British Christmas Traditions

British Christmas Traditions
• The word Christmas comes from ‘Christ’s Mass’ – a special
church service which celebrates the birth of Jesus
Christ. Many ancient customs have become part of the
Christmas celebrations, and Christmas is no longer simply
a religious celebration. To many people it means only
shopping, eating and drinking.
mass
Messe
ancient
althergebracht
custom
Brauch
celebration
Feier
• Mince pies (= Pastete mit Füllung aus gemischtem Dörrobst)
Mince pies originally contained minced or chopped pieces
of meat. Now these pies, eaten at any time of the day
during the Christmas period, are small pastries
containing the sweet ‘meat’ of mixed fruit, brandy and
suet.
contain
enthalten
mince
zerhacken
pastry
Teig
brandy
alkohol.Getränk
chop
zerkleinern
suet
Nierenfett
• Christmas Pudding:
Christmas pudding is a sweet dessert made
with sugar, eggs, raisins, fruit peel,
brandy and spices. Many Christmas puddings
are traditionally steam-cooked in a cloth,
and some people in Britain fill the pudding
with coins. It’s very good luck to bite on
a coin.
pudding
fruit peel
cloth
Kuchen
Orangen- /
Zitronenschale
Tuch
raisin
Rosine
steam-cooked
dampfgegart
coin
Münze
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Christmas Trees
A fir tree sparkling with
lights in a family living room
– this is one of the central
images of Christmas. Many
families buy artificial trees.
Not all Christmas trees are in
people’s homes. A famous one
grows outside the White House,
in Washington, DC. and its
lights are switched on every
Christmas by the US President.
In London a giant Christmas
tree stands on Trafalgar
Square.
artificial
künstlich
giant
riesig
• Christmas cards
British people love to send Christmas cards. They send
more than anybody else in the world.
• Christmas crackers
A cracker is made of a small paper tube covered in
coloured paper. Two people pull the ends and it explodes.
Inside is a paper hat or a small present and sometimes a
poem or a joke.
paper tube
Papprolle
explode
explodieren
poem
Gedicht
joke
Witz
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• Christmas carols
In the 13th century, songs telling the story of
Christmas, were called carols. They became popular even
though they were of ‘pagan’ roots. Carol singing remains
a popular tradition in Britain today, with many school
children going from house to house in the evenings,
singing carols to collect money for charity.
Christmas
carol
pagan
Weihnachtslied
even though
obwohl
heidnisch
root
Wurzel
to remain
bleiben
evening
Abend
to collect
sammeln
charity
Wohltätigkeit
Silent Night, Holy Night
Silent Night, Holy Night
All is calm, all is bright,
Round the Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace!
silent
still
calm
ruhig
bright
hell
virgin
Jungfrau
infant
Säugling
tender
zart
heavenly
himmlisch
peace
Friede
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Oh Christmas tree
Oh, Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree
How faithful are your branches,
Green not alone in summer’s time,
But in the winter’s frost rime
Oh, Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree
How faithful are your branches.
faithful
treu
branch
frost rime
Raureif
Zweig
White Christmas
I’m dreaming of a White Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know,
Where the tree tops glisten
And children listen
To hear sleigh-bells in the snow.
I’m dreaming of a White Christmas
With every Christmas-card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white!
to glisten
glänzen
sleigh
Schlitten
bell
Glocke
merry
glücklich
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Jingle Bells
Dashing through the snow, in a onehorse open sleigh,
o’er the fields we go, laughing all
the way.
Jingle Bells, jingle bells, jingle all
the way,
oh, what fun it is to ride and sing
in a one-horse open sleigh.
to dash
rauschen
Santa Claus
You better watch out,
You better not cry,
Better not pout,
I’m telling you why:
Santa Claus is coming to town.
He’s making a list
Ad checking it twice,
Gonna find out
who’s naughty and nice –
Santa Claus is coming to town.
He
He
He
so
sees you when you’re sleeping,
knows when you’re awake,
knows if you’ve been good or bad,
be good, for goodness’ sake.
to watch out
aufpassen
naughty
ungezogen
to pout
schmollen
for goodness’
um Gottes Willen
sake
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