May Day in Great Britain

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May Day in Great Britain
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Tapescript
May Day in Great Britain
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We celebrate the coming of summer on the first day of May. In many
countries the first of May is a festival celebrating labour but originally this day
was a nature festival to celebrate new life and welcome the warmer weather.
During the Middle Ages May day was one of the most important days in the
year. Everybody got up early and went maying. They went into the country to
collect flowers and branches of trees to decorate their homes. Then there
were games and singing and dancing. The most important dance was around
the maypole. People chose a girl from the village to be the queen of the May.
May Day today. In Great Britain May Day is a public holiday. But it is not
always on the first of May. It is on the first Monday in May. It is much less
important than in the Middle Ages, but there are still some traditions. In
traditional maypole dances children dance around the maypole. The
maypole, the ancient symbol of life has many colourful ribbons on it. The
ribbons represent the rays of the sun. You can also see Morris dancing on
May day. This kind of dancing probably came from Spain in the 15th century
but it is a very British tradition now. Morris dancers dance with handkerchiefs
and bells. They move their feet a lot to make the bells ring. This was to wake
up the spirits in the earth after winter.

3.

Match the words to the definitions
May Day in Great Britain
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a) a tall pole, decorated with flowers and ribbons
1. May Day
b) the celebration of May Day, as by collecting flowers
2. Maying
or dancing
c) an English folk dance performed around a tall pole
3. Maypole
4. Maypole dance
5. Morris dance
d) an English folk dance in which, a group of people,
especially men, dance together, wearing special
clothes, decorated with little bells
e) a public labour holiday celebrated on the first of
May

4.

True or False
May Day in Great Britain
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F 1. People in Britain celebrate the coming of summer on the fourth of May.
T 2. In many countries the first of May is a festival celebrating labor.
T 3. Originally the first of May was a nature festival.
T 4. During the Middle Ages on the first of May people got up early and went into the
country to collect flowers and branches of trees to decorate their homes.
F 5. The most important dance during the Middle Ages on the first of May was around the
ribbons.
F 6. In Great Britain May Day is not always on the first of May. It is on the first Tuesday in
May.
T 7. In traditional maypole dances children dance around the maypole.
F 8. The maypole has many colourful bells on it.
T 9. The ribbons on the maypole represent the rays of the sun.
T 10. Morris dancing probably came from Spain in the 16th century but it is a very British
tradition now.
T 11. Morris dancers dance with handkerchiefs and bells.
F 12. Morris dancers move their heads a lot to make the bells ring.
F 13. Morris dancers made the bells ring to wake up the animals in the earth after winter.

5.

Answer the questions
1. When do people in Britain celebrate the coming of summer?
On the first day of May
May Day in Great Britain
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2. What festival is on the first of May in many countries?
A festival celebrating labour
3. What festival was on the first of May originally?
A nature festival
4. What did people do on the first of May during the Middle Ages?
They decorated the houses, sang, danced and played games
5. What did people collect to decorate the homes during the Middle Ages?
Flowers and branches
6. What was the most important dance on the first of May during the Middle Ages?
Maypole dance
7. When is May Day in Great Britain? Is it always on the first of May?
It’s on the first Monday in May. No, it isn’t.
8. What are the children dancing around in traditional maypole dance?
Around the maypole.
9. What does the maypole symbolize?
Life.
10. What's on the maypole?
Ribbons.
11. What do ribbons represent?
Rays of the sun.
12. What’s Morris dance? How do Morris dancers dance?
Morris dancers dance with handkerchiefs and bells. They move their feet a lot to make the bells ring
13. What do ringing bells do?
They wake up the spirits in the earth after winter.

6.

Match the questions to the answers
g
i
May Day in Great Britain
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c
1. When do people in Britain celebrate the coming
of summer?
2. What festival is on the first of May in many
countries?
3. What festival was on the first of May originally?
a) It is on the first Monday in May. No, it
isn’t.
b) Life.
c) A nature festival.
b
4. What did people do on the first of May during
the Middle Ages?
f
5. What did people collect to decorate the homes
during the Middle Ages?
h
6. What was the most important dance on the first
of May during the Middle Ages?
f) Flowers and branches.
a
7. When is May Day in Great Britain? Is it always on
the first of May?
h) Maypole dance.
e
8. What are the children dancing around in
traditional maypole dance?
b
m
j
l
k
9. What does the maypole symbolize?
10. What's on the maypole?
11. What do ribbons represent?
12. What’s Morris dance? How do Morris dancers
dance?
13. What do ringing bells do?
b) They decorated the homes, sang and
danced.
e) Around the maypole.
g) On the first of May.
i) A festival celebrating labour.
j) The rays of the sun.
k) They wake up the spirits in the earth
after winter.
l) Morris dancers dance with
handkerchiefs and bells. They move their
feet a lot to make the bells ring.
m) Colourful ribbons.

7.

Fill in the missing words
May Day in Great Britain
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a) first b) nature c) ring d) maypole e) Monday f) ancient g) branches
traditions i) Spain j) weather k) important l) collect m) rays
n) spirits o) queen p) handkerchiefs q) labour r) bells s) ribbons
h)
We celebrate the coming of summer on the 1)
day of May. In many countries the
a) first
first of May is a festival celebrating 2)
originally this day was a
3)
q) but
labour
j) weather
festival
to celebrate new life and welcome the warmer 4)
.
b) nature
k) important
During the Middle Ages May day was one of the most 5)
days in the year.
Everybody got up early and went maying. They went into the country to 6) l) collect
flowers and
g) branches
7)
of trees
to decorate their homes. Then there were games and singing and
dancing. The most important dance was around the 8)
. People
chose a girl from
d) maypole
o) queen
the village to be the 9)
of the May.
May Day today. In Great Britain May Day is a public holiday. But it is not always on the first of
May. It is on the first 10)
in
It is much less important than in the Middle
e)May.
Monday
Ages, but there are still some 11)
.In traditional
maypole dances children dance
h) traditions
around the maypole. The maypole, the 12)
symbol of life hasf)
many
colourful 13)
ancient
s) ribbons
on it. The ribbons represent the
14)
of the sun. You can also see Morris dancing
m) rayson
May Day. This kind of dancing probably came from 15)
in the 15th century but it is a
i) Spain
very British tradition
now. Morris dancers dance with 16)
and 17)
.
p)the
handkerchiefs
They move their feet a lot to make
bells18)
.This wasr)
tobells
wake up the 19)
n) spirits
in the earth after winter.
c) ring

8.

Correct the mistakes
firs
t
labour
1. People in Britain celebrate the coming of summer on the fourth of May.
2. In many countries the first of May is a festival celebrating love.
May Day in Great Britain
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natur
e
3. Originally the first of May was an animal festival to celebrate new life and welcome the warmer
weather.
most
4. During the Middle Ages May day was one of the less important days in the year.
flowers
5. During the Middle Ages on the first of May people went into the country to collect ribbons and
branches of trees to decorate their homes.
singin
6. During the Middle Ages on the first of May were games, drinking,
and dancing.
g
maypole
7. The most important dance during the Middle Ages on the first of May was around the rays.
queen
8. People chose a girl from the village to be the king of the May.
Monday
9. In Great Britain May Day is not always on the first of May. It is on the first Tuesday in May.
maypole
10. In traditional maypole dances children dance around the flowers.
ribbons
11. The maypole, the ancient symbol of life has many colourful bells on it.
rays
singing, bells, labour,
nature, Monday, most,
flowers, maypole (x2),
spirits, queen, first,
ribbons, rays, Spain, feet
12. The ribbons on the maypole represent the games of the sun.
Spain
13. Morris dancing probably came from Italy in the 15th century but it is a very British tradition now.
bells
14. Morris dancers dance with handkerchiefs and ribbons.
fee
15. Morris dancers move their heads
t a lot to make the bells ring.
spirits
16. Morris dancers made the bells ring to wake up the animals in the earth after winter.