1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

ACROSS

2 buildings, art and traditions that have been

passed down from previous generations

3 temporary accomodation, especially in rooms

to rent

4 a group of people moving in a ceremonial way
5 large socks hung up by children before

Christmas for Santa Claus to fi ll in with gifts

8 mischievous practical jokes
9 thin fl at cakes fried on both sides in a frying

pan

11 a religious ceremony in the Catholic Church
12 a thin piece of bread that people share at

Christmas

DOWN

1 an object for holding a candle
2 long grass that had been cut and dried used

for feeding animals

6 not conected with religion
7 religious songs celebrating the birth of Christ

10 a large animal with humps on its back that

lives in desert regions

12 a net of thin threads a spider makes to catch

insects

©

Macmillan Polska 2011

www.macmillan.pl

P H O TO C O P I A B L E

Student’s Worksheet 1

Christmas

1. Read the clues and check how many answers you can write in the crossword

puzzle.

©

Macmillan Polska 2011

www.macmillan.pl

P H O TO C O P I A B L E

Student’s Worksheet 2

Christmas

2. Read the texts about Christmas and other December festivals. Find the answers for the

crossword puzzle from Student’s Worksheet 1. Write the words in the appropriate places.

Mexicans start Christmas celebrations on 16

th

December with a nine-day festival called Las Posadas. It

commemorates the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem and their search for lodging. During the

festival, people form a procession and visit homes asking for shelter. Each night the procession is invited

into a different house for a Posadas party.

In Poland, Ukraine and Lithuania, there are twelve meatless dishes in the Christmas Eve supper.

According to the Christian tradition, they represent the twelve Apostles. Guests must try each dish.

Before the meal a wafer is broken and shared among the guests. During the evening Christmas

carols are sung. After the supper many people go to church for Midnight Mass.

In Ukraine, artifi cial spiders and webs are often used to decorate the Christmas trees. Finding a real spider’s

web in the house on Christmas morning is believed to bring good luck.

On Christmas Eve evening, British children hang Christmas stockings on their beds or in front of

the fi replace. At night each stocking is fi lled with small gifts. Larger gifts are placed under the

Christmas tree. Children believe that the gifts are brought by Father Christmas. Everybody opens

their gifts on Christmas morning.

In Greece, terrible creatures called Kallikantzaroi are believed to play tricks on people at Christmas.

In order to get rid of them, an old shoe or salt must be burnt as the creatures hate the stench.

Christian children in Syria believe that their gifts are brought by a camel which belonged to one of the

Three Wise Men who visited the baby Jesus in Bethlehem. In the evening Syrian children leave water and

hay outside of their house for the camel. In the morning those offerings are replaced by gifts.

In December, Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights. This holiday lasts

eight days and nights. Each day a candle is lit on a special candlestick called a menorah and then gifts are

exchanged. Children’s favourite snack eaten during Hanukkah are latkes, pancakes made of potatoes and

onions, served with applesauce.

Another December festival is Kwanzaa, which is celebrated by African-American families in the USA.

The festival is secular. It honours African-American heritage and culture. It lasts one week. Traditions

include lighting a candle on each day of the festival, exchanging gifts and having a special meal. Kwanzaa

decorations are black, red or green and they contain traditional African images.

3. Look at the crossword puzzle. Work in pairs and tell each other from memory which

tradition each word is connected with. Do not look at the texts in activity 2.