Carnival means party time! We all know it. We want to look great and we pay a lot of attention (zwracać uwagę) to our outfits at this time!

There are two main types of Carnival parties:

  • a normal party („just” a party – where you want to look nice and have a great time);
  • a dressing up party (impreza przebierańców) (not „a childish” party – but one in which you can show off with your imagination and sense of humo ur (poczucie humoru).

If you are invited to the first one, you want to look pretty or handsome…

Girls! Think of:

  • huge, hanging, bright earrings
  • high heels
  • long gloves (very chie!)
  • hairdresser’s before the party
  • brocade (brokatowy) make-up

Boys! Think of:

  • a tie or even a bow-tie (muszka)
  • hairdresser’s before the party (yes, guys do it as well!)
  • polished (wypolerowane) shoes
  • a suit, or at least no jeans
  • a fancy after shave

If you are invited to a dressing up party, the rules are the same for everybody so it doesn’t matter if you are a male or female!

  • Choose a costume that says something about you (it should be suitable (właściwy) for your character);
  • You need an idea for an animal costume? Here you go: a lion, a dog, a cat, a fish, an elephant! Typical items for each animal you can make out of paper. Things like masks, ears, tails you can easily buy in a toy shop.
  • Be a superhero! If you don’t have money to buy a full costume, you can be a ‘poor’ and funny version of a super hero. Batman, Superman or Spiderman doesn’t have to wear the perfect uniform all the time.
  • A long coat (or a dress) and cheap, plastic jewellery (biżuteria) – may be borrowed from your younger brother or sister – can make a perfect prince or a princess.
  • You have some old clothes and shoes at home? You’d be a perfect tramp (włóczęga) or if you don’t like the idea, take a rucksack with you and you’ll be a traveller (podróżnik) after some adventures! Find some boots at home and you can be even a pirate! They didn’t were smart clothes.
  • Be an object (przedmiot)! You can dress up as a… chair. You can be a door as well or a lamp. You have to be a very imaginative person (osoba z wyobraźnią), though. Find a typical or symbolic part of the object you want to be. You don’t have to have screen and a cable to be a TV set. Just draw buttons on a big box, cut a square hole in the middle, put the box over your head and hold a remote control (pilot do telewizora) in your hand. Everybody will guess who you are.
    l Think of nature: a flower or a fruit. Red clothes and a special face make-up may make you into a perfect strawberry!

 

News from around the world

Where does Carnival come from?

Carnival lets all of us explore (odkryć) and express ourselves (wyrazić siebie), it gives us a way to develop (rozwinąć) new forms of looking at the world and its cultures. Also a possibility to unite (zjednoczyć) the world, to discover what we all have in common, and to celebrate what makes us different. The power and creativity of this period can transform our lives. The ancient African traditions of parading through villages in costumes and masks have had a great influence (wpływ) on the present day carnival. Circling villages was believed to bring good fortune (szczęście/powodzenie), to cure (leczyć) illnesses, and bring peace to dead relatives (zmarli krewni) who passed into the next world. The African tradition of putting together natural objects: bones, grasses, shells, fabric (materiały) to create a piece of sculpture (rzeźba), a mask, or costume marked the beginning of present day dressing up (przebieranie się) tradition. In the African world each object or combination of objects represented a certain idea or spiritual force (siła duchowa). Feathers were frequently used by Africans on masks and headdresses (okrycia głowy) as a symbol of our human ability (ludzka zdolność/siła) to rise above problems, pains, heartbreaks, illness. Today, feathers are used in many forms in creating carnival costumes. African dance and music traditions transformed the early carnival celebrations in the Americas because, thanks to slaves, African drum rhythms, large puppets, stick fighters, and stilt dancers (tancerze na szczudłach) appeared in the carnival festivities.

Zadanie

Gap filling

Where did the word “carnival” come from?

Hundred of years _________(1), Catholics in Italy started the tradition of holding a wild costume festival right __________(2) the first day of Lent. Because Catholics are not supposed to _________(3) meat during Lent, they ___________(4) their festival, carnevale — which _________(5) “to put away the meat”. As time passed, carnivals in Italy became quite ___________(6). People were traveling _________(7) settling in other countries. __________(8) some time other Catholic __________(9) in Europe took the Italian tradition over. Then as the French, Spanish, and Portuguese __________(10) to take control of the Americas and other parts of the ___________(11), they brought with them their ___________(12) of celebrating carnival. Nowadays Carnival is one of the ___________(13) popular party times. It is full of different customs from all _________(14) the world and as long as cultures mix, the traditions of carnival will evolve.
world; before; famous; began; over; most; after; ago; tradition; eat; countries; means; and; called

Odpowiedzi
1) ago; 2) before; 3) eat; 4) called; 5) means; 6) famous; 7) and; 8) after; 9) countries; 10) began; 11) world; 12) tradition; 13) most; 14) over.

 

Zadanie

True or false

How much do you know about carnival?

Decide if the sentences are true or false.

1 In carnivals today there are still many ancient African traditions. true false
2 In Africa marching around villages was believed to bring good fortune. true false
3 Ancient Africans didn’t think about bringing peace to their dead relatives. true false
4 One of the African traditions was wearing a mask or costume. true false
5 The ancient Africans believed that dressing up could bring them bad luck. true false
6 Feathers are popular amongst nowadays carnival costumes. true false
7 In Africa people were forbidden to wear any kind of feathers. true false
8 African dance and music has had a big influence on present form of carnival. true false

Odp.
1 – true; 2 – true; 3 – false; 4 – true; 5 – false; 6 – true; 7 – false; 8 – true.