1 . Here are four traditional festivals in Spain.
Saint John’s Eve
Saint John’s Eve is a midsummer celebration being celebrated at the eve of the Feast Day of Saint John the Baptist. According to a legend, Saint John was born six months before Jesus, so the day of Saint John the Baptist was set to be celebrated six months before Christmas. Nowadays, for most people Saint John’s Eve just marks the start of summer.
Festival of Saint Fermin
The festival is held annually in Pamplona, Spain, beginning at noon on July 6 and ending at midnight on July 14, honoring the city’s first bishop and patron saint, Saint Fermin. The festival involves traditions such as running, bullfighting and fireworks.
Fallas in Valencia
This festival involves statues that have been constructed all year round being placed all around Valencia. That is not all. All of the statues at the end of the festival are just burned right in front of everyone’s eyes. It is an annual celebration held in March. During the week of Fallas you will hear a lot of fire crackers exploding and beautiful ladies and girls called falleras being dressed in traditional Spanish dresses.
La Tomatina in Bunol
Have you ever wanted to throw something at someone’s face? Well, La Tomatina festival will let you take out all your frustrations! This crazy tradition started more than 70 years ago and is celebrated every last Wednesday of August in Bunol. In this festival 20,000 people throw tomatoes at each other. For what? You might ask. Just for fun!
1. Why do most people celebrate Saint John’s Eve now?| A．To memorize Jesus. | B．To spread a legend. | C．To mark a season’s start. | D．To honor ancient Romans. |
| A．About five days. | B．Nearly nine days. | C．Fourteen days. | D．Two months. |
| A．Saint John’s Eve. | B．Festival of Saint Fermin. | C．Fallas in Valencia. | D．La Tomatina in Bunol. |
2 . I experienced the Naadam Festival in China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region for the first time this year. The festival falls on the fourth day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar, usually lasting for three days. Naadam means “games” in Mongolian, and it is represented by three events: horse racing, wrestling, and archery, which are all so exciting to watch!
On the first day, I set off to the games early with my friend Burin. I saw a lot of people wearing fancy Mongolian robes. Some were feeding their horses, some were practising archery, and others were chatting or taking photographs. Burin told me that Mongolians travel every year from near and far to attend the festival, just as their ancestors had done for centuries.
After the opening ceremony and some amazing performances,the wrestling competition began. Mongolian wrestling is different from the wrestling in the Olympic Games. There are no rounds,and wrestlers are not separated by weight. The wrestler loses if any part of his body above his knee touches the ground. After singing some songs, the competitors danced onto the green field, waving their arms in the air as if they were eagles. I was quite moved by their show of strength and grace.
I absolutely enjoyed the archery, too, but the horse races were my favourite part. However, I was surprised to see that the riders were boys and girls! I heard it is because children are lighter and the horses can run faster and farther. At first, I was a little worried about the children’s safety, but Burin said, “Don’t worry. They’ve been riding horses all their lives. They’ll be just fine.” That was the moment I started to understand why people say “Horses are at the heart of Mongolian culture”. ...
I’m finally back home now, feeling really tired, but celebrating Naadam with my friend was totally worth it. He invited me back for the winter to stay in a traditional Mongolian tent and eat hot pot. I can’t wait!
1. How long does the Naadam Festival last?| A．2 days. | B．3 days | C．4 days. | D．5 days. |
| A．has a long history | B．only allows men to take part in |
| C．has only three events | D．falls on the fifth day of the sixth month |
| A．Archery | B．Wrestling | C．Horse racing | D．The opening ceremony |
| A．Amazing | B．Horrible | C．Graceful | D．Outstanding |
3 . Dragon Boat Festival abroad
The Dragon Boat Festival, or Duanwu, is marked on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. Similar festivals abroad include Tango no Sekku in Japan and the Gangneung Danoje Festival in South Korea.
1. Japan
Originally, the Duanwu Festival was called Tango no Sekku in Japan and celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month on the lunar calendar. However, the festival became a Children's Day, which was designated as a national holiday by the Japanese government in 1948. It is celebrated for children’s personalities and their happiness.
2. South Korea
Falling on the May 5 in the Chinese lunar calendar—the day of China's Dragon Boat Festival, South Korea's Gangneung Danoje has the longest history among Korean local festivals and its main purpose is to honour the guardian spirit of a mountain that protects the town, pray for peace among the town and its families as well as farming prosperity.
Festival celebrations consist of shamanistic rituals, folk dances and songs, oral narrative poetry and various popular pastimes. The Nanjang market is another festival element, where local products and handicrafts are sold and contests, games and circus performances take place.
3. Other countries
Nowadays, the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated in some Western countries with activities such as dragon boat racing and eating zongzi.
Participants compete on the water during the fourth Steveston Dragon Boat Festival held at Richmond, Canada, Aug 24, 2013.
1. What is Tango no Sekku celebrated for?| A．The dragon boat racing. |
| B．The origin of the festival. |
| C．Children’s characters and their joy. |
| D．Remembering a famous person like Quyuan. |
| A．Writing poetry. | B．Dancing and singing |
| C．Making a handicraft | D．Playing circus performances |
| A．To show history of Dragon Boat Festival. |
| B．To discuss the meaning of Dragon Boat Festivals. |
| C．To compare different Dragon Boat Festivals. |
| D．To introduce Dragon Boat Festivals abroad. |
