1. Прочитайте диалог. Переведите его. Найдите, где описываются национальные символы Луганщины и что это за символы.
Read the dialogue. Translate it. Find where the national symbols of Luhansk Republic are described. What are they?
Lee: Oh, hi! Nice to meet you! What’s your name?
Olga: I am Olga. Nice to meet you too. And what’s your name?
Lee: I am Lee. We have so many people in our tourist group.
Olga: Yes, and I noticed that they are from all over the world. Where are you from?
Lee: I am from Phuket, Thailand, and you?
Olga: I am from Luhansk, Luhansk People Republic.
Lee: Oh, really? I heard about your region. Is it the part of Russia, or your region is independent?
Olga: Yes, it is the part of Russia, but we have our own symbols and sovereignty.
Lee: Oh, that is interesting, tell me about your symbols.
Olga: We have our national flag, emblem and anthem.
The national flag of Luhansk People's Republic is a rectangular panel of three equal horizontal stripes: the upper one is blue, the middle one is dark blue and the lower one is red. The ratio of the width of the flag to its length is 2:3. The colors of the flag mean the following:
Blue is the color of the Mother of God. It symbolizes her heavenly purity and purity. Blue is also a color of high energy, which corresponds to the idea of the power of the Holy Spirit and His actions.
Dark blue means constancy, perseverance, perseverance, dedication, seriousness and rigor.
Red represents power, breakthrough, the will to win, and the achievement of goals.
Lee: Oh, and the emblem?
Olga: The national coat of arms is a distinctive sign, the official emblem of the state, depicted on banners, seals and some official documents. Bread is the head of everything, so the Coat of Arms of the LPR is framed by ears of wheat. It is not only a symbol of free labor, but also a symbol of the sun, the personification of the viability of the state, its prosperity. Oak leaves are the emblem of protection and defense. The image of an oak branch is a symbol of military strength and valor. The five–pointed star is a symbol of health, its five rays are the five senses of a person. For Luhansk region, the five-pointed star is also a symbol of connection with the history of the native land, the exploits of ancestors who defended their fatherland in wars. The eight–pointed star is the star of Russia, or the Russian Star, the star of the Virgin, which received the name of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called in the Christian period. The ears of bread on the coat of arms are wrapped with ribbons of the color of the National flag of the LPR.
Lee: That is amazing. And what other symbols do you have?
Olga: We also have the national anthem, but I will better send you the link to it, so that you can listen to it yourself. It is very beautiful and very encouraging.
Lee: Wow, thanks a lot, that was so interesting. And if you want, I will tell you about the symbols of my country, after the excursion is over.
Olga: Of course, I will be very glad to know that!
2. Прочитайте и переведите текст. Составьте таблицу национальных праздников и обычаев на Луганщине. Внесите такие данные:
Read and translate the text. Make a table, and input there certain data:
Название (name)
Время проведения (when is it held)
Что отмечается (what is celebrated)
Как проходит празднование (How the action takes place)
Christmas is a holiday celebrated on the shortest day of the year. The holiday begins on January the 6, on the Holy Evening. On this day, people create images of wealth, happiness, peace and tranquility in their homes. In old times the houses were painted white, hung with towels and dried flowers. The tables were covered with a thin layer of fragrant hay and snow-white tablecloths. On the "pokuta" (the corner under the images) they put a high bunch of rye and made a nest of hay, into which they put kutya and uzvar (kutya is a memorial dish, uzvar is a ceremonial drink that was given to the mother on the first day of the child's life). According to popular belief, evil forces begin to rule on Christmas Eve. In this regard, all kinds of amulets were used, including magic spells and medicinal herbs. On the first day of Christmas, after the solemn liturgy in the church, carolers appeared on the streets. Carolers congratulated all their friends on Christmas and New Year, wished them health, happiness and a good harvest.
The feast of the Epiphany concluded the Yuletide. Just as in our time, it was celebrated in memory of the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Forerunner in the waters of the Jordan River. This holiday is also called Epiphany, because during the baptism of Jesus Christ, a dove flew down from heaven – it was the Holy Spirit – and the voice of God rang out, saying that Jesus Christ is His beloved Son. Water is consecrated in churches for Baptism. Orthodox Christians still have the custom of bringing holy water home and keeping it carefully. They drink this water, wash with it, considering it curative, sprinkle it on the house.
Maslenitsa is a holiday marking the beginning of economic abundance and farewell to winter. The rituals of Shrovetide week were designed to help the sun move in a circle and accelerate the end of winter. Therefore, on Shrovetide they rode around the village on horseback, burned a wheel (the symbol of the sun) on a pole, and pancakes in the form of a solar disk were served on the table. Straw dolls of Maslenitsa were burned on Shrovetide bonfires. The farewell of winter was accompanied by singing, 90 Cultural Studies and Art History Cultural Sciences and Art History ritual laughter and buffoonery. Laughter was an affirmation of life, spring and warmth. There was a tradition to bake round, yellow, sun-like pancakes. Horse-drawn sledding and sleigh rides from the icy mountains, fist fights, and "mother-in-law gatherings" were traditional. Maslenitsa rituals are very unusual and interesting, it serves both as the end of the winter festive ritual period and the beginning of a new spring period of holidays and rituals that should contribute to a bountiful harvest.
Easter is the largest, most joyful and at the same time the most ancient Christian holiday, celebrating the resurrection of Christ, was celebrated with special solemnity. Easter was celebrated by believers on the first Sunday after the vernal equinox and full moon (from March 22 to April 25, old style). On the eve of Easter, all-night services were held in all churches, and processions were held around the temple. At this time, traditional cakes are already baked in every house. In the morning, believers go home with treats, giving each other colored eggs, saying at the same time: "Christ is risen!" – "Truly risen!". This custom of greeting-congratulations, was called "Christening". Christian Easter lasts for seven days and is called Holy Week or Weekday.
The feast of Ivan Kupala. According to legend, on this day the sun bathed in the water, sanctifying it and giving it cleansing and healing properties. People believed that on this day plants talk to each other and move from place to place. Even the ferns that don't bloom bloom that night. Since medicinal herbs have healing properties at this time of the year, people went to the forest before sunrise to collect raw materials for medicinal herbs. On the night of June 23-24, people celebrated this mysterious, but at the same time lively and joyful holiday. It is full of ritual actions, rules and prohibitions, songs, all kinds of signs, fortune telling, legends and beliefs. On this day, people put on a flower belt and placed wreaths of herbs on their heads, danced, sang songs, lit bonfires, in the middle of which they put a pole with a burning wheel mounted on it – a symbol of the sun. In the songs that were sung in the villages, Kupala was called loving, clean and cheerful. In the day On Ivan Kupala, the girls made wreaths of herbs and flowers, and in the evening let them float on the water and watched where and how they sailed. If someone's wreath sinks, it means that his betrothed has fallen out of love with its owner and she will not marry him
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