian summer encourage sb to work
the sun
sets/rises feel happy/merry
sunset/sunrise sad
thick layer of snow active
icy road take pleasure in small joys
snow
melts cheer up
harvest be eager to do things
go mushrooming have problems
shiver with cold sleepy
mud be moody
slippery lazy
Holidays and anniversaries
1.1
a) New Year – we sleep
after New Year´s Eve, In the afternoon we go to visit family and wish them Happy New Year
b) Birthday of the Slovak Republic (1993)
6.1.
Epiphany
14.2.
- Valentine´s Day – it is lovers´ day. We buy flowers and little
presents to people we love and admire – sometimes anonymously- and exchange gifts. The holiday is commercialized. Everywhere are red hearts and
flowers, roses.
8.3.
- International Women´s Day – we buy flowers to our mothers and girlfriends to say them, that we
love them
28.3.
- International Teacher´s Day – we buy flowers, ... to thank them
1.4.
-
All Fool´s Day – people make fun and jokes from their friends and then you can shout “April Fool!”
Beginning of April -
Easter
- In Slovakia men and boys to water girls. They get chocolate eggs or decorated eggs, some sweets or money. Traditional meal of
this holiday is – ham, eggs, sausages, cheese, beet root, horse radish. Eggs symbolise a new life.
- Christians commemorate the Crucifixion
of Jesus Christ (on Good Friday) and His return to life
- In Great Britain and the USA parents organize “egg huntings” for their
children.
They hide eggs in the house or in the garden and look for them
1.5.
- International Day of All Working
People – people organize parties
8.5.
- end of WW II (the World War II) in Europe
Mother´s
Day
- 2nd Sunday in May- honours all mothers
1.6.
- International Children´s Day – parents buy their
children presents, little sweets and try to spend with them as much time as possible. They usually go out, play games, barbecue
Father´s Day
- 3rd Sunday in June – honours all fathers
5.7.
- Arrival of Cyril and Method to
the Great Moravia Empire (863) - they brought with them alphabet and translated Holy Bible to the Slavic language
29.8.
- Slovak National Uprising (1944) – our great-grand fathers uprised against fascism
1.9.
- The Day of Slovak
Constitution
31.10.
- Halloween – it is celebrated in the USA. People put on strange clothes, costumes, go to the
parties. Children go to knock on the door of their neighbours; shout “trick or treat” and get candies. In Europe people start to organise
parties and discos, but not very often.
1.11.
- All Saints´ Day- we go to cemeteries (graveyard) to put flowers and lit
candles on the graves (tombs) of our ancestors.
6.12.
- St. Nicholas´s Day – Nicholas brings gifts, usually sweets and
fruits to good children, who clean their shoes and put them to the windows or to the feet of bed
24.-26.12.
- celebrate
the birth of Christ
- Christmas – on the 24th of December we decorate the Christmas tree. Mums cook traditional meals – fried fish (carp)
and potato salad, sour craft soup with mushrooms and sausages (and pasta), bobaľky – special dough with poppy, milk, sugar, some cake and fruits.
After dinner we to the Christmas tree, unwrap presents, speak with family, watch TV. Some people go to church at midnight.
- next two days we
go to visit our friends and family members
- on the 26th of December are organized Štefan´s parties
- the English have no traditional
celebration on Christmas Eve. Before children to bed on Christmas Eve, they hang up Christmas stockings and at night “Santa Claus” fills them.
Larger things are found under the Christmas tree. On December 25 – Christmas Day – the children enjoy unwrapping presents and at midday they eat
Christmas dinner – roast turkey with chestnut stuffing, roast potatoes, and Christmas pudding (made with lots of dried fruit, eggs, ... and very
little flour). There are plenty of carols on the radio and TV.
31.12.
- New Year´s Eve – people organize parties,
wait to 12 o´clock to welcome New Year. Some go to the town, dance, sing, watch fireworks.
Zones.sk – Zóny pre každého študenta