Zóny pre každého študenta

Multicultural Society

Traditions, customs and holidays:

Great Britian:
St. Valentine´s Day – February 14th- It is lovers´day. Friends and lovers sen done another letters of greeting cards expressing their love and affection. Some of them are romantic, humorous, sentimental, satiric or provoking.
The first Valentine was a bishop, a Christian martyr, murdered by Romans. Before he was put to death he sent a note of friendship to his jailer´s daughter.
All Fools´Day – April 1st – Day full of jockes and tricky. People play tricks on other people and then they shout „April Fool“
Easter- between March and April. Easter is a Christian festival, it is also a welcome spring holiday.
Good Friday is the Friday before Easter, It is the anniversary of Christ´s crucifixion.
Easter Sunday commemorates the Resurrection of Jesus. Easter eggs, symbolizing new life, are given as present.
Halloween – is celebrated in October 31st. People dress up funny costumes(ghosts, devils, fairies) and go to a party. Children light pumpkins. People tell tales about ghosts and witches. This tradition marks beginning of winter.
Guy Fawkes Day – November 5th. I tis celebrated with bonfires, fireworks and the burning of guys made of straw. Guy Fawkes was an English Catholic. He tries to destroy the Houses of Parliament with a bomb. He was arrested and executed.
Christmas – December 24th. Special christmas decorations, coloured lights and Christmas trees can be seen in the streets and shops. Christmas carols are sung almost everywhere. People buy presents. Children hang up Christmas stockings at the end of their beds for Santa Claus and then they go to bed. In the morning children get up early to find presents. Christmas dinner consists of filled turkey and Christmas pudding.
New Year´s Day – January 1st – people sing and dance. Famous place for this event is Trafalgar square.
 
American customs
Thanskgiving Day is celebrated on the last Thursday in November. People celebrate their first harvest and the first people who came to America (Pilgrim fathers). These days families in USA meet together and they have a big dinner which consists of roast turkey.
Independence Day – July 4th – The Declaration of Independence was signed. People do not go to work and meet together.

Japan – We must not look people in the eyes. Men usually go to restaurants on their own.Men take their shoes off before they go to restaurant. They sit on the floor around a small, low table and they sing songs.
 
Great Britian – They must not point at people. They never ask you a personal questions about your family, job..They never talk about religion or matters of finance, education,..They stay with safe subjects like the weather, films, books... An evening meal usually lasts about three or four hours. When the host serves coffe, this is sometimes a sign that the evening is nearly over, but they can have as much coffee as they want.
Dress depends on the occasion, but most dinner are informal. The man do not usually wear a suit, but they may wear a jacket and tie. Women are usually smart but cusual.
 
Germany – They usually take chocolates or flowers. But they always take an odd number of flowers, and they remove the paper before they give them to the hostess. They can also send flowers before they arreve. They do not usually take wine except when they visit very close friends. They arrive exactly or fifteen minutes before when they are invited.
 
Taiwan – you must give a gift with both hands.
 
China – you must not kiss in public.
 
Saudi Arabia – They always offer their guests something to drind when they arrive, tea, coffe or water and soft drinks. They think i tis polite to accept a drink even if they are not thirsty. When they have had enough to drink, they tap their cup or put their hand over it. If they say no, their host will insist that they have more drink.
 
In many religion people don´t eat meat. Moslims don´t eat pork and people in India don´t eat beef.
 
Multicultural society is a society where people of different races, cultures and traditons live side by side with respect.

Many people are proud of saying that they are not racists but in reality they have never lived with people of different colour next door.
People are naturally divided according to the colour of their skin, the shape of their faces,  but we cannot judge people by these features and we have to try to bring people of different races together so that they live and work peacefully together. Many governments have passed a law to promote racial integration in schools or at work.

There are many big cities which are cosmopolitan. In London children of all races attend the same schools and grow up shoulder to shoulder. In New Yourk nationalities stay in their own areas, like the Russians in the Russian section, the Germans in the German section.
The area of a city where many Chinese people live and where you can find many Chinese shops and restaurants is called Chinatown.
 
People of different nationalities have different cultures. In some countries young people have to marry the partner chosen by their parents. In different religions different approaches to lifestyles. Equality between men and women are accepted. Mixed marriages are becoming more and more commonplace.
 
Since 1989 Slovakia has become a country open to people from other countries. There is over half a million Hungarians or smaller groups like the Ruthenians. One minority without a territory are the Romany. Slovakia tries to integrate them into society.
 
A new phenomenon has appeared in Slovak traditions. More and more women get married to men of different religion and colour. There is still a certain amount of prejudice, but most young people are tolerant, without any prejudice.
 
It is easy to live in society with similar backrounds, becouse we know what we can expect from people around us. And when there is someone who is different – nation, race and religion – we look suspiciously. Until 1989 foreigners  are coming to our country and it is getting normal for us that people are of different skin color. You can make friends with people of different colour and you acquire how normal it is to live side by side. It will not be a problem for you to accept other people as they are, and you will also be accepted. The most important attitudes towards other people are tolerance and respect.
 
1. Do you think that your family are tolerant enough to other cultures and their customs?
My family are tolerant to other cultures, e. g. my mother works in hotel, where live foreigners. But I haven´t a chance to meet foreigners, becouse there is a little amount of foreigners in our town. There are Romany, but I know any Roman.
2. What would your parents think if you wanted to marry a person of a completely different culture or religious belief?
If he will be good, clever, solicitous husband, they will, of course, respect him.
3. In what ways have you seen people judge others by the colour of their skin?
On TV I often see that people of different colour cannot find a work, also I see a big violence to those people.
4. What possible problems can appear in a family of different races or religious beliefs?
They have to respect each others, if no, there can be problems. They have different traditions, so they don´t want to give up their traditons.
Zones.sk – Najväčší študentský portál
https://www.zones.sk/studentske-prace/anglictina/935-multicultural-society/