Angielski do matury: Wielkanoc na świecie

"Święta, święta i po ... studiach". Takie obiegowe powiedzonko swego czasu się spotykało i oby matury się nie tyczyło ;) Polecamy ten krótki tekst, żeby poćwiczyć angielski do matury i zorientować się przy okazji, jak obchodzi się święta wielkanocne na świecie.

Easter traditions around the world Whips and water fights When it comes to Easter in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary it’s the ladies that need to watch their backs. On Easter Monday it’s tradition for the men and boys to throw water at the women and spank them with handmade whips make out of willow branches and decorated with colourful ribbons. The spanking is meant that the women will continue to be beautiful and healthy in the coming year. Bonfires and witches When Easter rolls around in Finland, children dress up in costumes and go begging in the streets with their faces covered in soot, carrying brooms and their hair tied up in scarves. In Western Finland they even make huge bonfires to ward off witches flying around between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Death Dance Verges, a town in Spain, has a funny way of celebrating Easter. On the day before Good Friday, a ceremonial “death dance” is performed and the locals parade around the Old Town streets. Everyone dresses up in costumes and at the end of the parade, are scary skeletons carrying boxes of ashes. The dance begins at midnight and lasts well into the night. Omelettes worth talking about France has always been about food, Easter is no exception. Every year the people of Haux, a village near Bordeaux, use 4,500 eggs to make an enormous omelette, big enough to feed 1,000 people. It’s prepared over a fire in the biggest frying pan you’ve ever seen in the main square. Christmas trees for Easter In Germany Easter fires are made out of used Christmas trees from the past December. The fire is symbolic over the passing of winter and the coming of spring. Many German cities designate one place to bring your own trees and the city celebrates around a huge burning pile of tinsel-covered trees. Bilby, not bunny While we normally associate Easter with bunnies, they do things a little differently in Australia. Instead of rabbits, know as pesky animals that have a reputation for destroying land and crops, their local Bilby is the one bringing all the children chocolate eggs. http://www.liligo.co.uk/

. To watch one’s back – uważać na siebie, być czujnym, ostrożnym To spank – tu: uderzać, bić, smagać Handmade whips – ręcznie robione baty, bicze Willow branches – gałązki wierzby . . . . Bonfire – ognisko To dress up – przebrać się, stroić się Soot – sadza [faces covered with soot – twarze ubrudzone sadzą] Broom – miotła Scarf – chustka, apaszka, szalik To ward off  – ustrzec się przed czymś/kimś; odganiać Good Friday – Wielki Piątek Death dance – taniec śmierci The locals – lokalni mieszkańcy, tubylcy, miejscowi Ashes – prochy, popiół . . . . . . . . Enormous – olbrzymi, ogromny . . . . . . . . The passing of winter – przemijanie, odchodzenie zimy To designate – wyznaczać, wskazywać Pile – stos, fura, sterta Tinsel-covered – pokryty świecidełkami, ozdobami, łańcuchami Bilby – gatunek jamraja; ssak z rzędu torbaczy, z uszami jak królik To associate – tu: kojarzyć (z) [to associate sth with sth else] Pesky – nieznośny, irytujący Crops – plony, uprawy, zbiory . . . . . Agata Marszałek