ESL WORKSHEET - Celebrations and Religion

LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH TEACHERS

ORIGINS OF CHRISTMAS

LinguaHouse
Nov. 23, 2022

Level: Intermediate (B1-B2)
Type of English: General English
Tags: Celebrations and Special; Events; People and Places; Society and Change; Celebrations and Commemorations; Religions and Religious Activities; 16-18 Years Old; 18+ Years Old Article Based
Publication date: 11/23/2022

In this lesson, students read about the pre-Christian origins of Christmas and learn some interesting facts about how the winter solstice was celebrated in Europe. The worksheet rounds off with a speaking activity in which students talk about traditions in their own countries.

• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audio in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audio in British English.

AUDIO TRANSCRIPT

Where did Christmas really come from? The pre-Christian origins of Christmas

The winter solstice is a special period that marks the shortest day of the year. In the northern hemisphere it occurs around December 21-23. Before Christianity, this was a time of celebration for pagan cultures in Europe. When Christian rulers converted pagans to Christianity, they allowed them to keep most of their important holidays to make the transition easier. However, the festivals were renamed and changed slightly. And they became Christian holidays. The date or season of Jesus’ birth is not mentioned in the Bible, and people started to celebrate his birthday in the Fourth Century, in Rome and at the time of the winter solstice.
Historically, the Christmas period was not a time of giving gifts. Gift giving started to become a Christmas tradition only in the 19th Century. Before then, it was custom in some cultures to give gifts on New Year’s Eve to celebrate the coming year. Here are some more interesting facts about the Christmas period before Christianity:
- The winter solstice was a time for feasting, drinking, and enjoyment. According to historians, this was a natural time for a feast. The harvest work was finished for the year, and there was nothing left to do.
- In Northern Europe, people slaughtered animals in order to cook the meat and use the blood to decorate people and statues of their gods and goddesses.
- On December 24th, many people celebrated Mother’s Night or ‘Modraniht’. This was a special feast in honor of mothers, grandmothers and goddesses.
- On December 17-23, the ancient Romans celebrated the festival of Saturnalia in honor of the god Saturn. During this time, normal rules were overturned: gambling was permitted, and masters served food and drink to their slaves.
- During the winter solstice, people brought evergreen trees into their homes. Evergreen trees symbolized life and fertility as they remained green and healthy throughout the long winters.

Adapted from: https://www.linguahouse.com/esl-lesson-plans/business-english/present-review-business-version. Accessed on December 23, 2022. © 2008–2022 LinguaHouse.com. All rights reserved.