Yes, today is Chinese New Year’s Eve, which is the most important meal for Chinese families to come together and enjoy. This year, the lunar New Year lies on February 19th, which is the start of the 15 day festivities of the Chinese New Year’s. In reality though, the festive atmosphere starts a few days or weeks before the Chinese New Year starts. Many people will take time off to go back to their home town to celebrate the holiday with their family. Buying tickets to get on an airplane, train or bus can be quite difficult, and even if you were lucky enough to get a ticket, the journey will be a stressful one. Here is a BBC report on just how stressful this journey home is for many people.
To find out about the many traditions and history of the holiday, visit the History channel website here and see where this holiday all began and how it has evolved over the years. Food definitely plays a key part of this holiday, and many of the foods are carefully selected for their meaning during the holiday. Oh, and the fireworks! The fireworks start early on New Year’s Eve, and gets very intense around midnight. It is very appropriate that fireworks was invented in China, and is still being used by young and old alike.
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Yesterday we celebrated Presidents’ Day, but did you know that this holiday was originally called Washington’s Birthday? America’s first president was actually born on February 22nd but to make a long-weekend for this holiday, Congress decided to bring this celebration together with Abraham Lincoln’s birthday (February 12th), and make it on official holiday that always falls on Monday. To learn more and to test your knowledge about the US presidents, visit this page:
What could be the theme of our idioms this week if not love? Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, so let’s learn some love-related idioms! to be smitten with someone – to be completely captivated by someone E.g. Joe is completely smitten with his new neighbor. He can barely talk when she is around. Gianna can’t stop talking about her new boyfriend – she is totally smitten with him. to take one’s breath away – when you have such attraction towards someone that you almost find it difficult to breathe E.g. When I saw my fiancée walking down the aisle, she took my breath away. Jane takes his new boyfriend’s breath away every time he sees her. to have a crush on someone – to have romantic feelings for someone E.g. Steve had a crush on Ava for years before he built up the courage to ask her out. I have such a crush on the lead actor in this new show! He is so handsome. to hit it off: to instantly get along well with a person from the first meeting E.g. Bill and Teri hit it off from the beginning and have been together for a decade now. I hope you hit it off with your blind date tonight! He is a really nice guy! to be lovey-dovey: to express love in public by kissing, hugging and touching E.g. It’s good to see how much in love they are! They’re so lovey-dovey, it makes others jealous. She is very lovey-dovey with Joey but sometime this makes him feel uncomfortable. to pop the question: to ask somebody to marry you E.g. When do you think James is going to pop the question to Maria? She can’t wait to get married. Congratulations! I’ve heard that Mark popped the question last night. Let me see the ring! to tie the knot: to get married E.g. When are you and Steve going to tie the knot? – This year, but we haven’t set a date yet. We tied a knot when we were in our early twenties and we have been happily married ever since. |
AuthorTeam of Hansa One Directors, Trainers and Instructors sharing experiences and interests on all things cultures and languages. Archives
January 2019
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