Celebrating the Harvest Around the World
A harvest festival is a celebration of the fall months and the harvest that often accompanies these months. Many countries celebrate harvest festivals in different forms.
Canada
In Canada, people celebrate their harvest on Thanksgiving. This tradition is said to date back to the 16th century. The English explorer Martin Frobisher(1535—1594) came upon the land, searching for the “New World”. As he arrived in Canada in 1578, he celebrated surviving the long journey by holding a formal celebration and eating salt beef and peas. Today, it has become a recognized holiday in the country that falls on the second Monday in October. On Thanksgiving, most return home to gather with their family. One of the highlights(高潮) of the holiday is a big Thanksgiving Day meal, which usually includes turkey and bread, which are prepared and presented in a unique Canadian way.
The United Kingdom
Harvest festival activities are considered a special time for communities to come together in celebration. The harvest festival may start with carrying baskets of fruits and vegetables to a local church where people sing praise songs for a healthy harvest while praying for future harvests. A special effort may be made to give food to the less fortunate. Large dinners may also be hosted where each member brings a special dish to share with each other.
China
In 2023, the Farmers’ Harvest Festival was launched in China. It’s held on the day of the autumn equinox(秋分), which falls roughly on Sept. 22 or 23. Every year, a range of events are organized nationwide. In Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, farmers brought 100 seed varieties to the main site of the ceremony in Hanhu District and placed them in a wall to mark the achievements of the seed industry. In Heilongjiang Province, the festival was combined with local traditions of the Daur people and the locals danced around bonfires.
【小题1】Originally, Thanksgiving was celebrated in Canada for .| A．their harvest | B．finding the new world |
| C．surviving the long journey | D．gathering with their family |
| A．attending a church service | B．donating food to the poor |
| C．sharing food at a dinner party | D．dancing around bonfires |
| A．Different countries celebrate their harvest in different ways. |
| B．There are similarities in celebrating the harvest among different places. |
| C．The Farmers’ Harvest Festival is an annually nationwide thing in China. |
| D．Local traditions are included in celebrating the harvest around China. |
It is hard to calculate the number of festivals and holidays around the world because there are simply too many of them! People have all kinds of local festivals, and some international festivals are celebrated in different ways in various countries. Have you ever wondered why people need festivals?
Some of the festivals come from religious beliefs, such as Christmas. It originated among Christians but has now become a public holiday for everyone around the world. However, there are other reasons why we hold festivals. They break up the flow of the year and bind us together as families and communities.
Festivals and holidays are fun escape from our regular schedules. Without holidays our weeks would run together into years of boredom. What is October without children ringing our doorbells asking for candy? What is November without turkey on the table and family around it? The answer is: boring months.
We also celebrate festivals because they are reasons to be reconnected with family and long-lost friends. Many people do not have the freedom to meet families and close friends at any time. Festivals and holidays give us the chance. Furthermore, festivals bring us together as a community. Many people make holidays the times they reach out to other people. The bright hearts decorating department stores in February, the blinking lights hanging on lamp posts in December—these help us feel connected to something larger than ourselves.
In a world where get-togethers and barbecues do not happen as much as they used to in decades past, in a world where no one borrow sugar from his or her neighbor any longer or bakes a cake when someone moves on to the block, festivals tie us together.
Therefore, everyone should make the most of their festival times. Get out and decorate your home at Christmas time. Surprise your spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend with a Valentine’s Day gift And definitely have fun at Halloween. Even if you do not enjoy Halloween, I am sure the children in your neighborhood will appreciate your dressing up, putting a graveyard in your front yard and passing out candy!
【小题1】What does the underlined word “originated” (paragraph 2) mean in this article?| A．congratulated | B．celebrated |
| C．came into being | D．invited |
| A．Because people have the chance to meet each other. |
| B．Because department stores and lamp posts are decorated. |
| C．Because we can’t escape from work and fixed schedules. |
| D．Because we feel we are a community. |
| A．People do not go to barbecues nowadays |
| B．We don’t have as strong as a sense of community as we used to. |
| C．Few people give food to neighbors. |
| D．There are fewer social activities we enjoy during festivals. |
Best Mexican Festivals to Attend
The country of Mexico has more to offer besides its beauty and the following festivities prove that well. Take a look at them and save your dates because you definitely can't afford to miss them.
Día de Muertos
Día de Muertos is a celebration of life! November l and 2 are important. While the l st is dedicated(专用的) to children and is called the”Day of the Innocents”, the second is dedicated to the people who have passed away. Graves are decorated with flowers, feasts are prepared, and families come together to remember their loved ones.
Date: 1st- 2nd November
Where: All over Latin America
Día de la Independencia
Día de la Independencia is the day when the entire country celebrates the start of Mexico's war of independence. Today, a couple of weeks are celebrated with artists putting up shows and exhibitions, Mexican music filling the streets, and even some costume parties!
Date: 16th September
Where: Mexico
Guelaguetza Festival
A spectacular vision of art, dance, and music, the annual celebrations of Guelaguetza are . a wonderful cultural experience， especially for tourists. Since the tickets to this festival's cultural program are sold in advance, you can plan a trip around this event.
Date: 22nd-27th July
Where: Oaxaca，Mexico
Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe
As the legend goes, Virgin Mary appeared in front of Juan Diego, one of the most loved patron(守护神) saints of Mexico. The apparition(神秘的现象) occurred in Mexico City and a church has been built at that spot. The religious festival of Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe pays respect to this event. The story goes forward and mentions a few relics too. This also makes it one of the most religiously significant monuments.
Date: 12th- 13th December
Where: Mexico City
【小题1】What does Día de la Independencia celebrate?| A．The start of life. | B．A war of independence. |
| C．The coming of spring. | D．The arrival of Virgin Mary. |
| A．Día de Muertos. | B．Día de la Independencia. |
| C．Guelaguetza Festival. | D．Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe. |
| A．To introduce. | B．To educate. | C．To advertise. | D．To persuade. |
Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday.The day after it has been known as Black Friday.It is the start of the holiday shopping season,and it has been the busiest shopping day of the year in the US since 2005.
Most stores offer big sales on Black Friday.They open their doors quite early in the morning.They try to attract shoppers with big discounts(打折).Some items(商品) like TVs and clothes are much cheaper than usual.
Black Friday is a great time to go shopping.However,there are problems.The biggest one is that there are not enough low-priced items.Each store may only have a few.These items are in great need,so people stand in long lines to get them.
The situation makes people worried.Some Black Friday events have been crazy.There have been fights over toys among shoppers.Some workers have even been hurt by large crowds.But most Black Friday events are safe and fun.
So where does the name “Black Friday” come from?It was first used in Philadelphia in the 1950s.
Now people all over the country take part in Black Friday events.
| A．Still,if you plan to go,you will expect large crowds and a bit of pushing. |
| B．People may feel disappointed if they cannot get them. |
| C．They may wait three to four hours before a store opens. |
| D．It is even spreading to other parts of the world. |
| E．Stores may even lose money on these items. |
| F．It attracts people all over the world. |
| G．The police called this day Black Friday because of the heavy traffic it caused. |
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