ENGLISH EXTRA

Conversation Club

Special Days, Festivals and Celebrations

Before Conversation Club

Here's a list of some of the special days and times of year that are celebrated around the
world? How many of them do you know?
New Year's Day, St. Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Pancake Tuesday / Mardi Gras /
Carnaval, Lent, Palm Sunday, May Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Ramadan, 4th July,
Yom Kippur, Oktoberfest, Halloween / Day of the Dead, Guy Fawkes, Diwali, Christmas.
Birthday, Baptism, Confirmation, Graduation, Coming-of-age, Wedding, Wake.

And here are some more useful words associated with these events:
Adjectives: fun, formal, national, ancient, religious, holy, all-day, week-long, wild, quiet
Nouns: party, parade, procession, tiered cake, formal attire, fancy dress, masks,
fireworks, cards, presents, mass, ceremony, ritual, burial, do (yes, a noun)
Verb phrases: have/throw a party, go to a party, dress up, give presents/gifts

At Conversation Club

1. Do you know all of the above festivals and celebrations? If you don't know some of them,
ask your partners if they can explain any of them.
2. What is your favourite day or time of the year (celebration, not season)? Why? What do
you do during this time?
3. Have you been to a celebration or celebrated something recently? What was it like? Did
you wear or eat or do something special?
4. How important is ritual and celebration in our lives? Why? Are they important to you
personally?
5. Do you always celebrate your birthday? How? Or do you prefer to pretend it's not
happening?
6. Do you like to dress up or decorate your house/office/school for celebrations?
7. How do you celebrate coming-of-age in your country? In some countries coming-of-age
ceremonies are extremely important? Why do you think they are less so here?
8. Did you have a graduation or a big celebration at the end of school? Did you go on a trip
or to a dance?
9. Do you think some special days, eg. Valentine's Day, are too commercial?
10. Do you prefer religious or secular holidays? Are there any religious holidays that have
become secular in your country? Have some special days lost their original meaning?
11. Do you object to the phrase "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays" on political grounds?
After Conversation Club

Do you understand the expressions in bold. Look them up if you don't. Do you say
something similar in your language?

I try to ignore my birthday if I can. It just keeps reminding me that I'm over the hill.

They had a traditional white wedding with hundreds of guests at the reception.

I would love a white Christmas for once, but it never happens in this climate.

Macaroni and cheese is a match/marriage made in heaven.

He was delighted to get his dream job. But the company car was the icing on the cake.