Диалог на тему "Русские традиции"

- Hello, Ann. How are you today? You see I need a piece of advice. The matter is that I was invited to a birthday party, but I don’ t know Russian traditions of celebrating your birthday. Is there anything special?

- Hello, Jim. A party is great way to spend your time. Well, I can’t say that there’s something different from other countries. In Russia people usually invite friends, guests usually bring some presents. At the end of the party a birthday cake is eaten , a birthday song is sung. Does it differ from English birthday party?

- Well, not much. In England people don’t usually cook much food. Do you have some sort of our tradition “the bumps”? It’s when a birthday boy is thrown up in the air as many times as many years he is.

- Really? We don’t do so, but we pull a birthday boy ‘s ears as many times as many years he is.

- Wow, such a funny tradition. By the way, Ann, can you tell me how do Russian schoolchildren celebrate school-leaving events? In England we usually have a party. Girls wear fancy dresses and guys wear smart suits. A person invites a partner, it may be your friend, school-mate or even neighbor. At the end of the party a queen and a king of school are pronounced.

- There is much common in our country. All the people are also dressed up. The headteacher usually pronounces a speech and gives schoolchildren their school certificates. Then we usually have some concert, a party and after that school-leavers meet sunrise as a symbol of their starting adult life.

- Such a beautiful tradition. I suppose some wedding ceremonies are much more modest sometimes than school-leaving parties.

-That’s it. And tell me, please some wedding traditions in England.

-Wedding… Well a sixpence in a bride’s shoe, something old, something new and something blue. Some pairs should jump over some obstacle before the wedding ceremony. Do Russian wedding pairs jump anywhere?

- Well, no. Our pairs bite from a karavay ( that is festive bread) to decide who will become the head of the family.

- That’s interesting. And tell me about the tradition of letting a cat in the house first. Is it also a wedding tradition?

- Ah, I see. No, we let a cat first in at housewarming parties. A cat should make friends with new house spirits, of course it’s a superstition, but it’s a kind of our national traditions. Do you have some interesting traditions at housewarming parties in England?

- We get a cat’s paws buttered and let it out. If the cat likes a new place, it won’t clean its paws and will come back in. Discussing traditions I’ve completely forgotten about a birthday present for my friend. Will you help me to choose something?

-Sure, Let’s think and choose together. What is he interested in?