Comprehension Reading. Match Choices

Read the texts below. Match choices (A-H) to (1-6). There are two choices you do not need to use.

1. Indian Holi Festival

The Indian Holi Festival celebrates the victory of good over evil and also marks the arrival of spring. It's an extremely lively two-day event and it is also called the Festival of color.  The evening before holi, there are bonfires around which people sing and dance. The next day, people gather outdoors in the streets and throw colored powder and water over each other. At home, families decorate their houses, exchange gifts and eat special food.

2.Ivana Kupala Festival

Like all the European Nations, Ukraine celebrates the summer solstice, which is the longest day of the year. Since the fourth century CE, this day has been connected with the Christian religion and the birth of John the Baptist. Today, the Ivana Kupala Festival is a popular event for people of all ages. Fire, water and greenery play an important role in the day’s various customs, one of which is jumping over bonfire for good fortune. 

3.Day of the Dead Festival

 The festival, which originated in Mexico but is popular throughout Latin America, celebrates death as well as life. It is held on 1 and 2 November, when the dead are believed to travel back to earth and the living should welcome them by offering food and drinks. Photos and candles feature significantly to show respect for family members who are no longer alive. People wear impressive costumes and make-up and have colorful parades in the streets.

4.Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival

 Accounts differ as to how Taiwan’s breathtaking Sky Lantern Festival began. Some say villagers who worked in the mountains used the lanterns to inform their families they were safe and others say that they were used to transmit military information. Whatever the case, today thousands of people buy lantern, write their wishes on the paper, light the candle and watch as the lantern flows into the night sky, carrying their expectations for a bright future. 

5.Viking fire festival

 On the last Tuesday of January, the Viking Fire Festival takes place in Lerwick, Shetland - this is the island in the northernmost corner of Scotland. Scots and visitors celebrate the winter's end and the sun’s return with blazing fire. Shetlanders also commemorate the Vikings who ruled there for 500 years, more than a thousand years ago. Having spent months building a dragon ship, the Shetlanders then set it on fire, while crowds sing and dance.

6. Palio di Siena Festival

Siena’s famous horse event is of medieval origin. It has been held twice a year since 1701, except during times of war. The festival lasts for four days, and its main event is the historical horse race. Crowds of tourists and locals gather in this city's main square, Piazza del Campo, to see ten jockeys ride their horses without a saddle in a one -minute race. There are parades, open-air dinners and other events that local people prepare all year round.