Greetings 1 Vocab & Phrases - English Meeting ESL Lesson

St Patrick´s Day - Celebrated on the 17th of March

Patrick was born in Britain in the year 387. His real name is Maewyn Succat. The name St. Patrick was given to him later in life by Pope Celestine. His parents, Calphurnius and Conchessa belonged to a high ranking Roman family. St. Patrick recorded most of the history of his life and his spiritual writings in the "Confessio" (Confession). St. Patrick also wrote letters to Coroticus. In this letter, he criticized a raid on Ireland conducted by Coroticus, a British chieftain. Several of Patrick's converts were killed during the raid. The letter also shows St.Patrick's resentment of the scornful attitude of British clergymen and nobility toward the Irish.

When he was 16, he was captured by pagan Irish raiders and sold into slavery to a chieftain named Meliuc in Antrim , Ireland. He spent his teen years and time alone as a shepard to tend to his master's sheep. During this time, his spirituality awakened and his belief in God became strong. He would pray many times in a day. After 6 years being in slavery, he had a dream that he would find a ship to take him to freedom. He escaped to follow his dream. He had to travel about 200 miles before he found a ship ready to set sail.

He managed to return to his family and home. Although Patrick was born a British, he considered himself an Irish because it was in Ireland that he discovered God. He had another vision. This vision would take him back to Ireland to preach the Gospel later. After his escape, he visited the St. Martin's monastry at Tours. He also visited the island sanctuary of Lerins. He placed himself under the guidance of a bishop named, St. Germain (Germanus). Patrick was promoted to priesthood later. He stayed in Britain for eighteen years. During those years, he was still haunted by memories of Ireland and would often speak of his experiences in Ireland with St. Germain. The Bishop, St. Germain recommended Patrick to the pope.

Patrick requested to be sent to Ireland but was denied. Palladius was chosen instead. When Palladius died, Patrick was chosen to be sent to Ireland. He was called to Rome and made a Bishop by Pope Celestine in 432 before he went on his mission to Ireland. It was during that occasion that the name "Patercius" or "Patritius" was given to him. The name comes from two Latin words, "pater civium" meaning "the father of his people".

He suffered many trials as a missionary in Ireland. St. Patrick was imprisoned by the Druids but managed to escape. There are also many legends which talks about the miracles and magical fights between him and the Druids. One of which is when he was confronted by a chieftain named Dichu. Dichu drew his sword to kill Patrick but could not do so because his arm became rigid until he declared himself obedient to St. Patrick. Dichu was overwhelmed by the miracle that he made a gift of a large sabhall (barn). This was the first sanctuary dedicated by St. Patrick.

Another legend St. Patrick is most known for is driving the snakes from Ireland. Some tales tell that he stood on a hill and used a wooden staff to drive the snakes into the sea and banished them forever from Ireland. Another legend says that the snake resisted. St. Patrick then tricked it into entering a small box and cast it into the sea. It is true that Ireland has no snakes.

However, he managed to win favor with the local kings later. He spent the next 28 years traveling across the countryside to spread the word of God. He could do this easily as he was fluent with the Celtic language. He succeeded in converting almost the entire population of the island.

Legend has it that St. Patrick would use the shamrock to explain the Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The word "shamrock" comes from the Gaelic word "seamrog" (In irish, it means "summer plant") meaning "trefoil" (three leafed) or "little clover". In Arabia, it is called shamrakh. It was a sacred emblem in Iran and to the Persian triads. It is also a sacred plant among the Druids. Shamrock is the national flower of Ireland. Many Irish people wear a shamrock on St. Patrick's Day. It is not the Irish national emblem. The harp has that honor. This explains the color green and shamrocks on St. Patrick's Day. Today, if you do not wear green on St. Patrick's Day, you will get pinched !!

St. Patrick died at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland, on the 17 March, 461 A.D at the age of 76. He is believed to be buried in Downpatrick, County Down. This is why we celebrate St. Patrick's Day on the seventeenth of March. St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland.

The first St. Patrick's Day celebration in the United States was held in Boston in 1737. The largest St. Patrick's Day parade is in New York City.

BBC Shakespeare Animated Tales - Hamlet - Part 1

2011 - YEAR OF THE RABBIT

What Is Chinese New Year?

Chinese New Year is the most important of the Chinese holidays, and is a time of feasting with the family, celebration, fireworks, and gift-giving. It is a 15-day holiday, beginning on the first day of a new moon and ending with the full moon on the day of the Lantern Festival.

The Chinese calendar is based on the lunar year, so the date of Chinese New Year changes every year. The Chinese calendar follows a 12-year pattern with each year named after an animal. There are various stories which explain this. The simplest is that Buddha (or the Jade Emperor) invited all of the animals to join him for a New Year celebration, but only 12 animals turned up.

To reward the animals that did come, Buddha named a year after each of them in the order that they arrived, starting with the Rat, followed by the Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat (or Sheep), Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. (Find another version of the story to print, below)
Depending on the year you are born, you are believed to have the various character traits of that year's animal.

Ancient Chinese legends tell of the Nian, a man-eating beast from the mountains which came out every winter to feast on humans. To scare the Nian away, the people used loud noises such as firecrackers and fireworks, and bright colors, particularly red. These customs led to the first New Year celebrations.

HAPPY NEW YEAR FOR YOU ALL!!!

VERBS FOLLOWED BY PREPOSITIONS

This list will help you remember English verbs and prepositions. Practise using them as much as possible to feel more confident.

accuse someone of something
"He accused her of stealing."

agree with someone / something
"I agree with you – you are absolutely right."

agree to do something
"She agreed to wait for him."

agree on something
"We've agreed on all the major points."

apply for
"I'm going to apply for a new job."

apologise for something
"She apologised for being late."

ask someone to do something
"She asked him to do the shopping for her."

ask someone for something
"She asked her boss for a day off."

believe in
"I believe in hard work."

belong to
"This pen belongs to me."

blame someone for doing something
"He blamed her for driving too fast."

blame something on someone
"He blamed the accident on her."

borrow something from someone
"He borrowed some money from the bank."

care about something
"I don't care about money."

care for someone
"She really cares for her grandmother."

take care of something / someone
"Please take care of yourself on holiday."

complain to someone (about something)
"He complained to her about the food."

concentrate on something
"The student concentrated on her homework."

congratulate someone on doing something
"He congratulated her on passing her exam."

consist of something
"The department consists of five people."

depend on someone
"She depended on her friends for support."

explain something to someone
"She explained the new system to them."

listen to someone
"The students listened to their teacher."

look at something
"Look at that view – it's wonderful."

look for something / someone
"Will you help me look for my book?"

look after someone
"I need to look after my mother – she's ill."

pay someone for something
"Can you pay me for the shopping later?"

prefer someone / something to someone
"I prefer coffee to tea."

protect someone from something
"A scarf will protect you from the cold."

provide someone with something
"They provide families with housing."

regard someone as
"She regarded her sister as her best friend."

rely on someone / something
"Can I rely on you to get the shopping?"

search for someone / something
"The police searched the building for bombs."

spend money / time on
"I spent all my money on books as a student."

think about someone / something
"I think about you all the time."

think about / of doing something
"I'm thinking about / of buying a new car."

think of something
"I've just thought of a new idea."
"What do you think of the new magazine?"

translate from something into something else
"Don't translate from English into French."

wait for someone
"I waited an hour for him, then went home."

warn someone about
"The doctor warned her about smoking."

Merry Cristmas! - John Lennon

Christmas is both a sacred religious holiday and a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon. For two millennia, people around the world have been observing it with traditions and practices that are both religious and secular in nature. Christians celebrate Christmas Day as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, a spiritual leader whose teachings form the basis of their religion. Popular customs include exchanging gifts, decorating Christmas trees, attending church, sharing meals with family and friends and, of course, waiting for Santa Claus to arrive. December 25–Christmas Day–has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1870.