Темы по английскому.


                  EATING TRADITIONS IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES
      The beginning of the New  Year  is  celebrated  by  many  cultures  on
January 1st. Some celebrations, such as in  the  U.S.,  take  place  on  the
evening before  the  new  year,  featuring  drinking,  sweets,  and  general
frivolity. In Spain and Portugal, it is customary to eat  twelve  grapes  or
raisins at each stroke of the clock at midnight (a  similar  practice  takes
place in the Philippines following the New Year's Eve fiesta meal, but  only
7 grapes are eaten). In Poland, jelly doughnuts (paczki)are  traditional  of
New Year's Eve. In Scotland, New Year's  Eve  is  called  Hogmanay  complete
with festive  partying  and  foods  such  as  triangular  shortbread  (calle
hogmanays), scones,  bannocks,  black  bun,  ginger  bread,  and  haggis,  a
pudding made from sheep's  stomach  stuffed  with  oatmeal  and  innards  is
drenched in Scotch whiskey before it is eaten. It's considered bad  luck  to
propose marriage,  carry  out  the  garbage,  break  any  glass  during  the
evening, and good luck to see a dark-haired person as the first  visitor  of
the new year (originating during the time a blond Viking at the  door  meant
rape and pillage!). Auld Lang Syne, a  Scottish  song  dating  back  to  the
early 1700s, is sung at midnight. In other societies, New Year's day is  the
more significant holiday. In  Russia,  children  receive  gifts  and  ginger
cakes are eaten. In Japan, New Year's  is  a  7-day  festival,  starting  on
January 1st (unlike many Asian cultures  which  use  a  lunar  calendar--see
below--Japan converted to a solar calendar in 1868). Homes are cleaned,  all
debts are cleared, and food is prepared  ahead  for  the  week  so  that  no
cooking is done during the holiday. On New Year's  day,  10  to  20  dishes,
collectively called Osechi ryori, are served on a set of nesting,  lacquered
boxes. Each dish represents a different value  desired  for  the  new  year,
such as fish eggs for fertility, root vegetables for stability, black  beans
for health, kombu (seaweed) for happiness,  and  mashed  sweet  potatoes  to
keep away the evil spirits. Otoso, a special rice wine, is served.  In  many
homes, mochi, a rice cake made by pounding hot rice into a sticky  dough  is
traditional. A Buddhist o sonae mochi may be set up to  preserve  good  luck
and happiness in future generations. It consists of a  large  mochi  on  the
bottom, which is the foundation provided by the older generation. A  smaller
mochi representing the younger generation is placed on top,  followed  by  a
tangerine symbolizing the generations to come. Even in regions of the  world
where there are no elaborate traditions, favorite family dishes  are  served
on new year's day, or "lucky" dishes are eaten. In  Greece,  a  sweet  bread
called vasilopitta is prepared with a coin baked into  it  for  New  Year's.
The person who gets the piece  with  the  coin  in  has  good  luck  in  the
upcoming year. In the  U.S.  South,  black-eyed  peas  (sometimes  known  as
hoppin' johns)  are  traditionally  served  for  luck  on  New  Year's  day.
Throughout much of the world, the beginning of the new year  in  January  is
seen as an opportunity to celebrate life and influence the future!

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12