Вікі-стаття на тему "Halloween – a new or an old tradition?"

Назва проекту

Halloween – a new or an old tradition?

Автори проекту

Аuthors of the project: A group of students of the 7th grade

Тема дослідження

Topic of the research: Old and new traditions of Halloween celebration in the English-speaking countries.

Проблема дослідження

Problem of the research: Old and new Halloween traditions in the English-speaking countries.

Гіпотеза дослідження

Hypothesis of the research: If we know Halloween traditions in the English-speaking countries, then we will get better understanding of native speakers' psychology.

Мета дослідження

Aim of the research: to determine the relationships between the cultural background of Halloween celebration in the English-speaking countries and the native speakers' psychology.

Результати дослідження

Results of the research:

Our group has conducted a survey among the 7th grade students(100 persons) of our gymnasia and has found out that:

 100% know about the existence of Halloween as a holiday;

 5% know when and where the holiday originated;

 80% know exactly when this festival is celebrated;

 20% know the approximate date of Halloween celebration;

 20% have some idea of Halloween legends;

 95% are familiar with the main symbols of Halloween;

 55% have taken part in Halloween celebrations;

 35% know some superstitions about Halloween;

 30% have ever made Jack-o-Lanterns;

 25% have ever put on dressings for Halloween.

This information can be used to help our teachers develop a plan of extra-curriculum work aimed at providing our students with more information about Halloween celebrations in the UK and in the USA. Our group has also found out that a majority of students studying in our gymnasia are willing to take part in Halloween celebrations. Also, our classmates have agreed that knowing more about ways of life of native speakers, including their holidays and traditions, will add up to better understanding British and American students.

Висновки

Conclusion: The project has investigated the history and traditions of Halloween celebrations in the United Kingdom and in the USA. The present survey has been carried out to evaluate how much students of our gymnasia know about customs and traditions of Halloween. The results of this investigation show that holidays and festivals of the English-speaking countries should be focused more as knowing other cultures helps a person learn what life is like around you; in addition, people tend to fear what they do not know. A reasonable approach to tackle this issue could be to spend more hours studying about holidays in the English-speaking countries both at the lessons and after school, organizing wallpaper displays and performances.

Корисні ресурси

• http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/halloween/Halloween.htm • http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Halloween.html • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween • http://www.pumpkinpatchesandmore.org/halloweenglobal.php • http://www.inventhelp.com/Halloween-Inventions.asp • http://baking.about.com/od/miscellaneous/a/ghostedletter.htm - Полякова С.Є., Рижих Н.І. Англійськамова 365 днів на рік. English All Year Around. - Донецьк: ТОА ВКФ "БАО", 2006 . - 272 с. - Carolyn Bradshaw. This is Britain. Oxford university press, 2007. – 40p.