St Patrick`s Day

4
Festivals
St Patrick’s Day
1
Leggi il brano e rispondi alle domande.
ES
3 What is the symbol of Ireland?
1 Why do so many Americans celebrate
St Patrick’s Day?
4 What is a ceilidh?
2 When is St Patrick’s Day?
5 Why is Saint Patrick so important to Ireland?
Saint Patrick is very important in the USA Why is this? Well, there
are more than 30 million families in America with Irish origins. For
this reason, St Patrick’s Day, on 17th March, is a popular festival in
America.
Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. He died on 17th March.
In many cities there is a big parade on St Patrick’s Day. People wear
shamrocks and paint their faces green. (Green is the national colour
of Ireland and the shamrock is the symbol of Ireland.) On St Patrick’s
Day, many people dye their hair green. In Chicago, they even dye the
river green! They also celebrate with green food and drink.
In the evening you can often listen to Irish music at a ceilidh LF*MJ,
a traditional Irish dance. It’s great fun!
Who was Saint Patrick?
Saint Patrick was born in Roman Britain in the year
AD 387. When he was sixteen, pirates kidnapped
him and sold him as a slave in Ireland. He was there
for about six years and he became very close to
God. In a dream, God told him to return to Britain.
He escaped and went back home. He then went to
France and studied to be a priest. In another dream,
the Irish people asked him to come back. In the year
433, he returned to Ireland and he helped to convert
the Irish people to Christianity.
Glossary
Dancing at a ceilidh
2
parade sfilata
dye tinger(si)
kidnap rapire
close vicino
Ascolta e leggi una canzone
tradizionale irlandese.
4.05
O Danny Boy
O Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side.
The summer’s gone, and all the flowers are dying.
’Tis you, ’tis you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer’s in the meadow
Or when the valley’s hushed and white with snow.
’Tis I’ll be here in sunshine or in shadow.
O Danny boy, O Danny boy, I love you so.
3
escape fuggire
priest sacerdote
convert convertire
Scrivi un breve paragrafo (35 – 50 parole)
su una festività italiana in cui si celebra un
santo. Prima di cominciare, prendi degli
appunti usando le seguenti domande
per aiutarti. ES K
s
s
s
s
What is this saint’s day called?
When is it?
What do you know about the saint?
How do you celebrate it?
DVD 2 Puoi trovare ulteriori informazioni
sulla festa di St Patrick nel Festivals 1 del
DVD.
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