B2 - C1 Winter Festivals

Warm up

1. What festivals or special occasions have you heard about that take place in winter?

2. Have you ever taken part in any winter festivals?

3. Is there any winter festival that you would like to attend?

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Key vocabulary

Part A: Match the words on the left to the definitions on the right.



important in religion

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come together

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be different in the same situation
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ideas or theories that a system of beliefs is based on
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remember something officially by having a public event

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an amount of something that is available for use
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think about something seriously for a long time
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represent something

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Open Ended

Part B: Now, write your sentences using vocabulary.

1. gather (v) principles (n) vary (v) symbolise (v)

3. supply (n) holy (adj.) commemorate (v) meditate (v)

​Before you read

You are going to read an article about winter festivals and celebrations around the world.


Before you read, match the words to make sentences about the festivals.


Then scan the text on the next page to check your answers.

Drag and Drop

is held in Iran.
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Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

St. Nicholas Day

Bodhi Day

Kwanzaa

Omisoka

Shab-e Yalda

Hanukkah

Drag and Drop

takes place in Japan.
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Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

St. Nicholas Day

Bodhi Day

Kwanzaa

Omisoka

Shab-e Yalda

Hanukkah

Drag and Drop

is a Jewish festival.
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Placeholder

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

St. Nicholas Day

Bodhi Day

Kwanzaa

Omisoka

Shab-e Yalda

Hanukkah

Drag and Drop

is an African American celebration.

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Placeholder

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

St. Nicholas Day

Bodhi Day

Kwanzaa

Omisoka

Shab-e Yalda

Hanukkah

Drag and Drop

is celebrated in parts of Europe.
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Placeholder

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

St. Nicholas Day

Bodhi Day

Kwanzaa

Omisoka

Shab-e Yalda

Hanukkah

Drag and Drop

is observed by Buddhists.​

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Placeholder

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

St. Nicholas Day

Bodhi Day

Kwanzaa

Omisoka

Shab-e Yalda

Hanukkah

Winter festivals

Celebrations around the world

A. Hanukkah

Hanukkah is a Jewish celebration that lasts for eight days and nights each year, and is held during either November or December. Candles are lit on a special holder called a menorah, which has nine branches. Each night, the candle on the top branch is used to light the rest, until the final night. Hanukkah honours the Jews’ fight to win religious freedom, 2,500 years ago. Greek-Syrians had taken control of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. When the Jewish rebel armies took it back, they wanted to rededicate the temple. They only had one day’s supply of pure olive oil for the ceremony, but they needed more. However, the oil eventually burned for eight days. People eat fried foods such as doughnuts and potato pancakes during this time, and they play a game with a spinning top called a dreidel.

B. St. Nicholas Day

St. Nicholas Day is celebrated in many European countries on the 6th of December, the anniversary of his death. Nicholas of Myra was the real-life inspiration for the tradition of Santa Claus/Father Christmas. He spent most of his life helping people in need, by giving them gifts and money. Traditions on the day vary across different countries, with children in the Netherlands putting out clogs filled with hay for St. Nicholas’ horse. In other countries, children put out empty shoes, hoping they will be filled with gifts.

C. Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa was created in 1966 in the US by African studies professor Mualana Kareng. It is based on ancient African festivals, and it is celebrated from the 26th of December to the 1st of January. The name means ‘first fruits of the harvest’, and it aims to reconnect people with African culture. Each day is dedicated to a different principle, such as unity or faith. Millions of African Americans dress in special costumes during the festival and decorate their homes with fruits and vegetables.

D. Omisoka

Omisoka is celebrated on New Year’s Eve in Japan, when people prepare to start the new year with a clean slate by cleaning their homes and removing clutter. At 11pm people gather to have a meal of toshikoshi noodles for the last time in the year, and to finish watching the Red vs. White singing contest, which can last for over four hours. It is considered bad luck to make food in the first few days of the new year, so a lot is made on the last day of the year. People visit shrines at midnight, where a large iron bell is rung 108 times, to symbolise the desires that created human suffering.

E. Shab-e Yalda

Shab-e Yalda is a festival celebrated on the ‘longest and darkest night of the year’. In the Iranian Northern Hemisphere, this day is the 21st of December – the Winter Solstice. Customs performed on this day were originally to protect people from evil, as bad spirits were thought to be at their peak at this time. People were told to stay awake for most of the night, and they also gathered in groups for safety. Today, people come together to eat, drink and read poetry until long after midnight.

F. Bodhi Day

Buddhists usually celebrate Bodhi Day on the 8th of December, to commemorate the day that Siddhartha sat under a special tree to meditate and then achieved enlightenment. What he realised became the principles of modern Buddhism. People often decorate a tree in their homes with lights to mark the occasion, and they serve cookies shaped like the tree’s leaves. For many people, the day is an opportunity to meditate on the life of Buddha.

Checking understanding

Decide if the statements are true or false.

Be ready to explain your answers.

Multiple Choice

1. A menorah holds small tree branches.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

St. Nicholas Day is celebrated on the day that the saint died.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Kwanzaa is a festival for people to get back in touch with a traditional way of life.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

The Red vs. White singing contest during Omisoka is over very quickly.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Shab-e Yalda is celebrated on the day with the least amount of daylight.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Bodhi Day is to celebrate the birth of Buddha.

• True

• False

​Answers

1. False. "Candles are lit on a special holder called a menorah, which has nine branches. "

2. True. "St. Nicholas Day is celebrated in many European countries on the 6th of December, on the anniversary of his death."

3. True. "...it aims to reconnect people with African culture."

4. False. "...the Red vs. White singing contest, which can last for over four hours. "

5. True. "Shab-e Yalda is a festival celebrated on the ‘longest and darkest night of the year’."

6. False. "Buddhists usually celebrate Bodhi Day on the 8th of December, to commemorate the day that Siddhartha sat under a special tree to meditate and then achieved enlightenment."

​Talking point

1. Have you ever taken part in any of these festivals? What was the experience like?

2. Which of these festivals do you think you would like to experience? Why?

3. Do you have any different festivals in your country at this time of year? What happens at these festivals?