Cheering, dancing and singing, local people and tourists gathered around the fire during the Torch Festival of the Yi People in Bijie’s Hezhang county, Guizhou, on Aug 12. The festival was listed     1    a national intangible cultural heritage in 2011.

Though there are many     2    (describe) of the origin of the festival, it mostly relates to the natural worship of fire. For the early Yi people who lived in high-altitude-mountainous-areas, fire     3    (be) essential to light, warm, and cook food. There was     4    old practice: Before bringing animal meat into the home, a small fire must first be lit outside the door and the meat should     5    (smoke) on the fire to drive away filth. That’s     6    the Yi people have a proverb that says, “Everything you eat must ‘see’ fire.” In farming, they used to light     7    (pile) of branches and leaves and bury them in the ground later,     8    (use) them to fertilize the land.

The Yi people used to celebrate the festival as a way to pray for a good harvest and to drive away evil from their home and farmland. Today, it has become a     9    (society) event, through     10    the Yi people not only share their joy and thanks for their good life, but also get more people to understand their lifestyle and traditions.

Christmas Day, the 25th of December, is the biggest festival that     1     (celebrate) in the Christian countries of the world. Now many of the customs and celebrations     2     (be) not of a religious nature.

In the large shops, preparations for Christmas     3     (make) by the actual day. Shop owners like Christmas because it is a time when people exchange presents. This means more goods     4     (buy) than at any other time of the year. In larger towns decorations     5     (put) up in the main streets two or three weeks before Christmas usually these decorations     6     (light) up at night.

Preparations are also made at home. Special puddings and cakes are eaten on Christmas Day and these have     7     (make) three or four weeks in advance. Two or three days before Christmas people decorate their houses with paper decorations and leaves and ranches. People also like to have a Christmas tree in the living room.

Although everyone enjoys Christmas Day, it is particularly enjoyed by children, who get very excited because of the presents which     8     (receive). Small children believe that their presents are brought by Father Christmas, a kind old man who, the children     9     (tell), lives at the North Pole. He travels through the sky on a sledge which is pulled by reindeer and loaded with presents. Stopping on the roofs of the houses, he enters by climbing down the chimney. When small children go to bed on Christmas Eve, they hang a stocking at the end of their beds. Their parents warn them not to try to look at Father Christmas or he will not leave them anything. When they wake up, they find their stockings     10     (fill) with presents. Children are very excited on Christmas morning and always wake up early.

At a traditional wedding here in my country, the most important stages (阶段)     1     (be) the ceremony and the reception (a large formal party). Family and friends     2     (give) jobs and responsibilities and have to help at different times of the day. These include the best man, the bride’s (新娘的) father,     3     the bridesmaids.

    4     (traditional), the groom ( 新 郎 ) shouldn’t see the bride’s dress before the wedding ceremony. The best man should be the groom’s best friend and has many important responsibilities. He has to accompany (陪同) the groom to the ceremony and mustn’t forget     5     (bring) the rings. He also has to give a speech. This is usually about the groom, but it shouldn’t be too     6     (embarrass) for him.

The bridesmaids have to help the bride on her wedding day. After the ceremony, the bride should throw a bouquet of     7     (flower) over her shoulder.

After the ceremony, there is usually a party     8     (call) the “reception”. All the guests    9     go to the reception should bring a gift for the bride and groom. At the reception, the bride and groom and their families have to line up and welcome the guests and     10     is usually the bride’s father who gives a speech after the meal.

Festivals can    1    people’s wishes, beliefs and    2    . They are celebrated all around the world. In    3    of different forms of celebrations, they have a lot in common. For example, every country celebrates harvest festival, when people show that they are    4    for the year’s supply of food. However, with the development of modern society, some traditions may    5    away. Some believe festivals should not be commercialized. Others think it’s good for economy and public happiness. We hope people will take our festival seriously.

How is everything going? I am writing to invite you to participate in     1     (被庆祝的事情) for the first Chinese Farmers’ Harvest Festival in my hometown. It will be held on the square from September 22 to September 24.

The local government will host     2     (令大家都满意的活动) for the festival, such as folk culture performances, tasty food tasting and sightseeing. If it is convenient to you, you are welcome to visit my hometown. I believe that     3     (不管你怎样做) will leave you a deep impression on the festival.

Best wishes.

Yours,

Li Hua