Carnival is wonderful celebration, full of musicand fun. Here you have some activities to enjoy this festival.
Dictionary Activity – CARNIVAL - working with words
1. What are the main ingredients of a pancake?
2. When is Shrove Tuesday?
3. What is another name for Pancake Day?
4. What do people use to throw their pancakes, in a pancake race?
5. A float is a special carnival vehicle. It has other meanings. Which of these people does not use a float:
a. a swimmer b. a fisherman c. a farmer
6. How do people move in a procession? (an adverb)
7. People wear masks in a carnival. Which of these collocations does not exist?
a. party mask b. death mask c. oxygen mask d. face mask
8. How many days does Lent last?
9. What is Ash Wednesday?
10. Is the word carnival pronounced the same in both US English and British English?
A LISTENING ACTIVITY
Go to this video which talks about British Pancake race and fill in the gaps of the activity (intermediate):
Activity:
1. Lent is a time for _________________ things.
2. Shrove Tuesdays is the day for cleaning out the _________________________.
3. Pancake races appeal to people’s ___________________ nature!
4. Everyone’s got ‘a ___________________ tooth’!
5. People in Britain have been celebrating Pancake Day for __________________ years.
6. The tradition started in ____________________ when a woman ran to church holding a _________________!
7. Donald O’Kelly is planning to give up __________________________ for Lent.
8. Pancake Day is a time to _________________________.
The answers for these exercises are below these other exercises of listening
ANSWER KEY
Dictionary Activity – CARNIVAL
Pancakes are thin cakes made from a batter of milk (or milk and water), eggs and flour which is then cooked in a frying pan or on a griddle until golden brown on both sides. You can buy special pancake pans which are shallow and non-stick with curved sides. French pancakes are made slightly thinner and are called crêpes. Scotch pancakes are small and thick, usually cooked on a griddle and sometimes flavoured with sultanas or raisins. American pancakes are normally served at breakfast. They tend to be light and fluffy, served in generous stacks with bacon and maple syrup. There is also the Russian blini, Chinese pancakes served with Peking duck, Italian crespelle and so on. Pancakes are traditionally eaten in the UK on Shrove Tuesday. ( taken from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/pancake )
2. The day before the beginning of Lent.
3. Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras.
What is Mardi Gras? : Mardi Gras, also known as Shrove Tuesday, Carnival, and even Pancake Day in the UK, is an annual festival which will be celebrated on 21st February in 2012. Falling just before Lent, it traditionally marks the last opportunity for fun and feasting before 40 days of "self-denial". Mardi Gras means "Fat Tuesday" in French (Remember that meat is forbidden during Lent, at least on Friday).
Festivities begin at the beginning of February, leading up to Mardi Gras day, and consist of parades, dancing in the street, costumes and masked balls. The modern Carnival tradition developed in Europe in the Middle ages, and is celebrated mainly in Roman Catholic communities in Europe and the Americas today. Some of the most famous celebrations are held in Nice (France), Cologne (Germany), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and New Orleans (USA)
5. (c) a farmer
6. slowly; instead of “procession” it is more usual the word “parade” (desfile)
7. party mask
8. 40 days; Lent means “Cuaresma”
9. The first day of Lent
10. No /ˈkɑːrnəvəl / (American English); /ˈkɑːnɪvəl/ (British English) But none of them is in plural.
A LISTENING ACTIVITY
1. giving up 2. fridge 3. quirky 4. sweet 5. five hundred 6. 1445 / frying pan
7. pancakes 8. Indulge (Loolk up the words in a dictionary if necessary)
