New Year in Ukraine.Celebrations.

     New Year in Ukraine,in Great Britain,

     in    the  USA.      .

 

   New Year-January 1:New Year’s Day is one of the most favourite holidays in Ukraine.On the Eve of this holiday or just on this very day everybody gives presents to each other,has fun,makes fireworks,deco-

rates  pine and fir trees,cook delicious things and lays the holiday table.

The unchangeable participants of this holiday are Father Frost and his

grand-daughter “Snihurochka”(the Snow Girl).The holiday lasts till next

morning. The tradition of telling fortunes in this night is very popular

among young ladies and fellows,who are willing to know about their fu-

ture.

   The best gift for the New Year are:Champagne-the traditional party

drink, and Gift Sets  under the Pine Tree.

 

  Orthodox Christmas-January 7: This period from the 7 th till 19 th of

January is the Saint Christmas week, when people have fun,wear fancy

dresses  and walk from one house to another singing Christmas songs and all masters should give them sweets.

    At the night of January 7 Christmas is marked.On  this holiday people

try to be better,purer.As it is the last day of the fast at Christmas night the better present would be fruit basket.

 

  Old New Year-January 14:holiday in memory of Old Calendar New Year,celebrated as a family holiday.Children and especially adults go

from house to house singing special songs and playing some tunes.They

should be given food and some money.

 

  Malanka-New Year’s Eve: Malanka is a Ukrainian folk holiday celeb-

rated on January 13,which is New Year’s Eve in accordance with the

Julian calendar.On this night in Ukraine,carollers went from house to house playing pranks.Malanka caps off the festivities of the Christmas

holidays.

 

 New Year in England: In England the New Year is not as widely mar-

ked  as Christmas.The most common type of celebration is a New Year

Party  wich goes on until the early morning .At midnight every one can

                                             -1-

 hear the chimes of Big Ben.The most famous celebration is in London

in Picadilly Circus.In Trafalgar Square there is also a big crowd.

 

  Who Decorated the First Christmas Tree?

No one knows for sure.The custom of bringing an everygreen tree in-

doors  and decorating it at Christmas started in Germany.One legend says that Martin Luther started the practice. Luther was an important

Christian leader.According to the story, he noticed the starlit sky as he

walked  home one Christmas Eve about the year 1513.He thought the

stars looked as if they were shining on the branches.When Martin Luther

arrived home,he placed a small fir-tree inside the house.He decorated it

with lighted candles.Decorating Christmas tree became popular in Ger-

many.Prince Albert took the tradition to England.Both German and English people brought it to America.

 

    New Year in the USA: December,31,New Year,s Eve is a time for merriment.At midnight bells ring,horns blow, friends exchange kisses.

Everyone stays up late to celebrate the arrival of another January.At home most Americans spend the final hours of the new year dining

with friends. One of the nosiest and most crowded of New Year’s ce-

lebration takes place in New York at Times Square.New Year’s day has traditionally been the occasion for starting a new life and giving up bad

habits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                          -2-

  Winter poems.

 

New Year                                             To  Welcome the New Year

New things to learn,                             

A new friends to meet,                            (By William Blake)

A new song to sing,

New joys to greet.                                 Merrily,merrily,merrily

                                                              Welcome in the New Year.

New things to see,                                 Little Boy,

New things to hear,                              Full of joy;

New things to do                                  Little Girl,

In this glad New Year.                         Sweet and small;

                                                             Cock does crow,

On New Year’s Eve                            So do you;

                                                              Merry voice,

(By Leonard Clark)                              Infant noise,

                                                             Merrily,merrily,merrily,

Go to sleep now,                                  Welcome in the New Year.

Frost sparkles on roof and

                            bough,

Every field is bright                             The Grand New Year

With moon’s cold light,                       It’s coming,boys,

A million stars burn clear;                  It’s almost here,

Then go to sleep,my dear,                   It’s coming,girls,

For in an hour or so                           The Grand New Year.

The world will be white                      A year to be glad in,

               with snow,                            Not to be sad in,

And you can say,                                A year to live in,

“Oh look,it is New Year’s                  To gain, to give in.

                               Day”.                   A year for trying,

                                                            And not for sighing,

                                                            A year for striving

                                                            And heavy thriving.

                                                            It’s coming,boys,

                                                            It’s almost here,

                                                            It’s coming,girls

                                                            The Grand New Year.

                                       -3-

     Waiting                                                     My Wish

 

(By Leonard Clark)                                   A happy New Year for me,

                                                                  A happy New Year for you,

Long nigts and shorter                              A happy New Year for

                            days,                                                      everyone!

I cannot play outside,                                 That’s what I wish-I do!

The fields are brown and

                              greys ,                                                                      

The furry creatures hide.                             Around the Party Tree

It seems that everything                                                                      

Is waiting for the night                               Singing,dancing,merrily,

When all the earth will sing                       Round the party tree,

And dance, on New Year’s                        Merrily,merrily,merrily

                                 night.                        Round the party tree.

 

The New Year                                            The Snow-Man

 

(By M.C.Davies)                                      I wish  I were a snow-man,

                                                                  so tall and big and white,

Fill the New Year with                             I’d never have to clean my teeth

             Friendliness                                or go to bed at night.

And little loving deeds,                            But maybe Mister Snow-Man

And you will have the                              is wishing he were me,

          gladdest  year                                For I’ll be here when summer

That anybody needs!                                                                 comes,

                                                                  But where will the snow-man

A happy New Year                                                                        be?

 

A happy New Year!                                          I Like

The day is so clear,                                               

The snow is so white.                       I like to ski and skate in winter,

The sky is so bright                          I like to ski and skate in winter,

We shout with all                            I like to ski and skate every winter.

                   might:                          And so do all of us.

“A Happy                                       And so do all of us.

            New

                   Year!”

                                        -4-

New Year Day                                                    The   Runaway 

                                                                                  Snow-Man

New Year days are white with snow,

The winds are laughing as they blow.                  One winter’s day

Across the ponds and lakes we glide,                  When clowds hung low,

And over the drifting snow we ride,                    I made a snow-man

And down the hills we gaily slide,                      In the snow.

    For it is winter weather.                                 He stayed with me

                                                                            All next day.

We can skate                                                      The sun came out:

                                                                             He ran away.

Look at the snow!                                                  

   Look at the snow!                     

Let’s take our sleds,                                                 Winter

        And go!                                                          Out of doors

Up the hill we walk slow,slow,                             Chill winter reigns.

And drag our red sleds in the snow;                     Richard draws

But once at the top of the hill,we know                On the window pains

That like the wind they’ll go,go,go,                     

Whizzing down,down,below.                               Through each one

                                                                             What does he see?

                                                                             The orange sun

We can skate                                                       And a black tree.

 

Lessons are over,away we run                                     Sky

Gaily to ski through the snow.                         

What fun!                                                           Grey is the sky

Many are off to the pond to skate,                     And the wind is chill;

They all go together,and none are late.            Icicles hang

Nelly can dance on the ice like fairy!               From the window-sill.

Adie cuts figures,and so does Mary,                 Gone is the swing

Ann is the best,like the wind she goes,              From the tree bough,

Petr is clumsy and falls on his nose.                 Nobody plays

                                                                          In the garden now.

             On Skis                                                Only the robin,

We are running on my skis.                              With breast of red,

White and silver stand the trees                       Sits and waits

I’m as quick as quick can be.                           For his crumbs of bread.

Try to catch me.One,two,three!    -5-

          Snow                                                   Snow

 

Look at all the snow                            What a soft little sound

Falling gently down,                          The rain makes on the ground!

Falling on the houses                         What a soft, soft little sigh

All around the town.                          The wind makes passing by!

 

Listen to the wind                              But can you hear the snow

Blowing all the snow,                        As it flies to the world below?

Blowing round the houses                Oh,no!We can not hear rthe snow.

All down the row

                                                           

    Snowflakes                                              Jack   Frost        

 

Snowflakes are falling                        Jack Frost!He comes a-creeping

Drifting down,                                    Jack Frost!He comes a-peeping.

Whirling and sweeping,                     He nips at your fingers,

Making no sound.                              He nips at your nose,

                                                           He nips at your knees

Softly they settle,                               And he nips at your toes.

Melting away,                                   When his hands on you he’ll lay,

Living and dying                               Then it’s time you ran away.

All in one day.

 

    Snowflakes                                                Snow-man

 

Watch the tiny snowflakes                  We made some lovely snowballs

Softly drifting by,                               And rolled them down the hill.

Like a cloud of feathers                     We turned them

Falling from the  sky.                                     into snow-man

Lightly,very lightly,                           And stood them all quite still

Making not a sound,                         The sun came out to watch them

Snowflakes form a blanket               And,

On the frozen ground.                            when  we went next day,

And tomorrow morning,                   All our

When the sun is bright,                               lovely snow-men

I will see my garden                          Had melted right away.

Dressed in shining white.               

                                        -6-

          Riddles about Winter.

 

This is the season                            You can’t hear me, but you

When mornings are dark                Can see me all around;

And birds do not sing                      Falling softly from the sky,

In the wood and the park.               I’m white upon the grownd.

                (Winter)                           What am I?

                                                                      (Snow)

 

This is the season                             Whether I’m coming

When children ski                            or whether I’m going,

And Father Frost                             I sing a song

Brings the New Year tree.              When  I’m blowing.

                 (Winter)                                         (The wind)

 

 

He comes at night                           The little old woman

(or so they say!                               Has twelve children:

Does his work)                               some short,some long,

And goes away.                              some cold,some hot.

 (Father Frost)                                         (A year)

 

 

It’s silver by night                       He came to us

By day it’s white,                        before New Year.

It’s cold and soft,                        A healthy,merry fellow.

It falls from aloft.                       But every day he loses

    (Snow)                                        his weight

                                                     And in a year he’ll fade away.

                                                              (Calendar)

 

 

                                       -7-

What year lasts only one day?  (The New Year)

 

 

There are twelve brothers,

Who march in single file,

But never overtake one another.(Twelve months)

 

 

In what month of the year do we work,eat

and sleep least?(In February)

 

Which month of the year is the shortest?(May.It has only three

letters).

 

 

On what day of the year do children talk least?(On the 22 nd of

December)

 

 

In winter and in summer they stand both in one color.

                                 (Afir-tree and a pine)

 

 

What man cannot live inside the house?

                      (A snowman)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                    -8-

                     Jingle Bells

                    (song)

 

Dashing through the snow

On a one-horse open sleigh,

Over the fields we go,

Laughing all the way;

Bells on bob-tail ring,

Making spirits bright,

What fun it is to ride and sing

A sleighing song tonight,Oh!..

                  Refrain:

                  Jingle bells,jingle bells,

                  Jingle all the way!

                  O what fun it is to ride

                  In a one-horse open sleigh.(twice)

 

A day or two ago,

The story I must tell

I went out on the snow

And on my back I fell;

A gent was riding by

In a one-horse open sleigh,

He laughed as there I sprawling lie,

But  quickly drove away,Oh!..

                   Refrain: