Traditional decorations
Evergreen
Evergreen is a symbol of life and is taken from the old mid-winter festival which encourages the return of sun which is another reason why the British often use holly, mistletoe and ivy to deacorate their houses.
Mistletoe:
The Druids, who lived in Britain in pre- Christian times, are responsible for the use of mistletoe at Christmas.They worshipped the oak tree and as mistletoe grew on oak trees they regarded it as a very special plant and thought it posessed magical qualities that kept the sleeping oak alive during the cold winter days. They believed chopping down an oak tree covered in mistletoe promised death to the woodcutter within the year.
Kissing under the mistletoe:
The Druids dedicated mistletoe to the Goddess of Love, which explains the kissing that goes on under it. Originally, when a boy kissed a girl, he plucked a berry from the cluster and presented it to her. When the berries were gone, so were the kisses.
Exercise:Read the text again carefully and check any unknown words on Word Web. Try to answer the following questions without looking at the text again!
Mistletoequiz (htm, 50 KB)
Evergreen is a symbol of life and is taken from the old mid-winter festival which encourages the return of sun which is another reason why the British often use holly, mistletoe and ivy to deacorate their houses.
Mistletoe:
The Druids, who lived in Britain in pre- Christian times, are responsible for the use of mistletoe at Christmas.They worshipped the oak tree and as mistletoe grew on oak trees they regarded it as a very special plant and thought it posessed magical qualities that kept the sleeping oak alive during the cold winter days. They believed chopping down an oak tree covered in mistletoe promised death to the woodcutter within the year.
Kissing under the mistletoe:
The Druids dedicated mistletoe to the Goddess of Love, which explains the kissing that goes on under it. Originally, when a boy kissed a girl, he plucked a berry from the cluster and presented it to her. When the berries were gone, so were the kisses.
Exercise:Read the text again carefully and check any unknown words on Word Web. Try to answer the following questions without looking at the text again!
Mistletoequiz (htm, 50 KB)
pantemonia - 16. Jan, 10:59
