Choose a festival/ celebration from below. Explain it in as much detail as you can so that a foreign person who doesn’t know much about your country would understand. Your partner will just listen. When you finish, your partner will add anything that you missed, add more details, correct anything that you said wrong and/ or ask questions. You can also ask them to do that with questions like “Did I miss anything?”/ “Is there anything else I should say?” Switch roles and do the same with other things below until your teacher stops you.
Suggested questions to ask about a festival or celebration
Are there any special superstitions/ special foods/ special clothes/…?
Do people (still)…?
How often…?
In your town/ area/ region/ prefecture/ ward/ county/ state/ country/…,…?
Is it true that…?
What do people eat/ do/ wear/…?
What do people use… for?
What does… mean?
What happens…?
What is (a)…?
What is special about…?
What is… called?
What is… made from?
What kind of food…?
What’s the difference between… and…?
When do people…?
Who do people do…?
Why do people…?
Ask about anything above which you couldn’t think of how to explain (well), working together as a whole class to explain that thing each time.
| Japanese Xmas and New Year vocabulary | British and American Xmas and New Year vocabulary |
| amazake
bounenkai daruma dondo-yaki ekiden fukubukuro fukuwarai hakama hanetsuki/ hago-ita hatsumode joya-no-kane kadomatsu karuta kazunoko kimono konbu kouhaku uta-gassen kurikinton kuro-mame mochi mochi-tsuki nenga-jo omikuji sechi-ryori shiruko toshi-dama (o-)toso zoni saru-doshi shichi-fuku-jin strawberry “short cake” sugoroku tai takenoko toshi-koshi-soba |
advent calendar
Auld Lang Syne baubles brandy sauce bread sauce Brussel sprouts candlelit service (Xmas) carol chestnuts chocolate coins Christmas crackers cranberry sauce custard date eggnog fairy lights fig goose gravy holly marzipan midnight mass mistletoe mulled wine nativity (scene) nut roast nutcrackers office party parsnip raisin roast stuffing sugared almonds The Queen’s speech tinsel turkey walnuts winter ale wreath Xmas log Xmas pudding Xmas tree |
| Dezome-shiki
enkai/ nomikai “Golden Week” hanami hina matsuri Japanese Valentine’s Day/ “White Day” Japanese-style wedding kanreki kodomo-no-hi natsu matsuri (e.g. Gion matsuri) nyugaku-shiki o-bon Pocky Day Sapporo yuki matsuri seijin no hi setsubun shichigosan sotsuen-shiki tanabata Things related to festivals/ celebrations (aka)-chochin bento bon-odori butsudan/ kamidana chimaki chirashizushi chitose-ame e-ma furisode giri choco gomokuzushi jimbei kakigori kingyo-sukui koi nobori koma mikoshi nebuta nihonshu san-san-kudo taiko tako-yaki teru-teru-bozu tsunokakushi yaki-soba yukata |
Other festivals and celebrations
All Saints Day/ (Mexican) Day of the Dead April Fool’s Day Armistice Day/ Remembrance Day/ War Memorial Day/ Poppy Day Bonfire Night/ Guy Fawkes Night Buddhist festivals Carnival/ Mardi Gras/ Pancake Day Chinese New Year/Lunar New Year Constitution Day/ Independence Day Diwali Easter (Good Friday etc)/ Semana Santa Eid (ul Fitr) Emperor’s birthday/ King’s birthday/ Queen’s birthday Gay Pride Halloween Hanukkah Holi Lent May Day Mother’s Day National holidays/ Bank holidays Oktoberfest Ramadan Running of the Bulls Saint Patrick’s Day Shrove Tuesday/ Pancake Day Teacher’s Day Thanksgiving Tomato Throwing Festival Valentine’s Day
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Try to identify which Japanese festival or celebration, or thing related to one, is being described on each line below.
It’s a ceremony to mark the first day of school.
It’s a cherry blossom viewing party. People usually have a picnic, eating Japanese lunchboxes and drinking rice wine under the cherry blossom trees.
It’s a doll’s festival. Old-fashioned dolls are displayed in the house.
It’s a Japanese lunchbox.
It’s a kind of household shrine, usually with photos of your ancestors. You leave offerings of food and light joss sticks and candles there.
It’s a kind of Japanese carp flag, streamer or kite. It is flown on Children’s Day. The fish looks like it is swimming upstream, which means boys should persevere and not give up. Traditionally families have one for each boy in the family.
It’s a kind of light, summer kimono, like a dressing gown. It’s popular in hotels, hot springs and summer festivals.
It’s a kind of television singing competition, where the men and women are in different teams. It’s traditional New Year television.
It’s a New Year postcard. It’s sent out to many people who you know, similar to Christmas cards.
It’s a portable shrine, usually carried through the streets during summer festivals.
It’s coming of age day, which marks when young people become adults. The young people dress up smartly, often in traditional clothes, and have a ceremony at the town hall/ city hall.
It’s food eaten at New Year, often because it is lucky or has a lucky name.
It’s fried noodles, often sold at street stalls during summer festivals.
It’s shaved ice with sweet toppings, usually eaten at summer festivals.
It’s the first time when people go to a temple or shrine to pray in the New Year. People sometimes burn arrows to take away bad luck.
It’s the year of the monkey, which is one of the twelve years in the Chinese horoscope.
It’s the time when the spirits of your ancestors are supposed to come and visit, a bit like Halloween. People usually clean their ancestors’ graves.
People throw dried beans in their house to take away bad luck. Sometimes someone dresses up as a devil and people throw their beans at the devil. People are also supposed to eat one bean for each year of their lives.
The direct translation is “sweet rice wine”, but it isn’t alcoholic.
The literal translation is “forget the year party”. It’s held at the end of the year, often with colleagues.
Three-year-old, five-year-old and seven-year-old children dress up, usually in traditional clothes, and go to a temple to be blessed.
It’s a kind of chewy, very filling rice cake, made from sticky rice.
It’s a Japanese drum, often a very large one.
It’s a traditional spinning top, spun with a piece of string.
It’s an envelope of money, given as a gift at New Year.
It’s a piece of paper which tells you your fortune for the coming year.
It’s sometimes translated as “drinking party”, but it’s more like just going out for drinks.
It’s a period in late spring with many public holidays near each other.
Similar to a few other countries like South Korea, on this day Japanese men give gifts, preferably of higher value, to women who they received Valentine chocolates from.
Suggested answers
nyugakushiki
hanami
hinamatsuri
bento
butsudan/ kamidana
koi-nobori
yukata
kouhaku uta-gassen
nengajo
mikoshi
seijin-no-hi
sechi-ryori
yaki soba
kakigori
hatsumode
sarudoshi
o-bon
setsubun
amazake
bounenkai
shichigosan
mochi
taiko
koma
toshidama
o-mikuji
nomi-kai
“Golden Week”
“White Day”
Without looking above, work together to describe all of the things above. There are many different ways of explaining each thing.
Underline useful language for describing festivals and celebrations and things associated with them in the descriptions above. Not every sentence has useful language to underline, and some have more than one useful thing to underline. Then brainstorm more generally useful language for this purpose.
Compare your ideas with the list below. Ask about anything you couldn’t use or understand, making a statement using it each time.
It’s a ceremony to mark the first day of school. – nyugakushiki
It’s a cherry blossom viewing party. People usually have a picnic, eating Japanese lunchboxes and drinking rice wine under the cherry blossom trees. – hanami
It’s a doll’s festival. Old-fashioned dolls are displayed in the house. – hinamatsuri
It’s a Japanese lunchbox. – bento
It’s a kind of household shrine, usually with photos of your ancestors. You leave offerings of food and light joss sticks and candles there. – butsudan/ kamidana
It’s a kind of Japanese carp flag, streamer or kite. It is flown on Children’s Day. The fish looks like it is swimming upstream, which means boys should persevere and not give up. Traditionally families have one for each boy in the family. – koi-nobori
It’s a kind of light, summer kimono, like a dressing gown. It’s popular in hotels, hot springs and summer festivals. – yukata
It’s a kind of television singing competition, where the men and women are in different teams. It’s traditional New Year television. – kouhaku uta-gassen
It’s a New Year postcard. It’s sent out to many people who you know, similar to Christmas cards. – nengajo
It’s a portable shrine, usually carried through the streets during summer festivals. – mikoshi
It’s coming of age day, which marks when young people become adults. The young people dress up smartly, often in traditional clothes, and have a ceremony at the town hall/ city hall. – seijin-no-hi
It’s food eaten at New Year, often because it is lucky or has a lucky name. – sechi-ryori
It’s fried noodles, often sold at street stalls during summer festivals. – yaki soba
It’s shaved ice with sweet toppings, usually eaten at summer festivals. – kakigori
It’s the first time when people go to a temple or shrine to pray in the New Year. People sometimes burn arrows to take away bad luck. – hatsumode
It’s the year of the monkey, which is one of the twelve years in the Chinese horoscope. – sarudoshi
It’s the time when the spirits of your ancestors are supposed to come and visit, a bit like Halloween. People usually clean their ancestors’ graves. – o-bon
People throw dried beans in their house to take away bad luck. Sometimes someone dresses up as a devil and people throw their beans at the devil. People are also supposed to eat one bean for each year of their lives. – setsubun
The direct translation is “sweet rice wine”, but it isn’t alcoholic. – amazake
The literal translation is “forget the year party”. It’s held at the end of the year, often with colleagues. – bounenkai
Three-year-old, five-year-old and seven-year-old children dress up, usually in traditional clothes, and go to a temple to be blessed. – shichigosan
It’s a kind of chewy, very filling rice cake, made from sticky rice. – mochi
It’s a Japanese drum, often a very large one. – taiko
It’s a traditional spinning top, spun with a piece of string. – koma
It’s an envelope of money, given as a gift at New Year. – toshidama
It’s a piece of paper which tells you your fortune for the coming year. – o-mikuji
It’s sometimes translated as “drinking party”, but it’s more like just going out for drinks.
It’s a period in late spring with many public holidays near each other.
Similar to a few other countries like South Korea, on this day Japanese men give gifts, preferably of higher value, to women who they received Valentine chocolates from.
Useful language for describing festivals and celebrations
Use similar words to describe other festivals and celebrations, e.g. those in other countries, e.g. British traditions or Chinese festivals.
ancestors
bad luck
bamboo
(formal) banquet
blessing
blossom
to bow
bride
burn/ light
buy
candles
candy/ sweets
card/ postcard
carp
ceremony
chewy rice cake
Chinese horoscope/ Chinese astrology
colleagues/ co-workers
coming of age
cream cake
decorate/ decoration
devil/ demon
display
dress up
extended family
fireworks/ sparklers
flag
flowers
gift/ present
give a speech
good luck
grave
groom
holiday/ public holiday
household shrine
joss sticks
lucky charm
lucky food
kite
made from/ made of
mandarin/ satsuma/ tangerine
mask
myth
New Year’s Day/ New Year’s Eve
offering
office party
official…
party
party poppers
picnic
pine needles
portable shrine
pray
public holiday/ national holiday
raise a toast
religious…
replace
(Japanese) rice wine
romantic
share
shrine
special dish
spirits/ ghosts
spring cleaning
stay up
street food
stall/ street stall
superstition
(Buddhist) temple
traditional clothes/ traditional footwear
traditional game/ traditional sport
traditional music
visit
watch
wear
wedding reception
wish for
Useful phrases for giving translations and explaining meanings
The direct (= literal) translation is…/ Translated word for word it would be…
The normal (= usual) translation for this is…
Although there’s no obvious translation, it could be explained as…
It can be translated as…
In Japan we say this when (we are talking about)…
This is often explained as…
This means (something like)…
Useful phrases for comparing different countries
It has something in common with… but…
It’s a bit like/ something like (the British/ American/ Chinese/ Korean/…) but…
It’s similar to… in (name of country).
This also exists in China/ Korea/ most Asian countries/…
This only exists in Japan (and a couple of other countries) and is…
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