All over the world, people celebrate different festivals with a wide range of origins, but they have much in common; 【小题1】 (share) joy, gratitude, love or peace. One of the 【小题2】 (tradition) festivals is the agricultural festival when all the crops have 【小题3】 (gather) in. People celebrate it to show that they are grateful 【小题4】 the year's supply of food.

Festivals play an important part in society,   【小题5】 (reflect) people's wishes, faiths,   【小题6】 (believe) as well as attitudes towards life. They help to get 【小题7】 (relax) and enjoy life. Meanwhile, they help us understand our origin, and show us what 【小题8】 (appreciate). However, modern festivals are much affected by commerce, with businesses 【小题9】 (take) advantage of the celebrations. Some people think festivals shouldn't be 【小题10】 (commercial), but others believe the increase in spending is good.

I hear Americans saying , “Season’s Greetings. ”This expression is very common in the period 【小题1】 Thanksgiving, at the end of November, and New Year’s Day, January 1. There 【小题2】 (be)many holidays being celebrated during this time, or season.

Thanksgiving begins on the fourth Thursday in November. Then there is Hannukah, 【小题3】 is part of the Jewish religion. Last year, Hannukah began 【小题4】   (short)after Thanksgiving, on November 28.

Christmas is on December 25. Kwanzaa(宽扎节), a yearly 【小题5】 (celebrate) of African American culture, 【小题6】 (hold)from December 26 to January 1. Lastly, there is New Year’s Eve on December 31 and New Year’s Day on January 1.

The plural word“ greetings” 【小题7】 (mean)a message that expresses good wishes to someone. When we write cards or letters at this time of year, we try to include as many of our friends’ traditions . 【小题8】 possible. So, people may choose to say, “Season’s Greetings. ”You will find the expression on cards, gifts and in outdoor lighting displays.

A similar expression is “Happy Holidays. ” That is another way 【小题9】 (include)people with a variety of traditions in our greetings.

I hope you are able to gather safely with your family and 【小题10】 (love)ones during this season, as I send you all “Season’s Greetings. ”

Almost all cultures celebrate the end of one year and the 【小题1】 (begin) of another in some way. Different cultures celebrate them in 【小题2】 (various) of ways, and at different times on the calendar.

In Western countries, people usually celebrate New Year 【小题3】 midnight on December 31st or January 1st. People may go to parties, sometimes 【小题4】 (dress) in formal clothes. But some cultures prefer 【小题5】 (celebrate) the new year by waking up early to watch the sunrise. They welcome the new year with 【小题6】 first light of the sunrise.

Many cultures also do special things to get rid of bad luck. For example, in Ecuador, families make big dolls 【小题7】 are burned to show that the bad things from the past year are gone. 【小题8】, other New Years traditions 【小题9】 (follow) to bring good luck in the new year. One widespread Spanish tradition for good luck is to eat grapes on New Year’s Day. The more grapes a person eats, the 【小题10】 (good) opportunities the person will get.