Christmas in Cossacks traditions

Reading

1. a) Look at the heading of the text. What is the text about?

2. b) Read the text «Christmas in Cossack’s traditions» and put the paragraphs in the right order.

Christmas in Cossack’s traditions

A.Rich treats were waiting for everyone at home. The table was full of hot soups, smoked meats, sausages, sweets and various dishes of pork, beef and poultry. The Cossacks always baked pies with meat, jam and other fillings. The most favorite and traditional Christmas dishes for the Cossacks were jelly and baked goose or turkey. There were plenty of various drinks on the table. After the festive meal, the Cossacks sent congratulations to their grandfathers and grandmothers, singing festive songs and rhymes to them.

B. Christmas is the brightest, most colorful and cheerful holiday for Cossacks. Since the early morning of January 7, the whole village has been rushing to the liturgy to glorify the Savior Christ who appeared in the flesh. Streets and houses were ready for the holiday, and church bells announced the birth of Christ to people.

C.Christmas is considered one of the main Christian holidays of the entire Orthodox Cossacks. It belongs to the twelve main church holidays of the Orthodox Church and is celebrated on January 7.

1. Read the text «Christmastide». Which of the activities do Cossacks do during this celebration?

2. Read again and complete the phrases with the missing adjectives:

• the …………… dish

• the …………… predictions

• ……………….. life

• …………………festivities

• a ……………….period

Christmastide

After Christmas, a festive period called «Christmastide» lasts almost until the feast of the Epiphany. At this time, it was customary to visit, arrange various festivities, competitions, games, horseback riding.

Christmastide is a time of joy and good deeds, a time of waiting for a miracle and hoping for the best. During the Christmas holidays, it is customary to especially help the poor, orphans, the sick, lonely old people and prisoners.

And on the night of the "old new year", the traditional dish was a variety of dumplings, with potatoes, cabbage, cottage cheese. This is due to the feast of the memory of St. Basil the Great, celebrated by the Orthodox Church on January 14.

On the eve of this celebration, children went home and "gave generously". And early in the morning, the Cossack boys came to "sow", scattering grain around the hut. The hosts, in turn, thanked the guests with gifts.

The Cossacks believed that life on Christmastide rewrote the future, hence the numerous predictions. One of these amusements was traditional dumplings with surprises. Anyone who came across a dumpling with flour could count on a rich but difficult life, if there was a dumpling with salt in the plate, the prospects were not rosy, an empty dumpling was a waste of trouble, and a dumpling with a coin promised a happy life.

Адрес публикации: https://www.prodlenka.org/metodicheskie-razrabotki/595327-christmas-in-cossacks-traditions