NEW YEAR AND CHRISTMAS NEWS REPORT

Christmas Vocabulary

	advent	the arrival of someone or something important
	Advent	the coming (or second coming) of Jesus Christ; the month leading up to Christmas
	angel	a spiritual being acting as a messenger of God (usually shown as a human being with wings)
	berry	a small round fruit
	Bethlehem	the small town in the Middle East believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ
	candle	a cylinder of wax with a central wick (like string) which burns to produce light
	chimney	a vertical pipe in a house that allows smoke and gases to escape from a fireplace (Father Christmas traditionally enters a house through its chimney)
	Christ	the title of Jesus (also used as His name)
Christian		a person who believes in Christianity; also an adjective
	Christianity	the religion based on the teachings and person of Jesus Christ
	Christmas	the annual Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ (Christmas Day is on 25 December)
	Christmas cake	a rich fruit cake covered with white icing, eaten at Christmas
	Christmas card	a greetings card that people send to friends and family at Christmas
	Christmas carol	a religious song or popular hymn that people sing at Christmas
	Christmas Day	25 December, the birthday of Jesus Christ
	Christmas Eve	the evening or day before Christmas Day (24 December)
	Christmas holidays	the holiday period for about a week before and after Christmas Day
	Christmas present	a gift or present given at Christmas
	Christmas tree	an evergreen tree (often a spruce) that people decorate with lights and ornaments at Christmas
	cracker	a decorated paper tube that makes a sharp noise ("crack!") and releases a small toy when two people pull it apart
	decoration	something that adds beauty; ornament
	egg-nog	a traditional Christmas drink made of alcohol with beaten eggs and milk
	Father Christmas	an imaginary being who brings presents for children on the night before Christmas Day (also known as Santa Claus) - traditionally an old man with a red suit and white beard
	fireplace	a partly enclosed space in a house where people light a fire for warmth
	frankincense	a gum used for incense, one of the gifts that the three wise men gave to Jesus
	gold	a yellow precious metal, one of the gifts that the three wise men gave to Jesus
	holly	an evergreen plant with prickly dark green leaves and red berries
	Jesus	the name of Christ, the central figure of Christianity (believed by Christians to be the Son of God)
	Joseph	the husband of Mary (the mother of Jesus)
	magi	the wise men from the East who brought gifts for the baby Jesus
	manger	a trough for food for horses or cattle (used by Mary as a cradle or bed for Jesus)
	Mary	the mother of Jesus
	mistletoe	a parasitic plant with white berries, traditionally used as a Christmas decoration
	myrrh	a gum used for perfume or incense, one of the gifts that the three wise men gave to Jesus
	nativity	the birth of a person
	the Nativity	the birth of Jesus Christ
	nativity play	a play that people perform at Christmas based on the birth of Jesus
	new year	the start of a year; the period just before and after 1 January
	New Year's Day	1 January
	New Year's Eve	31 December
	ornament	an object that adds beauty to something; a decoration
	present	a thing given to somebody as a gift.
	reindeer	a deer with large antlers found in some cold climates (believed to pull the sleigh for Santa Claus or Father Christmas)
	Santa Claus	an imaginary being who brings presents for children on the night before Christmas Day (also known as Father Christmas) - traditionally an old man with a red suit and white beard (Santa Claus may be based in part on the historical figure of Saint Nicholas.)
	shepherd	a person who looks after sheep
	sleigh	a sledge or light cart on runners pulled by horses or reindeer over snow and ice
	snow	water vapour from the sky that falls as white flakes and covers the ground
	star	a bright point in the night sky which is a large, distant incandescent body like the sun
	the star of Bethlehem	the star that announced the birth of Jesus and guided the wise men to find Him
	tinsel	a decoration consisting of thin strips of shiny metal foil, traditionally used at Christmas
	turkey	a bird like a large chicken, traditionally eaten at Christmas
	white Christmas	a Christmas with snow on the ground
		New Things Here is everything that you need to know about the New Year's celebrations in English-speaking countries: December 31 is New Year's Eve. January 1 is New Year's Day. Americans call the whole festival New Year's: What are you doing between Christmas and New Year's? British speakers call it New Year or the New Year: What are you doing between Christmas and New Year? If you say Sylvester, English speakers will think that you are talking about a cartoon cat. Traditionally, it's not a time for fireworks. The Americans have fireworks on July 4, the British on 5 November ("Guy Fawkes' Night"). But after seeing the famous pictures of the celebrations at the Brandenburger Tor on 31 December 1989, English-speaking countries realised that the Germans might have a custom worth stealing. Firework displays as the year turns are getting more and more common. The new year festival is important in Scotland. It's called Hogmanay. They do strange traditional things with bagpipes, the stomachs of sheep  AND NOW SOME INFORMATION ABOUT CELEBRATION NEW YEAR IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES  Argentina In Argentina, at zero hours the first day of January is provided with cider or champagne, wishing each other a happy new year, with the family compared to a good table full of dishes, between the traditional are the piglet, the beef, poultry and alcohol. In the following minutes, primarily in neighborhoods, is often leave the door of the street to share pyrotechnics and toast with neighbors. Australia .Each major city around Australia holds New Year’s Eve celebrations, usually accompanied by a fireworks display amongst other events.Gloucester Park, a racecourse in central Perth, is the largest and most recognised display in Perth. In Brisbane 50,000 people annually gather at sites around the Brisbane River in the city to watch a fireworks display while events are held in the city and at Southbank.The two largest New Year's Eve celebrations in Australia are held in its two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne. The celebrations in Sydney are usually accompanied by a theme which is displayed in light shows and a large symbol in the middle of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Over 1.5 million people gathered around Port Jackson (Sydney attendance of 2 million people). The fireworks display last from 12 to 25 minutes and is followed by music shows set on several stages throughout the beach.As one of the first major New Year's celebrations each year (due to time zones), Sydney's fireworks display is often broadcast throughout the world during the day of 31 December. Austria In Austria, the New Year's Eve is usually celebrated with friends and family. At exactly midnight, all radio and television programmes operated by ORF broadcast the sound of the Pummerin (bell of St Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna), and right after that the "Donauwalzer" (The Blue Danube) by Johann Strauss II is played, which many people dance to at parties or on the street. Large crowds gather on the streets of Vienna, where the municipal government organises a series of stages from which bands and orchestras play music. Fireworks are set off both by ordinary people and the municipal governments. Belgium Belgian New Year's Eve celebrations are held in all large cities on 1 January. These celebrations are usually accompanied by fireworks. Brazil The Ano Novo (New Year in Portuguese) celebration, also know in Brazilian Portuguese by the French word Reveillon, is one of the country's main holidays, and officially marks the beginning of the summer holidays, that usually end by Carnival (analogous to Memorial Day and Labor Day in the United States). The beach of Copacabana (in Portuguese: Praia de Copacabana) is considered by many to be the location of the best fireworks show in the world. Brazilians usually have a copious meal with family or friends at home, in restaurants or private clubs, and consume alcoholic beverages. They usually dress in white, to bring good luck into the new year. Fireworks, offerings to African-Brazilian deities, eating grapes or lentils are some of the customs associated with the holiday. Canada In Canada, New Year's traditions and celebrations vary from region to region. Generally, New Year's Eve (also known as New Year's Eve Day or Veille du Jour de l'An in French) in Canada is a social holiday. In major metropolitan areas such as Toronto and Montreal, major celebrations with music and fireworks are often held at midnight. Other common New Year's Eve celebrations such as late-night partying are also major events in these cities and other places around Canada. In some areas, such as in rural Quebec, people ice fish and drink with their friends until the early hours of January 1.On television, the sketch comedy troupe Royal Canadian Air Farce had been known for their New Year's Eve specials on CBC, which in addition before the start of their weekly television series, was one of their first forays into television after years on radio. Consequentially, the series finale of their television series was a New Year's Eve special on December 31, 2008, although due to their popularity, the CBC requested that they return for a New Year's Eve special for 2009. China In China, although the celebrations of the Lunar New Year are not until a few weeks into the new year, celebrations of the Gregorian New Year are still held in some areas. Celebrations with fireworks and rock concerts have taken place in Beijing's