Ужгородська спеціалізована школа І-ІІІ ступенів №3 з поглибленим вивченням англійської мови Ужгородської міської ради Закарпатської області

I love Ukraine (позакласний захід для учнів 5-11 класів)

Ужгород - 2014

Subject: I LOVE UKRAINE Objectives: to enhance students’ knowledge about Ukraine, Ukrainian food, arts and traditions. At the Airport Mr.Smith: Oh, at last the flight is over! I‟m so tired. And I am starving! Is anybody waiting for me here? Let‟s find my name… oh, here it is! Hello! My name is Mr.Smith. Guide: Nice to meet you! My name is Tatiana and I‟m your guide. How was your flight? Mr.Smith: It was a bit tiring. Pupil 1: Welcome to Ukraine! It‟s nice to meet you! I‟m Dima and this is my friend Anna. We live in Ukraine. It‟s a beautiful European country. The capital of Ukraine is Kyiv. Ukrainian flag is blue and yellow. Ukrainians are very kind people. They like singing and dancing. I love my country! Pupil 2: Ukraine is the biggest country in Europe. It has two seas. The Black Sea is bigger than the Azov Sea. The highest mountain in Ukraine is Hoverla. There are many rivers and lakes in Ukraine. The longest river is the Dnieper and the widest lake is Svitiaz. There are many big cities in Ukraine. I live in Uzhgorod, but Kyiv is bigger than Uzhgorod. I love my country. I‟m proud of being Ukrainian. Mr.Smith: Thank you! I think I‟ll enjoy my stay here. Guide: I think you are hungry after such a long flight. What about going to a traditional Ukrainian restaurant and having lunch there? Mr.Smith: What a good idea! Day 1. Ukrainian cuizine Ukrainian people are famous for their hospitality. Our cuisine is well-known all over the world. It is varied and very tasty. Usually people prepare a lot of food when they have guests. Borshch and pampushky A lot of tourists enjoy eating borshch with garlic pampushky. This soup is made of cabbage and beets, usually with pork or beef meat served with sour cream. Each region has its own recipe. Pampushky are small baked breads, often buttered and topped with garlic. Varenyky Ukrainian varenyky are large stuffed dumplings. They can be stuffed with potatoes, cottage cheese, meat and berries. Varenyky with cherries are the most delicious. Holubtsi Cabbage rolls stuffed with rice and minced meat, often served with souce. It takes a lot of time to prepare them, but it worth it. Nalysnyky Very thin and big crapes. They can be served as a main course or a dessert. They can be stuffed with meat, cottage cheese or smth sweet. Syrnyky Fried cheese pancakes, usually served with sour cream, honey or jam. Enjoy your stay in Ukraine and Ukrainian food! Mr Smith: Mmm… It was delicious! Guide: I‟m glad you‟ve enjoyed!

Mr Smith: I see Ukrainians are very friendly people! Guide: You‟re right. Let‟s take a closer look at Ukrainian character.

Day 2: Ukrainian character The words “Ukraine”, “Ukrainians” are the highlights of all the breaking news reports in the world these days. The planet is stunned and puzzled by the phenomenon called Ukrainians. Let‟s try to reveal the nature and the features of the peculiar Ukrainian character. U mentality was formed under the influence of many factors: geographical location at the crossroads of the East and West, specific climatic conditions and complex, at times tragic historical destiny. Since time immemorial Us have been known as hardworking, thrifty, handy and skilled farmers emotionally strongly bounded to their native parts, preserving powerful links with their land even being torn off far away. They have always been good family men and devoted wives keeping family traditions strictly. It‟s worth mentioning that women have a strong image in the social Ukrainian culture and are idealized in literature. Historically, Ukrainian women have worked side by side with their men. Today, women keep busy running households, raising children, working at jobs and professions. There‟s something close to obsession in Ukraine with looking your best. In the street, it looks like fashion week in Milan as men and women walk around in pointy shoes, glossy leather jackets. Clothing is intended to create a necessary appearance, and not be comfortable and practical. Respect for elders is very much a part of Ukrainian life. Graying hair is a positive attribute of everyday life. They are typically kind-hearted, friendly and hospitable. The Ukrainian hospitality is well-known all over the world . Ukrainian people are sympathetic and well wishing to both fellow countrymen and foreigners . It became a tradition in Ukraine to meet guests with bread and salt. Ukrainians are outgoing people, optimistic and undemanding , they see the brighter side of life, and have a proverb that explains it all – "Things will sort themselves out somehow". Ukrainian priorities are jobs, careers, family and friends. Personal relationships represent security against the dangers and difficulties of life. Social life revolves around close groups emphasizing friendship, especially in times of need. Family and friends will go to extremes to assist one another whenever help is required. Among themselves U-s have always valued restraint, consideration and a realistic view of life. They have a very specific sense of humour: they can be bitingly ironical. It might seem odd to a stranger that U-s are inclined to romanticism and sentimentality. But come the time of ordeal, and they are determined, resourceful, brave and ready for selfsacrifice which is proved by all the heroic deeds we can witness in the course of the latest events. One might say, Ukrainians have mysterious Slavonic character, they are romantic and peace loving. Ukrainians are patriots. Today the nation lives through difficult times but we believe that one day Ukraine will become a strong powerful democratic country. Mr Smith: I am sure it will happen in the nearest future! Guide: We all pray for it. And now let‟s plunge into the atmosphere of Ukrainian holidays.

Day 3: Ukrainian Holidays

Mr Smith: I see your traditions are a bit different from ours. By the way, I‟ve heard a lot about Ukrainian architecture. Guide: There are a lot of old cities in Ukraine where you can enjoy amazing views. Let‟s travel to some of them. Day 4: Travelling around Ukraine We are going to show you around Ukraine. We are sure that it will be an exciting experience. (slide1) Do you know that Ukraine is the biggest country in Europe? The capital of the country is the Ancient city of Kyiv. The biggest cities are Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lviv, Odessa and Dnipropetrovsk. The country is washed by the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. The number of places to visit is incredible. It‟s almost impossible to mention all of them. Any sight is something amazing to see. It‟s quite natural that we start our journey in Kiev.(slide 2) Kiev is the capital of Ukraine and the largest city of the country. It is located on the Dnipro river. Kiev is an important industrial, scientific,

educational, and cultural center of Eastern Europe. It is home to many high-tech industries, higher education institutions and world-famous historical landmarks. When you are in Kiev the first place you should visit is without any doubt Independence Square (Maydan Nezalezhnosty).(slide 3) It is the place where events of vital international and national importance take place. It is the heart of our country, the centre of democratic changes and the symbol of the Ukrainians‟ desire to be free and independent. Then you should visit one of the most interesting streets of Kyiv - Andrew Descent. (slide 4) The street, often advertised by tour guides and operators as the “Monmartre of Kyiv", is a major tourist attraction of the city. Lots of museums, monuments and St. Andrew‟s Church are located there. (slide 5) Another significant place to visit is the Golden Gate, a major landmark of the Ancient Kiev and historic gateway in the ancient city fortress. (slide 6) Kiev is the cultural and scientific centre of the whole country. Dozens of theatres and museums, universities and colleges are found here. (slide 7) Travelling around Ukraine can‟t be complete without Lviv. It is the main city of western Ukraine. It is one of the most important cultural centres of Ukraine. The city is known as a centre of art, literature, music and theatre. (slide 8) Also Lviv is known for its restaurants and cafes, and, ofcourse, the famous Lviv coffee. (slide 9) When you come to Lviv the first place to go is the Market Square. (slide 10) Different festivals and fairs are usually held there. This is the place where people meet and start friendships. Lviv is known for its magic atmosphere of freedom and Ukrainian spirit. The Lviv Opera and Ballet Theatre is an important cultural center for residents and visitors too. (slide 11) Transcarpathia is the smallest administrative unit in Ukraine. Everybody knows that this region is the most popular tourist attraction because of its breathtaking landscapes, marvelous views and tolerant people. Its administrative centre is the city of Uzhhorod. (slide 12) Situated in the Carpathian Mountains, the region is the only Ukrainian administrative division which borders on four countries: Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania. The Carpathians influence the oblast's economy strongly, making the region an important tourist and travel destination, housing many ski and spa resorts. (slide 13) It‟s not necessary to travel all the way to Japan in order to admire the bright pink flowers of the famous Japanese Cherry tree, sakura. These miraculous trees grow in Europe, too, namely in Uzhhorod. (slide 14) No matter what season and place it is, Ukraine is always ready to welcome friends from all around the world who are eager to see it. (slide 15) Mr Smith: Well, it was really fantastic! Guide: And now let‟s touch upon the beauty. I must say that Ukrainian literature, art and music are well-known all over the world. Day 5: Ukrainian Culture: Literature P1 Hello. Welcome to our bookshop. Mr Smith With great pleasure. I see you‟ve got a rich collection of Ukrainian authors. P1 That‟s right. Ukraine has given the world a lot of brilliant names in literature: Taras Shevchenko, Ivan Franko, Lina Kostenko and many others. Mr Smith I‟m fond of Ukrainian poetry. Could you recommend some books by famous Ukrainian poets?

P1Well, I‟d recommend you this book of poems by an outstanding Ukrainian poet Lesia Ukrainka. By the way, it‟s her pen-name. Her real name is Larysa Kosach. Her mother, Olena Ptchilka was a Ukrainian writer. Her parent‟s house was often visited by famous and prominent people of that time. Among Kosaches‟ friends were the composer Mykola Lysenko and one of the founders of the Ukrainian professional theatre Starytskiy. Of course these meetings affected her character. She was a romantic. Her first book of poems “On Wings of Songs” was warmly welcomed both by readers and critics. She also wrote plays. The best ones are “The Forest Song” and “The Stone Host” Besides, Lesia Ukrainka knew foreign languages like German, French, Italian and English quite well. She could write prose and poetry in all these languages. Unfortunately her health was becoming worse and worse. It made her travel from one warm country to another - Austria, Italy, Georgia, Egypt and Crimea. One of her best poems, which tells us about her high spirit is “Contra spem spero”. My favourite lines are: “Through tears I would burst out laughing Sing a song when grief is my lot Always I, againts hope, keep on hoping... I would live! Away gloomy thought.” And here‟s the book of poems by a contemporary Ukrainian writer Vasyl Symonenko. He is one of the most talented Ukrainian poets. His life war very difficult, tragic and short. He died at the age of 29. Vasyl studied at the secondary school at wartime and graduated from it with the gold medal. In his childhood he was greatly influenced by his uncle, who opened the great history of the Ukrainian nation and the whole truth about it to Vasyl. Being a student at the faculty of journalism in Kyiv State University after T. Shevchenko he wrote a lot of poems. His first book “Silence and Thunder” was published in 1962. His fairy-tales became widely-known not only in Ukraine. One of his best well-known poems is: “Do you know that you are a person.” Mr Smith: Well, I think I‟ll buy this book of Ukrainian poetry, thank you. Ukrainian Culture: Art Mr Smith: Hey! What a nice picture. It seems so familiar! Guide: Oh, that‟s from a series of small drawings by a famous Ukrainian artist Yevgeniya Gapchinska. A few years ago a picture contest was announced all around Ukraine and it resulted with these funny children with a kind and a bit childish message on them. By the way, let‟s go to the puicture gallery. The exhibition of Gapchinska works is held there. Mr Smith: Oh, what nice pictures! But we know nothing about the artist. Will you tell us a few words about her? Pupil: With pleasure. Yevgenia Gapchinska was born on the 15th of November 1974 in Kharkiv in the family of an officer. She was a very capable girl and went to school at the age of 5. When she was 13 she became a student of Art College. Then she graduated from Art Institute. The young artist practised at Nuremberg Art Academy. In 2000 she moved to Kyiv. The same year Yevgeniya became famous. The artist illustrates many books for children. In 2008 Ukrainian post issued a series of stamps “The signs of the Zodiac” with her works.

Every year more than ten exhibitions of her paintings are held in Urkaine, Russia, France, England and many other countries. She has got some private galleries in Ukraine and Russia. Her works are kept in Europeat museums and private collections. Mr Smith: Thank you for such an interesting information. Ukrainian Culture: Music Ukrainian folk music Photo 1Ukrainian folk or ethnic songs are the great treasure of the nation. It is greatly honoured and preserved. Ukrainian folk music includes a lot of traditional and folkloric customs. Ukrainian music hasrich melodies and special rhythms, which have always been popular with the people of all ages. Photo 2Parents have always passed their traditional songs to children and with the help of them cultivated the respect to our country and culture. Some of them are so old, that nobody even remembers where they have come from. Our ethnic songs existed as the desire to express our feelings and share experiences with others.Photo 3,4The songs reflect the heart and soul of our nation, the deepest emotions of every Ukrainian. Our country has faced a lot of historical events and changes: religious, political and economic, and folk music has always helped to overcome the difficulties and share the happiness of victory. Photo 5,6Ukrainian people have been known for their ability to create touching and beautiful songs using a lot of different national instruments among whichare the kobza, bandura, lira, tsymbalysopilka, trembita, volynkaand buben. Thereare more than a dozen of musical genres, and each of them is devoted to some particular part of life like family traditions or historic battles. But the most popular ethnic songs are wedding songs.Photo 7Among the most popular songs which people sang long time ago, are still singing now and will probably sing forever are: Schedrik, Ojnahoridvadubky, Cheremshyna, OjMarichkochicheri, Rozpryagayte, khlopzi, koney and many others. Ukrainian modern music Photo 8Traditional Ukrainian music is becoming more and more popular in present days. Modern music has always been an important part of Ukrainians. It used to be very typical for common Ukrainian people to come together whenever they could and sing the songs of their Motherland. It would start with one person singing and soon others would join in and a breath taking song took ones heart away. Photo 9Our pop music is West influenced. On the modern Ukrainian stage almost all musical directions are presented: from folk to jazz. The popularity of many Ukrainian pop bands and singers havecrossed the borders of Ukraine and are famous all over the world.Photo10,11,12One of the most popular Ukrainian singers is Ruslana, who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2004 with her song “Wild dances”. She is also well known for her active social position and participation in social life. Photo13,14Another very famous singer is Tina Karol. She is the author and composer of many wonderful songs such as “Show me your love”, “Nochenjka”, “Vysheoblakov” and many others. Photo15,16And probably one of the most popular rock bands in Ukraine is “OkeanElzy”, which has been performing great songs since 1990s. It was formed in 1994 in Lviv, Ukraine. The band's vocalist and frontman is SvyatoslavVakarchuk. Photo 17OkeanElzy is one of the best-loved Ukrainian rock band not only in Ukraine but also all over the world. Their most famous songs are "Tam, De NasNema", "Kholodno”, “Dyakuyu!", "Yatakkhochu...", "Veseli, brate, chasynastaly..." and many others.

Mr Smith: Yeah! These boys are really cool! I‟ve been to their concert at Astoria when they visited London in 2000. Guide: You know, Ukrainians are proud of their music, their literature, their art. And they cherish their traditions. You are invited to a wedding today. There you will see all the beauty of Ukrainian traditions. Day 6: Ukrainian Traditions Picture 1. Ukrainian wedding traditions vary in details depending on the region, and especially whether a wedding takes place in a village or in a city. As a rule, a rural wedding is a picturesque event, full of symbolic rituals in which almost the whole village celebrates a creation of a new strong family. Picture 2. Ukrainian wedding traditions procedure starts from the formal engagement.. The groom invites two married men, starosty, to visit the home of the bride and to ask her parents for her hand in marriage. Scene 1. Father of the bride: Good afternoon strangers! Welcome to our house! Where have you come from, young men? What is the purpose of your visit? Starosta 1: We have met a young man in a great sorrow: he fell in love with a beautiful young girl and asked for our help to find her. Starosta 2: the road has brought us to your house. Would you agree to listen to his kind words? Groom: Good afternoon, highly respected parents of my beloved girl.I came here today to ask for your permission for our marriage. Father of the bride: In case our daughter agrees, we bless your marriage and future life. In case she agrees, they receive traditional embroidered towels, both parties then exchange the gifts and loaves of bread.. However, if a bride doesn‟t agree, a poor man will probably receive a pumpkin instead of a loaf of bread. A couple of days before the wedding itself, bride‟s and groom‟s families bake special wedding bread (‘korovay’). A young couple visit their relatives and friends and invite them to their wedding ceremony. Both a bride and a groom have their last parties with their friends separately from each other two or three days before the wedding itself. The wedding ceremony, which normally consists of an official civil marriage ceremony and church service, takes place on Saturday or Sunday. Picture 3. Scene 2. Registrator: Welcome family and friends! We are here today to celebrate the miracle of life. We gathered here today to testify the marriage of this young couple, who came here to join their hearts and souls ia a holly alliance of marriage. Dear Groom, do you agree to take this woman as your wife and to love and care about her till the death parts you? Groom: I do! Registrator: Dear Bride, do you agree to take this man as your husband and to love and care about him till the death parts you? Bride: I do! Registrator: You have joined your hands and hearts in front of your family and friends! I pronounce you a husband and a wife!

Picture 4. The official ceremony in the registry office contains a lot of folk traditions: for instance, a young couple should stand on the embroidered towel spread on the floor. It is said that the one who will manage to step on the towel first will play a leading part in the family. Registrator: Now, we will see who is going to be the leader in the family. Picture 5. A groom usually wears a black suit and a bride puts on a white dress. A compulsory part of a modern Ukrainian wedding is a long photo session . A bride and a groom are taken all around the city or village, they pose next to monuments, in parks and riversides. This lasts until the end of the day, when it is time to go to the restaurant , Picture 6. According to Ukrainian wedding traditions meal includes many courses. Apart from eating and drinking, guests are delivering speeches saying “Girko!”, which means that a young couple should kiss. Picture 7. Mr Smith: Thank you! It was an amazing tour! Day 7: Images of Ukraine The true treasure of Ukraine is not its mountains or waterfalls, not its architecture or food. The true treasure of Ukraine are we – people with our nightingale language. You know, someone said that people‟s soul is reflected in its language, that is why our soul is deep, rich and it shows all our exceptionality compared with other nationalities. Just listen to our folk songs, they are known throughout the world and are sung by a lot of countries. You can recollect our Christmas carols like “Chedryk”. We shouldn‟t forget about our poetry, especially verses by Pavlo Tychyna, Volodymyr Sosiura, Ivan Franko and of course Taras Shevchenko. And now I want to recite some lines from his immortal „Testament‟: Did my grave and rise my barrow By the Dnieper side, In Ukraine – my old land A fair land and wide. Now Ukraine is suffering hardships, but I believe that clear sky will always be over our Motherland – Ukraine.